What Could Make You Sell Everything You Own?
The Gospel writers tell us that this man had many possessions. But really we can see that his many possessions had him. They had him in their grip. They had his heart in their vise.
Imagine the conflict in the young man’s soul as he made the long walk home. But as sad as he was on that day as he walked away from Jesus, imagine the sadness he experienced when he finally did have to let go of everything, leave it all behind, as he entered not into eternal... Continue Reading
Living for Him Who Died for Us (Count Nicolaus Zinzendorf)
"He launched a worldwide missionary movement that set the stage for … the ‘great century’ of missions that would follow.”
In 1719-1720 Zinzendorf had his Wanderjahr, a year of traveling abroad to complete his education. While at the magnificent art gallery in Dusseldorf he viewed many masterpieces. The painting that impacted him the most was of the thorn-crowned Christ after he had been flogged by Pontius Pilate. Beneath it was the Latin inscription: “This I... Continue Reading
John Did Not Go Quietly Into Exile (Rev 1:9-11)
John had continued to worship and serve Christ Jesus and to bear witness to the gospel of salvation.
Though we share a transformed identity with the Apostle John, he also underlines how he differs from us. King Jesus, John tells us, had transformed him into a prophet with a special commission to write a book to us his siblings and partners. John rehearsed the particulars of his transformation for us (Rev 1:10-11). He had... Continue Reading
The Value of Reading
Life is too short to read everything, and most of what has been written is not worth reading anyway. One must be selective.
Great books are our teachers, and good books are our companions. Poor books are obstacles we meet along the way. If you are a Christian, there is one book you will love, even if you do not love any other. That, of course, is the Bible. But if you know the value of reading, there... Continue Reading
The King Who Rode on a Donkey
Not only does Jesus fulfill what the prophet Zechariah foresaw, but He also fulfills the blessing of the patriarch Jacob on His Son Judah.
Now, one would think that a conquering king being welcomed into a city would be riding in on some majestic war horse, or a mighty golden chariot, or something like that. But that is not how Jesus rides into Jerusalem. Jesus rides in on a donkey. Now why would Jesus do that? Doesn’t He want... Continue Reading
Trusting When God’s Plan Seems Doomed to Fail
The Lord has told us that His power is most on display in our weakness.
God calls us to step out in faith and trust him when he asks us to do something that shouldn’t work. I’ve found that it can be difficult for my stubborn heart to believe God is going to work through such impossible situations. However, if you serve in leadership, then convincing yourself is only half... Continue Reading
Do the Work of an Evangelist
May every pastor enter joyfully into this privileged task of doing the work of an evangelist.
Evangelism in the home begins with shepherding one’s own wife in her relationship with Christ. I will never forget an elder’s meeting in which one of our pastors shared that his wife had been converted the previous night. She was one of the nicest people in the church, yet, unknown to us, she was unconverted.... Continue Reading
Arming Our Children Against Pornography
I’m thankful for all four of these books, and I hope that they will help many parents and elders in the urgent work of preparing our children for intense warfare against pornography.
Good Pictures, Bad Pictures Jr.: A Simple Plan to Protect Young Minds by Kristen A. Jenson, published by Glen Cove Press. This book is beautifully illustrated, and it features simple text in a big font, perfectly suited to young children. It teaches children a simple way to distinguish good pictures from bad pictures, and a... Continue Reading
Do Not Be Anxious
We must take to heart Jesus’ words to trust Him and live our lives here and now with our treasure in Heaven.
In Matthew 7:13-14 Jesus tells us in His Sermon on the Mount that the way to salvation is not easy nor is it easy to find. In fact, the religious way that is made easy leads to destruction. Those who are saved are those who find the narrow gate that is hard to enter because... Continue Reading
Joshua Janavel and the Plight of the Waldensians
These details included reminders to stay repentant and prayerful, to always begin by humbly taking their requests to the governing authorities, and to take arms only when absolutely necessary.
In 1685, with the Edict of Fontainebleau, the French government placed new restrictions on the Huguenots, and the new duke of Savoy, Victor Amadeus II, decided to follow suit. He banned Waldensian pastors, forbade their public worship and forced parents to give their children a Roman Catholic baptism. When the Waldensians rebelled, many were again... Continue Reading
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