David CM Bell Leadership Blog

 John 1:35-51 - Without Integrity, There is No Depth of Insight or Lasting Significance             Peter, the famous disciple and apostle of Christ, the rock of the early church, had a brother named Andrew.  Before becoming a follower and apostle of Jesus Christ, Andrew was a disciple of John the Baptist.  Some people ask the question of whether they were Jews.  Yes, of course, they were Jews.  In fact, The Baptist’s dad was one of the leaders in the Synagogue, Zechariah (Elizabeth’s husband).  At the end of the Bible (in Revelation) we hear about the honor God gives to the people of faith (Revelation 20:4).  But we hear particular honor and foundational recognition about the twelve sons of Jacob (the twelve tribes of Israel - Genesis 35) and the twelve apostles of the Lamb of God (Revelation 21:12-14).           I was asked last week if I knew who the twelfth Apostle of Christ is a...

 John 1:6-34 - The Power of Sharing the Truth           There is no sense in keeping it to yourself.  That’s not the point at all.  In fact, as we see in this first chapter of John, God’s way was to prepare people by a message of repentance and by sharing the truth about who Jesus is.  God loves a cheerful giver.  And today, that’s us.           I don’t know if John was the first to believe that Jesus was the Messiah (Mary, Joseph, Simeon, and Anna (Luke 2) are examples of those whom Scripture tells of early faith), but The Baptist was certainly the man that God foretold and prepared to share with Israel that the salvation sent from God had arrived (Luke 3:6, Malachi 3:1, and Isaiah 40:3).           John the Baptist preached a message of repentance and one of holiness.  He focused on integrity, honesty, generosity, and helping the poor (Luke 3).  There was no empi...

  John 1:1-5 - The Big Question                    What’s the meaning of life?  Is it simply the pursuit of happiness?  And if so, what does happiness mean?  Shockingly it’s not just the old that get depressed and realize the frustrations and emptiness of life.  Psych wards are filled with kids and geriatrics alike.  Poor mental health is a major issue in the home, the workplace, and across our communities.  It’s sad but true.  A reality of the human condition is that apart from the gracious love of God there is no real satisfaction, no peace, joy, comfort, unity, or harmony.           Yes, of course, there are many good pursuits - but they aren’t the end goal, the meaning of life.  You can rattle off a thousand ideas (such as raising a good family and contributing well to society), but it's worthwhile for the Christian to be able to succinctly state what the...

 Revelation 22 -  The Grand Adventure - God's Love Story           John wrote to encourage the early church about events that would happen in their lifetime.  He wrote to both encourage them and warn them.  We hear in this final chapter this verse, “Look, I am coming soon!  Blessed are those who obey the words of prophecy written in this book” (22:7).  God (the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End, the Alpha and the Omega, the source of David and the heir to his throne) sent the angel to give the message to the churches through the beloved Apostle John (22:16).           The churches were to turn back to God, remain faithful, repent of evil deeds, go back to full faith, persevere, and be diligent turning away from indifference to rich fellowship with Jesus (Revelation chapters 1-3).           The story of the Bible is a love story.  God desperately and fa...

  Revelation 21:5-8 - Growth Mindset for God's Children           We are made in God’s image.  Beyond that, believers have the Holy Spirit to guide and direct us, to admonish and show us our sins.  So it makes good sense that we have volition-free will to make this choice rather than that one.           It’s risky these days to challenge Christian men to be authentic - to be the husbands and dads Jesus expects us to be.  We can’t make disciples of Christ if we are not first disciples of Christ ourselves.           It also makes sense that we should find repugnant what God disdains.  In this short life, God is after our character.  It is those who are victorious in Christ, those who hunger and thirst for God that we’ll find in the 1,400-mile cubed eternal city of God (21:16).  Heaven really is for squares!           We may sometimes th...

 Revelation 21 - Take the Challenge           In these final chapters of the Bible, we find mankind's eternal hope. I pray that we don’t think of the new Jerusalem as the boring end but rather the blessed beginning.  God’s glory is beyond what we could hope or imagine.  Lord Jesus, we are not there yet, so we press on.  We need you.  We have no idea how great, good, and powerful you are.  Help us to understand.  Help us to rightly fear You today, walk in Your ways, love You, and serve You with all of our hearts, souls, and minds (Deuteronomy 10:12).  Amen.           We know that believers in Christ have a foretaste of this eternal hope despite being on this fallen earth and in these aging bodies.  We have the Holy Spirit in us (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).  When God brings final judgment He will then create a new earth.  Out of God’s kindness, He will not forget about us.  ...

 Revelation 20 - The Book of Life           A quick search of the bible reveals the word “thousand” is used about 413 times.  While the word means ten groups of one hundred it is also a metaphorically rich word used by our Father meaning a long or seemingly limitless amount.  It is a word used to magnify God’s love for us.           For instance, “And may the Lord, the God of your ancestors, multiply you a thousand times more and bless you as he promised!” (Deuteronomy 1:11).  We must interpret Revelation 20:4 and the thousand years that the martyrs reign with Christ in light of all Scripture.  The same Apostle John who wrote this scripture also wrote, “Don’t be so surprised! Indeed, the time is coming when all the dead in their graves will hear the voice of God’s Son, and they will rise again. Those who have done good will rise to experience eternal life, and those who have continued in evil will rise ...

  Revelation 19 - Waiting on God           Waiting is part of the human condition.  Our moms had to wait for us to be born (and some are still waiting for us to grow up!).  In hospice care one waits to die.  Christian waiting is distinct from unfruitful inactivity.  Waiting on God is a time of fruitful growth where we are recharged, strengthened, and motivated to charge on.  Waiting is living by faith in Jesus; it's a mindset of trusting the Father, through the Spirit of Christ to complete our hope.  As we wait we grow in Christ through doing the good deeds God has prepared for us to do today.           God knows what you are going through today.  It may be serious sickness, or anxiety over national politics (some of us have been waiting 20 years for peace, order, and good governance in Ottawa and some have counted the months over the last four years as we approach the American federal el...

 Revelation 18 - Godly Character - One Day at a Time           God’s character does not change.  He always has and always will oppose the proud, but gives grace to the humble (1 Peter 5:5).  You are made in the image of God.  Be open-minded to growth, correction, rebuke, and discipline from the mighty hand of God.  For through endurance and wisdom God produces godly character in His children.           We read in Revelation that the fall of the great city was because of her immorality (18:3).  In Revelation 11:8 we read that “and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified.”  Jerusalem is that ‘great city’ symbolizing the ancient city of Babylon, which God likewise judged for her pride and immorality over five hundred years earlier.  In Revelation 18 God’s people (Christians) are told to get away fr...