We hear people talk about Faith all the time, but how many of us know how to demonstrate the faith we talk about?
Author Archives: cgispringfield
Lying Spirit From God?
by Mike James
There is an interesting scripture in 1 Kings 22:19-23 that says the following: “And he said, Hear thou therefore the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left. And the Lord said, Who shall persuade Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth Gilead? And one said on this manner, and another said on that manner. And there came forth a spirit, and stood before the Lord, and said, I will persuade him. And the Lord said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, Thou shalt persuade him, and prevail also: go forth, and do so. Now therefore, behold, the Lord hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets, and the Lord hath spoken evil concerning thee.”
Some have an issue with this because it seems like God is sending a lying spirit to influence certain prophets to lead King Ahab to his death in battle.
The question would be, could God allow an angel or spirit under His control to force prophets to lie to the king? This does not make sense because lying is a sin, and God cannot sin!
Continue readingCrossroads
Each one of us are faced with decisions every day! Follow Christ and His Teachings or follow along with the ways of the world. One crossroad leads to life and blessings, the other eventually leads to something most don’t see coming.
Life, Death, and Fruit Flies
by Mike James
I read an interesting fruit fly study that got me thinking about how stress may impact humans. The study was conducted by Christi Gendron, a neurobiologist at the University of Michigan.
Gendron conducted a study on how living fruit flies respond to the sight of dead fruit flies. The research was published in the journal PLOS Biology. Apparently, neurons in the flies’ brains make them age faster after seeing dead flies. Scientists believe this relates to perceptions within the brains of animals causing physical reactions in their bodies.
Dr. Gendron and Scott Pletcher, who is a biologist at the University of Michigan, discovered how flies deal with death unintentionally. They were trying to see whether flies would show a behavioral or physiological response, like a heightened immune system, after being around other flies that had been made sick with a disease. “The only types of responses we saw happened after the flies that we infected died,” Dr. Pletcher said.
Continue readingWhosoever Calls on My Name
Jesus says, “Why do you call me Lord and do not the things I say”? Many people call Jesus Lord today, but many refuse to actually follow what He taught!
Biblical Discrepancies – Esau’s Wives
by Mike James
How many wives did Esau have? This is yet another seeming discrepancy in the Bible. A closer look and research will reveal the Bible is not creating a discrepancy.
First, let’s look at the scriptures that address the various wives of Esau.
Genesis 26:34: And Esau was forty years old when he took to wife Judith, the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Bashemath, the daughter of Elon the Hittite (KJV).
Genesis 28:9: Then went Esau unto Ishmael, and took unto the wives which he had Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael Abraham’s son, the sister of Nebajoth, to be his wife (KJV).
Genesis 36:2-3: Esau took his wives of the daughters of Canaan; Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Aholibamah the daughter of Anah the daughter of Zibeon the Hivite; And Bashemath Ishmael’s daughter, sister of Nebajoth (KJV).
Continue readingA Form of Godliness
Having a form of Godliness but denying its power! Are we just kidding ourselves into thinking we are a Godly person while our actions say something different? It’s pre-Passover season and time to take an honest look at ourselves.
Feast of Tabernacles 2026
Greetings! We have a new menu tab and web page FOT Branson. It’s that time of year to start thinking about the Feast of Tabernacles and reserving your hotel room. The first day of the Feast is Saturday, September 26th through Friday. October 2nd and the Last Great Day/Eighth Day is Saturday, October 3rd. All services will start at 11:00 AM CST. There will be a schedule posted of speakers and activities when it becomes available later this year.
The Church of God International has confirmed our Meeting Room which is called the Sunset Meeting Room at the Grand Plaza Hotel and Conference Center, Branson, Missouri located at 245 N Wildwood Dr, Branson, MO 65616. It has recently been purchased and renovated, and the people have been great to work with. This will be CGI’s first Feast here in 2026 and we are excited about the location and level parking in the beautiful Ozark Mountains.
The information for the Grand Plaza Hotel and Conference Center is under the FOT Branson menu tab. We will be posting more information so you can look under the FOT Branson menu tab for Feast Updates.
You may want to follow our site to get updates just go to the Home Page and there’s a button “Follow CGI Springfield” and enter your email. You will be sent information each time a new post is posted. You can un-follow at any time. Or you can check-in periodically to see what’s new. All the information goes directly to the CGI Springfield webmaster which is also the Feast Coordinators Assistants. No information will be shared without your permission.
We look forward to having a great Feast. We can’t wait to see all our friends, family and making new friends this year.
The Church of God International Springfield, Missouri 