Blog Articles
Listening Accurately
Early in my ministry, I encountered some who misunderstood what I was preaching. I was quick to grasp the idea of speaking clearly and precisely to avoid misunderstanding, but there was another factor I had yet to consider. While talking about the matter with a wise,...
Looking to Jesus concerning Revival
The focus of faith must be the same as the object of faith. Hebrews 12:2 says, “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.” It’s easy to switch focus to a given outcome of faith. It’s easy, because it is legitimate and even needful to desire a right...
Worthy of Trust
He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. Psalm 91:1-2 The story is told of a military unit that had numerous casualties in...
In the World, But Not of It Part Three: Trust in God, Not Trust in Man
If you have not, click here to read part one or part two. - In South America there is a spider whose habitat is by water and in water. Somehow it creates a bubble in which it can drop into the water and actually be below the surface while living in the air above. This...
In the World, But Not Of It: Part Two
If you have not read part one, please click here to read part one. - Part Two: Transformation by the Spirit, Not Conformity of the Flesh In this series we are considering the precise wording of Jesus in John 17: these are in the world, but they are not of the world....
In the World, but Not of It: Part One
Part One: Transcendence Over the World, Not Isolation from It Are you worldly? Are you godly? What would the world say? What does God say? What is biblical separation from the world? Jesus clarified in His prayer for His disciples: “And now I am no more in the world,...
Great Message Due to Great Presence
Jonathan Edwards lived and pastored in Northampton Massachusetts in the early 1700’s. He is known for preaching the famous sermon entitled “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” You can still read it today. God had been moving in various towns in the middle part of...
The Shout of Triumph
It is finished! It is finished! Hear the loud triumphant cry. It is finished! It is finished! Christ, the Victor, reigns on high! Listen to the shout of triumph Ringing through the darkened sky; Hear the voice of Jesus claiming Triumph, so that He might die. Listen to...
Jesus and the Law
In the last several years I have heard or heard of people saying “Jesus is the law.” Some works oriented religions make this claim. Some evangelicals who tend more to a legal approach also make this claim. Sometimes this claim is used as a crowbar to coerce people...
Be Holy or Do Holy?
But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. (1 Peter 1:15-16) In my early years I unwittingly took these verses to say “Do holy.” Do this, don’t do that. This left me with an...
Changing What Would Have Been
In seeking the Lord and following His divine direction, is it possible that what would have been can be changed? We have a most remarkable account of such in the life of David recorded by Samuel under inspiration in 1 Samuel 23:1-13: Then they told David, saying,...
The Importance of Biblical Instruction and Experience
Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. (Matthew 22:29) In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes. (Judges 21:25) And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto...
The Habit of Faith
But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. (Hebrews 11:6) As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him. (Colossians 2:6) For...
I Love the Lord Jesus with All My Heart!
Valentine’s Day highlights love. At such a time, we would do well to consider a young saint from over a century ago, reflect on a simple yet profound profession of love, and recall how a heartfelt testimony was used of the Spirit in a great revival. In late 1903, a...
God Is Faithful
The majesty and beauty of the hymn Great Is Thy Faithfulness is exceeded only by the actual truth that God is faithful. In 1 Corinthians 10:13, Paul provides one example when he declares, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is...
The Precious Fruit of the Earth
“Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the...
Christmas Light
One special dynamic constituting the aura of the Christmas season is the manifold display of Christmas lights. Decorations and lights enhance cities and towns. Small towns especially captivate those who pass through with wonderful light displays. Christmas lights in...
Unashamed Gratitude
In Luke 17, ten lepers cried out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us” (Luke 17:13). This cry revealed faith in Jesus. In response, Jesus told them to go and show themselves to the priest. In obedient faith they went and as they went they were cleansed of their leprosy....
It Is Time
“Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.” - Hosea 10:12 The world shifts and turns almost by the day. The only sure foundation is the Lord Himself....
The Gift of Christmas is Jesus
Order Now! It is amazing that we are getting close to the Christmas season already. While we are looking forward to praising God during Thanksgiving, we know that many of you are already planning ahead for your outreach during the Christmas season. As we prepare, we...
Christian Liberty: True and False
Christian liberty can spark controversy. To legalistic thinking in the name of righteousness, any other way but its way is viewed as license (to sin). To relativistic thinking in the name of liberty, any other way but its way is viewed as legalism. But in between...
Witness with Tracts
Have you or someone you know been reached with a Gospel tract? Tracts have been used to reach more people with the gospel than we often realize. Did you know that it is reported that the famous revival preacher George Whitefield was reached by gospel literature? Or...
How to Biblically Guard Against Sin
Jesus said that we are in the world, but not of it (John 17:11-17). Therefore, proper guarding against the world is not isolation (1 Cor. 5:10), but transcendence. Jesus said, “Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). As we access the overcoming life...
White to Harvest
After Jesus led the women at the well to faith in Him, and she went into the city and then returned with a group of curious seekers, Jesus said to His disciples, “Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your...
The Fallacy of the Slippery Slope
In disagreements over that which is not black and white in Scripture, some opt for the slippery slope argument to make their conclusion regarding a given application or standard universal for all. The argument says essentially to not do this, because this could lead...
Idol-makers
Acts 19:24 tells us of “a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, which made silver shrines for Diana.” This man recognized the threat to his livelihood posed by the advance of the gospel, and it was his address to fellow craftsmen that stirred a strong response...
Faith before Regeneration or Regeneration before Faith?
Years ago, I participated in an ordination council that happened to be combined with a pastors’ fellowship. Because I was an evangelist, the moderator suggested that I ask the candidate something centered on salvation. I agreed and asked what I thought was an...
Fundamentalism: Original and Reshaped
Will the real Fundamentalist please rise? Quite frankly, many Fundamentalists no longer embrace this descriptive term because of two decades of media reports associating “fundamentalism” with religious terrorism. However, within the context of Christianity, the term...
Discipleship Training
Jesus commissioned His disciples to make disciples, baptize them, and then teach them to follow all that He taught (Matt.28:18-20). The latter part of this commission is often described as discipleship, and is an ongoing process. Obviously, assembling with the church...
From the Inside Out
After Paul, under inspiration, confronts the outward show of mere externalism in Colossians 2, which has no power to overcome real fleshly issues, he explains how to live the overcoming life in Colossians 3. The focus must be on Jesus (not manmade externals) so that...
