Greg Cercone

Rapture

The word Rapture comes from the Latin word “rapio,” but the concept is taken from 1 Thessalonians 4:17, Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. The actual Greek term for “caught up” is “harpazo.” The Latin Vulgate translated …

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Apologetics

Apologetics is the defense of the Christian faith.1 Peter 3:15 is the classic passage that deals with apologetics, Always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you. The word “defense” comes from the Greek word “apologia,” from which we get the …

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Conversion

In the world, the word conversion seems to connote a negative meaning. Like in the case of conversion therapy, which attempts to cure people of homosexuality. Our culture sees this as abusive and inhumane. In addition, the word conversion, in a religious context, is seen as wrong and intolerant. So the word gets a bad …

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Stewardship

When most people hear the word stewardship, either they are not familiar with the word or they primarily think about money. For Christians the word coveys the concept of how they handle money and how that is related to their relationship with God. While this is a primary emphasis of stewardship, it is not the …

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Zionism

Zionism in the broadest sense is an international movement to get the Jews back into their homeland of Zion (Israel). Zion is used in the Bible specifically to refer to the hill in Jerusalem that David captured and called “the city of David” (1 Chronicles 11:5). Zion is also used more generally as a designation …

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Nativity of Christ

The English word “nativity” comes from the Latin word “nativitas,” which means “birth.” A Nativity scene is a snapshot representation of the night in which Jesus Christ was born, including the little baby Jesus in a manger wrapped in swaddling clothes, along with His mother Mary, step-father Joseph, shepherds, animals, angels, the wise men and the star overhead. …

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Covenant

The word “covenant” is used over 300 times in the Bible and is a very important word in understanding how God deals with His people. In the Old Testament the word covenant comes from the Hebrew word “berit,” which means a treaty, a compact or agreement made between two parties bound together with various responsibilities …

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Kindness

The Hebrew word for kindness is “hesed,” which is a beautiful word in the original language. It very often refers to human kindness shown to toward one another, but more powerfully it is a word that speaks of God’s love toward His people. In the Old Testament, the word is translated as “lovingkindness,” “steadfast love,” …

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Ingratitude

As much as God loves when His people are grateful, He hates when they are ungrateful. Ingratitude is a sin that underappreciates and devalues what you have, or have been given. Gratitude is an attitude of appreciation under any circumstance. Gratitude means expressing thankfulness and being appreciative of daily life, even when nothing exciting happens. Ingratitude …

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Meditation

Meditation is word that is popular in our culture among non-Christians who claim to be “spiritual.” This is unfortunate because the Bible uses this word repeatedly to refer to what Christians do in their walk with Christ. The Bible teaches that believers are to meditate on the glory of God and His Word. When believers …

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