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		<title>Riverton Christian Church</title>
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		<copyright>Copyright 2012 Riverton Christian Church, All rights reserved.</copyright>
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		<title><![CDATA[ Why Is the Gospel Foolishness? -- 1 Corinthians 1 ]]></title> 
		<link>http://www.rivertoncc.org/blog_direct_link.cfm/blog_id/42012</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ Many just don&amp;#39;t get the message of the gospel -- it seems lame, old fashioned, too restricting, ...(complain, complain, complain, blah, blah, blah). In today&amp;#39;s text, Paul refers to it as &amp;quot;foolishness&amp;quot; but only for those who are &amp;quot;perishing&amp;quot;.&amp;nbsp; In other words, the people without Christ in their lives will consistently find the gospel message ridiculous.&amp;nbsp; But to Christians, it is power.
Isaiah 29.14 says that God will destroy the wisdom of the wise (those wise in the world) and frustrate the intelligence of the intelligent.&amp;nbsp; This is a kind of paradox to prove that truth and wisdom come only from God.
Verse 27 of our text says that &amp;quot;God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.&amp;nbsp; he chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things -- and the things that are not -- to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.&amp;quot;  There is no o... ]]></description>
		<category><![CDATA[ Josiah Project ]]></category>
		<author>pastorgrant09@yahoo.com (Grant Ray)</author>
		<pubDate>Fri, 11 May 2012 13:36:00 EST</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[ A Word of Caution -- Romans 16 ]]></title> 
		<link>http://www.rivertoncc.org/blog_direct_link.cfm/blog_id/42010</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ The apostle Paul closes out the book of Romans with words of greeting to those that he is familiar with.&amp;nbsp; Many who begin to read this final chapter would be tempted to just skip it, since it looks like it will only be about greeting fellow Christians. But read a bit further and we see a word of caution given to be on guard against those who would cause divisions and put obstacles in the way that are contrary to the teachings of God.&amp;nbsp; We should not even be around those people. Divisions weaken the church and give Satan an upper hand. I&amp;#39;m just saying...


... ]]></description>
		<category><![CDATA[ Josiah Project ]]></category>
		<author>pastorgrant09@yahoo.com (Grant Ray)</author>
		<pubDate>Thu, 10 May 2012 12:02:00 EST</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.rivertoncc.org/blog_direct_link.cfm/blog_id/42010</guid>
		<comments>http://www.rivertoncc.org/blog_display.cfm/blog_id/42010</comments>
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		<title><![CDATA[ A Matter of Personal Faith -- Romans 14 and 15 ]]></title> 
		<link>http://www.rivertoncc.org/blog_direct_link.cfm/blog_id/42009</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ I find it confusing that some things that others believe are okay that they believe them since there is no sin in them, yet we come unglued at the idea that not everyone believes the exact same way!&amp;nbsp; It&amp;#39;s as though the different denominations in Christianity say, &amp;quot;It&amp;#39;s okay to believe something different as long as it is exactly like what I believe.&amp;quot;&amp;nbsp; We so easily become judgmental with what other people believe (Christian or non-Christian alike), I&amp;#39;m afraid we lose sight of the cross.
Today&amp;#39;s text helps to put our differing beliefs in perspective.&amp;nbsp; Paul writes, &amp;quot;Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters.&amp;quot; We&amp;#39;re not talking about the essentials; you know, salvation issues.&amp;nbsp; The discussion is really about things that are about personal understanding and faith.
For instance, Paul uses the example of food.&amp;nbsp; He says, &amp;quot;One man&amp;#39;s faith allows him to eat everything, but another man... ]]></description>
		<category><![CDATA[ Josiah Project ]]></category>
		<author>pastorgrant09@yahoo.com (Grant Ray)</author>
		<pubDate>Wed, 09 May 2012 10:58:00 EST</pubDate>
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		<comments>http://www.rivertoncc.org/blog_display.cfm/blog_id/42009</comments>
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		<title><![CDATA[ Does This Outfit Make Me Look Bright? -- Romans 13 ]]></title> 
		<link>http://www.rivertoncc.org/blog_direct_link.cfm/blog_id/41945</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ Throughout the Apostle Paul&amp;#39;s work, we see his emphasis on what true godly love really is.&amp;nbsp; Tucked in today&amp;#39;s text is a summary of this section on loving, &amp;quot;...let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.&amp;quot; 
Armor is for the protection of a soldier.&amp;nbsp; As soldiers for Christ, we carry the light of Christ within ourselves.&amp;nbsp; Darkness has nothing to do with true love; love brightens not only our own lives but the lives of those around us. That light (love) shows others how God wants us to behave, with decency and in order.&amp;nbsp; Think about it...
... ]]></description>
		<category><![CDATA[ Josiah Project ]]></category>
		<author>pastorgrant09@yahoo.com (Grant Ray)</author>
		<pubDate>Tue, 08 May 2012 09:01:00 EST</pubDate>
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		<comments>http://www.rivertoncc.org/blog_display.cfm/blog_id/41945</comments>
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		<title><![CDATA[ Love Is a Many Splendored Thing -- Romans 12 ]]></title> 
		<link>http://www.rivertoncc.org/blog_direct_link.cfm/blog_id/41944</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ So often we read the first couple of verses in Romans 12 and stop there.&amp;nbsp; But a very powerful passage is from vv9- 21.&amp;nbsp; It is about love in its many forms.&amp;nbsp; Verses 9-13 is about how to love brothers in Christ and live a life of love.&amp;nbsp; Verses 14 through the end of the chapter are about how to love &amp;quot;neighbors&amp;quot;, in this case those who are not believers. This section is more difficult than the first part.&amp;nbsp;
It&amp;#39;s not always easy to love those who sling poo at you and what you believe.&amp;nbsp; It takes a special kind of love to minister to those who don&amp;#39;t love our heavenly Father. Even when they do us serious wrong, Paul tells us that the best way to handle it is to let God take care of it and our job is to outgive good.&amp;nbsp; In fact, Paul says to overcome evil with good.
Still think you can&amp;#39;t tolerate such abuse? Think of how God has to put up with you!&amp;nbsp; I&amp;#39;m just saying...!
... ]]></description>
		<category><![CDATA[ Josiah Project ]]></category>
		<author>pastorgrant09@yahoo.com (Grant Ray)</author>
		<pubDate>Mon, 07 May 2012 08:43:00 EST</pubDate>
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		<comments>http://www.rivertoncc.org/blog_display.cfm/blog_id/41944</comments>
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		<title><![CDATA[ The Fullness of the Gentiles -- Romans 11 ]]></title> 
		<link>http://www.rivertoncc.org/blog_direct_link.cfm/blog_id/41939</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ If the Jews are God&amp;#39;s chosen people (and they are), then how did we Christians get to be children of the Lord as well?&amp;nbsp; Paul explains in today&amp;#39;s text: &amp;quot;...so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in.&amp;quot; This smacks of the idea of what is known as &amp;quot;election&amp;quot; or even &amp;quot;predestination.&amp;quot;
You have a destiny.&amp;nbsp; Just because other religions use the term &amp;quot;destiny&amp;quot; and we typically don&amp;#39;t doesn&amp;#39;t mean we shouldn&amp;#39;t use the word.&amp;nbsp; Some believe a destiny is something that you will do whether you set out to do it or not.&amp;nbsp; But a destiny is the journey toward a destination. The Bible says that God desires that all be saved.&amp;nbsp; His desire is your destiny.&amp;nbsp; But if all people have that destiny, why don&amp;#39;t more people come to Christ?&amp;nbsp; Just because you have a destiny (a path, a journey), doesn&amp;#39;t mean that you must choose that des... ]]></description>
		<category><![CDATA[ Josiah Project ]]></category>
		<author>pastorgrant09@yahoo.com (Grant Ray)</author>
		<pubDate>Sun, 06 May 2012 13:43:00 EST</pubDate>
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		<comments>http://www.rivertoncc.org/blog_display.cfm/blog_id/41939</comments>
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		<title><![CDATA[ The End of the Law -- Romans 10 ]]></title> 
		<link>http://www.rivertoncc.org/blog_direct_link.cfm/blog_id/41923</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ &amp;quot;Christ is the end of the law...&amp;quot; Today&amp;#39;s text makes such a startling statement and it is easily misunderstood. The word &amp;quot;end&amp;quot; in this passage more accurately means &amp;quot;fulfillment&amp;quot;.&amp;nbsp; Thus, Jesus is the fulfillment of the laws demands. But does the law really &amp;quot;end?&amp;quot;&amp;nbsp;
In Matthew 5.17, Jesus tells us that he did not come to abolish the law or the prophets, but to fulfill them. In verse 18 of the same chapter in Matthew, he elaborates a bit further: &amp;quot;...until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen will by any means disappear from the law until everything is accomplished.&amp;quot; Everything won&amp;#39;t be accomplished, however, until after the restoration of all things and everything is in its rightful place (book of Revelation).&amp;nbsp; As Christians, we are freed of the law since we are now under grace, but the law still remains and becomes not only our grounding, but our moral compass and poin... ]]></description>
		<category><![CDATA[ Josiah Project ]]></category>
		<author>pastorgrant09@yahoo.com (Grant Ray)</author>
		<pubDate>Sat, 05 May 2012 13:16:00 EST</pubDate>
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		<comments>http://www.rivertoncc.org/blog_display.cfm/blog_id/41923</comments>
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		<title><![CDATA[ In Hot Pursuit -- Romans 9 ]]></title> 
		<link>http://www.rivertoncc.org/blog_direct_link.cfm/blog_id/41877</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ A pursuit is following after something or someone in order to catch or obtain it.&amp;nbsp; Usually when I think of pursuit, I think of a police chace scene.&amp;nbsp; The police are making an effort to follow, catch up to, and apprehend a criminal.&amp;nbsp; We say they are in &amp;quot;hot pursuit.&amp;quot; I also think of pursuit as an aggressive kind of move.&amp;nbsp; When I&amp;#39;m in pursuit of something, I&amp;#39;m not being casual about it -- I&amp;#39;m actively in chase with great intensity!
When Paul recognizes that the Jews pursued righteousness and didn&amp;#39;t attain it, but the Gentiles attained it without pursuing it at all, there is a question: How did that happen? There is an answer: FAITH.
The Jews pursued righteousness through law; the law is full of rules and regulations -- hoops to jump through to be considered good. But Paul points out that righteousness is not attained by following rules.&amp;nbsp; The rules are simply a way to help man identify what God says is right and wrong; it is a guide to ... ]]></description>
		<category><![CDATA[ Josiah Project ]]></category>
		<author>pastorgrant09@yahoo.com (Grant Ray)</author>
		<pubDate>Fri, 04 May 2012 10:13:00 EST</pubDate>
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		<comments>http://www.rivertoncc.org/blog_display.cfm/blog_id/41877</comments>
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		<title><![CDATA[ No Condemnation! -- Romans 8 ]]></title> 
		<link>http://www.rivertoncc.org/blog_direct_link.cfm/blog_id/41876</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ &amp;quot;Therefore&amp;quot; can be an incredibly powerful word.&amp;nbsp; It summarizes or directs us to a conclusion based on the words immediately prior to itself.&amp;nbsp; In Romans 7 Paul explains that the redeemed man (the Christian) has the struggle between his spiritual nature and the nature of his body in which he lives.&amp;nbsp; But at the beginning of chapter 8, Paul uses this word, &amp;quot;therefore.&amp;quot; In other words, what is coming next is the logical conclusion of the matter just discussed in chapter 7.
Chapter 8 begins with such a powerful statement.&amp;nbsp; &amp;quot;Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.&amp;quot; Do you see it, friend? By Christ&amp;#39;s sacrifice on the cross, he rescued &amp;quot;us&amp;quot; from what our bodies continue in.&amp;nbsp; See, Jesus didn&amp;#39;t come to save our bodies; he came to save us who live in those bodies.&amp;nbsp; That&amp;#39;s why at the... ]]></description>
		<category><![CDATA[ Josiah Project ]]></category>
		<author>pastorgrant09@yahoo.com (Grant Ray)</author>
		<pubDate>Thu, 03 May 2012 09:44:00 EST</pubDate>
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		<comments>http://www.rivertoncc.org/blog_display.cfm/blog_id/41876</comments>
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		<title><![CDATA[ Why Did You Do That? -- Romans 7 ]]></title> 
		<link>http://www.rivertoncc.org/blog_direct_link.cfm/blog_id/41875</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ As parents, we help our younger children reason their behaviors by feeding them language that they can use to label their own actions and by asking simple questions designed to motivate thinking.&amp;nbsp; Questions like, &amp;quot;What were you thinking about when you did that?&amp;quot; or a more appropriate one is, &amp;quot;Who were you thinking about just then?&amp;quot; As God&amp;#39;s children, we have to recognize and identify our sin and figure out where it comes from and why.&amp;nbsp; Paul reviews this clearly in today&amp;#39;s text.
The law of Moses (God&amp;#39;s law) is often blamed as the reason for sin. That statement is both yes and no.&amp;nbsp; The law is there to help us identify sin but it cannot make us sin. In verse 8, Paul says that sin seizes the opportunity afforded by the commandment and produces in him every kind of coveteous desire. Let me explain.
When you tell a child &amp;quot;no&amp;quot; to something, the first thing they want to do is do the very thing you told them not to.&amp;nbsp; Why?&amp;nbsp; Bec... ]]></description>
		<category><![CDATA[ Josiah Project ]]></category>
		<author>pastorgrant09@yahoo.com (Grant Ray)</author>
		<pubDate>Wed, 02 May 2012 09:18:00 EST</pubDate>
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		<comments>http://www.rivertoncc.org/blog_display.cfm/blog_id/41875</comments>
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		<title><![CDATA[ Freed From Sin! -- Romans 6 ]]></title> 
		<link>http://www.rivertoncc.org/blog_direct_link.cfm/blog_id/41836</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ At the end of Chapter 5 in Romans is a point that is worth drawing out and pondering on for awhile.&amp;nbsp; In verse 20 it says, &amp;quot;The law was added so that the trespass might increase.&amp;nbsp; But where sin increased, grace increased all the more...&amp;quot; The law of Moses is not what saves us; it merely brings an unattainable standard to mankind which results in personal conviction.&amp;nbsp; The law brings out the need for redemption, not the redemption itself.
So what makes this idea such a headscratcher is the question Paul comes up with in today&amp;#39;s text, first verse: &amp;quot;...Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?&amp;quot; Good point: If grace increases proportionately to sin, then doesn&amp;#39;t it make sense that we should increase our sinning so that we might have more grace available to us?&amp;nbsp; Sounds like a plan! But no.&amp;nbsp; To think that way misses the whole point.
We must come to a point of freedom from sin, since that is what stands in the way of a personal rela... ]]></description>
		<category><![CDATA[ Josiah Project ]]></category>
		<author>pastorgrant09@yahoo.com (Grant Ray)</author>
		<pubDate>Tue, 01 May 2012 11:38:00 EST</pubDate>
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		<comments>http://www.rivertoncc.org/blog_display.cfm/blog_id/41836</comments>
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		<title><![CDATA[ Rejoice...in Suffering? -- Romans 5 ]]></title> 
		<link>http://www.rivertoncc.org/blog_direct_link.cfm/blog_id/41816</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ In today&amp;#39;s text, Paul tells us that we need to rejoice in our sufferings.&amp;nbsp; Silly Paul, suffering is bad -- must be one too many stones to the head! But actually, he&amp;#39;s right.&amp;nbsp; Suffering isn&amp;#39;t a bad thing when we suffer for the right reasons (like our faith).&amp;nbsp; He goes on to explain:
&amp;quot;...because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.&amp;quot; 
You know the old saying that whatever doesn&amp;#39;t kill you makes you stronger? That&amp;#39;s kind of what Paul is talking about.&amp;nbsp; In just about anything in life, it is important for us to fail sometimes.&amp;nbsp; We cannot grow as individuals, a culture, or as Christians without some failures.&amp;nbsp; Why?&amp;nbsp; Because we don&amp;#39;t learn from our successes; we learn from our mistakes. The same is true with suffering.&amp;nbsp; God uses times of suffering to stretch us and grow us in our faith.
Case in point: I learned to ride a bicycle at age 6.&amp;nbsp; I remember that trau... ]]></description>
		<category><![CDATA[ Josiah Project ]]></category>
		<author>pastorgrant09@yahoo.com (Grant Ray)</author>
		<pubDate>Mon, 30 Apr 2012 11:53:00 EST</pubDate>
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		<comments>http://www.rivertoncc.org/blog_display.cfm/blog_id/41816</comments>
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		<title><![CDATA[ What Does It Mean to Walk in Faith? -- Romans 4 ]]></title> 
		<link>http://www.rivertoncc.org/blog_direct_link.cfm/blog_id/41802</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ Abraham was an amazing man!&amp;nbsp; I can only hope I get to talk to him face to face one day! In all of Abraham&amp;#39;s adult life, he had to respond to God in faith.&amp;nbsp; I&amp;#39;m not sure I could do as well as he did.
We first meet Abraham when he was still known as Abram living in or near Ur in Chaldean territory (part of what is now Iraq).&amp;nbsp; Ur wasn&amp;#39;t far from where the Garden of Eden was located. But the people he lived among, even some of the members of his own family, did not follow God.&amp;nbsp; God chose Abram while in Ur and told him to pack his things, and move himself and his immediate family to some land that God would show him.&amp;nbsp; There&amp;#39;s a faith challenge for you -- &amp;quot;where am I going, Lord?&amp;quot;&amp;nbsp; &amp;quot;I&amp;#39;ll tell you when you get there&amp;quot; was the response. I mean really -- how do you pack for that kind of a trip?
God told him after obeying and settling in the new territory which is now Israel that he would have so many descendents that you cou... ]]></description>
		<category><![CDATA[ Josiah Project ]]></category>
		<author>pastorgrant09@yahoo.com (Grant Ray)</author>
		<pubDate>Sun, 29 Apr 2012 13:54:00 EST</pubDate>
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		<comments>http://www.rivertoncc.org/blog_display.cfm/blog_id/41802</comments>
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		<title><![CDATA[ Daddy, Where Does Righteousness Come From? -- Romans 3 ]]></title> 
		<link>http://www.rivertoncc.org/blog_direct_link.cfm/blog_id/41801</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ Righteousness is apart from the law.&amp;nbsp; How can that be? Because it comes through faith in Christ.&amp;nbsp; What is faith?&amp;nbsp; Hebrews 11.1 tells us that &amp;quot;...faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of that which we do not see.&amp;quot;
Everyone sins; in fact v23 of our text tells us that not only has everyone sinned, but continues to sin (we don&amp;#39;t measure up to God&amp;#39;s standards because we take for ourselves more than we give). But Paul explains in today&amp;#39;s text that man is justified by God&amp;#39;s grace (receiving of good that we don&amp;#39;t deserve) through being saved by Christ. Let me explain...
On our own, you nor I could ever attain the purity and perfection (inside) that is required to be in the presence of the king of the universe.&amp;nbsp; We must be cleansed.&amp;nbsp; Jesus was sacrificed like an animal so that by the shedding of his blood, he took the ugliness and the uncleanness of our sins and put them on himself.&amp;nbsp; Now, when we accept Jesus as both Sa... ]]></description>
		<category><![CDATA[ Josiah Project ]]></category>
		<author>pastorgrant09@yahoo.com (Grant Ray)</author>
		<pubDate>Sat, 28 Apr 2012 13:33:00 EST</pubDate>
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		<comments>http://www.rivertoncc.org/blog_display.cfm/blog_id/41801</comments>
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		<title><![CDATA[ Sin Takes; Love Gives -- Romans 2 ]]></title> 
		<link>http://www.rivertoncc.org/blog_direct_link.cfm/blog_id/41799</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ Remember finger exercise you learned in kindergarten? When you point at someone, when you have one finger pointing at someone else you also have three pointing back at you! When we judge someone, we must be careful that it is the Scripture who brings the judgment and not us.&amp;nbsp; There is no human who can administer justice adequately because we all have sin in our lives.&amp;nbsp; Paul tells us that God&amp;#39;s justice will come and we need not worry about someone else&amp;#39;s stuff; we&amp;#39;ve got enough problems of our own!
Paul tells us beginning in v7 that those who seek God above themselves will be given eternal life.&amp;nbsp; But those who have motives that are self-seeking and they reject the truth and follow evil, they will receive wrath.&amp;nbsp; Why?&amp;nbsp; Because sin, by its very nature is self seeking and God, in his very nature is love. And love never seeks for itself. Always remember: Sin takes; love gives.
Paul continues this vein of thinking as he points out that just hearing the ... ]]></description>
		<category><![CDATA[ Josiah Project ]]></category>
		<author>pastorgrant09@yahoo.com (Grant Ray)</author>
		<pubDate>Fri, 27 Apr 2012 13:17:00 EST</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[ House Arrest in Rome -- Acts 28 ]]></title> 
		<link>http://www.rivertoncc.org/blog_direct_link.cfm/blog_id/41797</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ Once Paul reached Rome, he preached the gospel, but not to whom you might expect at first.&amp;nbsp; He preached to the Jewish leaders there! It says that he declared to them the kingdom of God and tried to convince them about Jesus from the law of Moses and from the prophets. In verse 25-28&amp;nbsp; of our text, we see that his efforts didn&amp;#39;t go over very well.&amp;nbsp; These words were offensive to the Jews because it was about them.&amp;nbsp; No one wants to hear negativity about themselves.
But Paul made the best of it.&amp;nbsp; While he was waiting on his case to go to trial, Paul spent the next two years waiting a house.&amp;nbsp; He was not able to leave that house, but it says that all who came to him got an earful of the gospel!&amp;nbsp; Between our hospitality and our words we too can make a difference for the kingdom in the lives of those in our influence.
... ]]></description>
		<category><![CDATA[ Josiah Project ]]></category>
		<author>pastorgrant09@yahoo.com (Grant Ray)</author>
		<pubDate>Wed, 25 Apr 2012 12:29:00 EST</pubDate>
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		<comments>http://www.rivertoncc.org/blog_display.cfm/blog_id/41797</comments>
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		<title><![CDATA[ Fair Havens -- Acts 27 ]]></title> 
		<link>http://www.rivertoncc.org/blog_direct_link.cfm/blog_id/41796</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ The prisoner Paul was taken by boat to see Caesar in the capitol city of Rome.&amp;nbsp; But the time of year they travelled was not good for ships to sail.&amp;nbsp; It was too late in the year because it was after Yom Kippur and the season caused travel by ship to be difficult. They could have put into port in a harbor called Fair Havens on the southern coast of Crete, but those in authority decided it was best to sail on and get as far as they could.&amp;nbsp; Big mistake! Their decision resulted in a shipwreck.
Fair Havens was a unique harbor because of the way it was protected on three sides.&amp;nbsp; If they hadn&amp;#39;t been in a hurry, they could have stopped there for the winter where the ship would have been protected from damage and crew and cargo would not have experienced an accident at sea.&amp;nbsp; Fair Havens was a place of refuge and protection. It was a place to take the time to let the season pass them by and be better prepared to resume their journey after.
How many times do we refus... ]]></description>
		<category><![CDATA[ Josiah Project ]]></category>
		<author>pastorgrant09@yahoo.com (Grant Ray)</author>
		<pubDate>Tue, 24 Apr 2012 11:54:00 EST</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[ Almost Persuaded -- Acts 26 ]]></title> 
		<link>http://www.rivertoncc.org/blog_direct_link.cfm/blog_id/41663</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ While the Apostle Paul was defending himself before King Agrippa and Festus, he presented his testimony from the time of being a persecutor of Christians to his conversion and finally to the subsequent time as a minister of the gospel, seeking to introduce others to Christ.&amp;nbsp;
Many are familiar with the old hymn, &amp;quot;Almost Persuaded.&amp;quot;&amp;nbsp; It is a very sad hymn, so very few people use it.&amp;nbsp; It was inspired by this encounter between Paul and King Agrippa when he told Paul, &amp;quot;You almost persuade me to become a Christian.&amp;quot;&amp;nbsp;
Almost....but not quite.&amp;nbsp; Have you ever felt the wind go out of your sails when the people you dearly want to see as brothers and sisters in Christ still choose not to accept him despite your best efforts?&amp;nbsp; There is frustration for sure, but worse than that, there is emotional hurt and fear for their souls.&amp;nbsp; There is also the feeling of letting God down.&amp;nbsp; But you know what?&amp;nbsp; Neither is reality.
Sharing the gospe... ]]></description>
		<category><![CDATA[ Josiah Project ]]></category>
		<author>pastorgrant09@yahoo.com (Grant Ray)</author>
		<pubDate>Mon, 23 Apr 2012 10:42:00 EST</pubDate>
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		<comments>http://www.rivertoncc.org/blog_display.cfm/blog_id/41663</comments>
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		<title><![CDATA[ Not a Criminal; Just Irritating! -- Acts 25 ]]></title> 
		<link>http://www.rivertoncc.org/blog_direct_link.cfm/blog_id/41647</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ Teflon is an amazing invention.&amp;nbsp; I still don&amp;#39;t understand why nothing will stick to teflon, but teflon will stick to the inside of a pan though! Personally, I view Christians as needing a fair amount of &amp;quot;spiritual teflon&amp;quot; to weather the storms of persecution.
In today&amp;#39;s text, Paul was being bounced around from one authority to another in an attempt to silence him.&amp;nbsp; But no matter who heard his case, they couldn&amp;#39;t find anything that would &amp;quot;stick&amp;quot; to him -- in the world&amp;#39;s eyes, he might have been a bit irritating, but certainly not a criminal! Saying what you think isn&amp;#39;t a crime as long as you don&amp;#39;t slam the king.&amp;nbsp;
In our day and age, we hear more and more accounts of how the world seeks to silence Christians.&amp;nbsp; Most of it is not to the criminal level yet, but what if we get to that point?&amp;nbsp; Are the things you say and do as a Christian sharing the truth of God while remaining innocent of crime.&amp;nbsp; Do you wear enough s... ]]></description>
		<category><![CDATA[ Josiah Project ]]></category>
		<author>pastorgrant09@yahoo.com (Grant Ray)</author>
		<pubDate>Sun, 22 Apr 2012 13:30:00 EST</pubDate>
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		<comments>http://www.rivertoncc.org/blog_display.cfm/blog_id/41647</comments>
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		<title><![CDATA[ Proving God's Truth -- Acts 24 ]]></title> 
		<link>http://www.rivertoncc.org/blog_direct_link.cfm/blog_id/41615</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ I love it when non-biblical sources prove God true.&amp;nbsp; You may think that religion and science are in opposition to one another, but they aren&amp;#39;t.&amp;nbsp; The world just wants you to believe they are.&amp;nbsp; You may believe that religion and history don&amp;#39;t ever agree, but that also would be a mistake.&amp;nbsp;
In today&amp;#39;s text, Governor Felix heard the case of Jews against Paul, who had been accused of being a troublemaker among the Jewish nation.&amp;nbsp; Is this just a story?&amp;nbsp; No.
The Roman Empire gave the world many things, but accurate records was one of the greatest.&amp;nbsp; We can pinpoint time in the Scriptures by their records.&amp;nbsp; Felix was governor of Judea at about AD52.&amp;nbsp; He was recalled to Rome in AD59, so here we have a time frame for hearing Paul&amp;#39;s case.&amp;nbsp;
Want to narrow this down further, and we can see that Festus came in to replace Governor Felix about AD59 and he died two years after taking office, so from that we can mathematically calculate t... ]]></description>
		<category><![CDATA[ Josiah Project ]]></category>
		<author>pastorgrant09@yahoo.com (Grant Ray)</author>
		<pubDate>Sat, 21 Apr 2012 09:48:00 EST</pubDate>
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		<comments>http://www.rivertoncc.org/blog_display.cfm/blog_id/41615</comments>
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