The Ruins of History (Historical Reliability of the Bible).
Bias will not listen or look for the truth, either with, or without evidence. Truth however remains truth, regardless of bias.
The Bible’s historical reliability is not a question of superstition vs facts, but rather a question of truth vs bias. Prior to the 1847 British expedition by Layard Nineveh was, in historical circles of study in Europe, a place of myth. There simply was no evidence (aside from the Bible) that critics would accept. The... Continue Reading
The Costly Results of an Impaired Prayer Life
In Christ, we have a Father who has an open ear and willing heart to hear our prayers and anxious thoughts (1 Peter 5:7).
Our minds become worldly, and we feel more and more alienated from God, and therefore have less and less about which to speak with Him. Then we develop an unwilling spirit, which always finds pretexts for not praying and excuses for having neglected prayer. Our inner life begins to weaken. The pain of living in... Continue Reading
When Preaching Is Restricted
God’s plan may be to place you and me, and the people in our churches, into divinely ordained one-on-one situations where we can speak of Jesus.
What do we find in Acts 8-12? We see the gospel spreading to Samaritans and then Gentiles – a massively significant step of progression. But we also see a change of ministry opportunity. After the stoning of Stephen, we read this: “…there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and... Continue Reading
A Lesson on Prayer from a Depressed Charles Spurgeon
The act of prayer, by bringing us into communion with God in His throne room, does indeed destroy such things as doubt, ruin, and anxiety.
All our perils are nothing, so long as we have prayer.” The simple reason for this is that Spurgeon believed, “The essence of prayer lies in the heart drawing near to God: and it can do that without words.” In other words, prayer is the vehicle by which we commune with God Himself, not in... Continue Reading
Psalm 46:10: Be Still Knowing God
Remember the means of knowing God to have Christ’s Spirit still your stormy souls.
“Cut me some slack”. This common phrase comes from docking ships and means “loosen the rope”. If the rope is too tight, there is no room to relieve or readjust. And leaving slack allows the boat to float with changing tides without having its balance upset. The Hebrew for “be still” means to slacken one’s... Continue Reading
The Myth of Self-Esteem
Esteem is only worthwhile when it is realistic. And it is from God alone that we get a true sense of who we are.
In my line of work I sometimes hear the refrain, “I have no self-esteem”, and, whilst I understand what is being said and have great sympathy where it is merited, it has often made me wonder. After all, we are only reconstituted earth, which lives in rebellion against its creator—what have we to be esteemed... Continue Reading
Church Is Not a Product to Evaluate; It Is a Community to Participate In
May our consumption of His grace drive us to participate in community – not merely evaluate or associate with community.
When we read the Scripture, we see the vision of the church as not one of mere association with a church or a pastor, but glorious participation in the gospel. The word often translated “fellowship” is koinonia in the original language. The word carries the connotation of deep participation. In Acts 2:42, believers devoted themselves... Continue Reading
The Believer’s Armor
It is imperative that we become very knowledgeable about The Bible.
The Holy Spirit is the origin of the sword as the Spirit of Truth (John 14:17), the Holy Spirit is the believer’s resident truth teacher who teaches us all things and brings God’s Word to our remembrance. The sword is scripture. Scripture offers limitless resources and blessings to the believer. It is the source of... Continue Reading
How Does TULIP Make You Feel?
A Missing Thread in Reformed Theology.
The Father did not just snap his fingers, flip a switch, or wave a wand to make the everlasting joy of his people certain. The real world is more complicated than that, and real joy is far better. God is both unimpeachably just and teeming with love and mercy. To pay the penalty of the... Continue Reading
While We’re Waiting
Nothing captures the essence of faith like waiting.
When we’re in seasons of waiting, we think something’s wrong with God. We might even think we’re in sin. Yet, we see from the Bible that waiting is often God’s plan for us and is therefore an intentional and purposeful part of faith. God has something to do, something to achieve in our waiting. Therefore,... Continue Reading
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