Neil Cole's Definition of Church

Hosea 10?É¬Ø v. 5 The people who live in Samaria fear for the calf-idol of Beth Aven. here Hosea shows that God has renamed Bethel (House of God) to the House of Wickedness. The people are worried about their god being taken away by the Assyrians. Can you imagine their fear? “Oh, I hope they…

Idol worship in Hosea 8 v.5 ‘Throw out your calf-idol, O Samaria! My anger burns against them. How long will they be incapable of purity?’ Israel’s idolatry has made righteousness impossible for them. They can go to the temple and have their feasts and sacrifices, but it does no good-the idols are still in place….

This study started in Hosea 8Jeremiah 11:13 You have as many gods as you have towns, O Judah; and the altars you have set up to burn incense to that shameful god Baal are as many as the streets of Jerusalem. Israel was turned so far from the Lord. He was about to bring affliction…

Hosea 4-5?É¬Ø 4:6 “My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.” The same things is happening today, but it need not be God doing some kind of spiritual cleansing. By simply not knowing Him and disobeying Him, people are pouring judgement on themselves through disease, criminal suffering, starvation as a result of greed, addiction, and…

Hosea 12:8 in the NRSV says “Ephraim has said, “Ah, I am rich, I have gained wealth for myself; in all of my gain no offense has been found in me that would be sin.” Ephraim knows that he has made himself rich by less than honest means, but none of the means were flat…

Hosea 14:4     "I will heal their waywardness and love them freely, for my anger has turned away from them." All of the rebukes from Hosea to the people and this is how He reassures them in the end. Man o man have we been wayward. So wayward that we cannot even do right if we…