Women Will Receive Their Dead Again!
Just like the widow of Zarephath, the Shunammite woman, Jairus, the widow of Nain, Martha and Mary the sisters of Lazarus, so too we will one day receive our dead raised to life again.
As the stones were a memorial for Israel to trust the Mighty Lord so the Shunammite’s son was a memorial to teach us that women will once again receive their dead to life. There were only a handful of times the Lord parted a river; there were only a handful of times that the Lord... Continue Reading
The Legacy Costs of Sending
People are wealth, and Jesus is at work the world over to collect the inheritance promised to him.
Paul anticipated being personally refreshed by the church in Rome with the people he knew and loved (Romans 15:32). Maintaining personal relationships takes time. Email communications, letters, phone or video calls, coordinating hospitality, and being flexible all take our attention and energy. Relationships must also be maintained if they are to be refreshing. The body... Continue Reading
5 Mistakes People Make in Understanding the Beatitudes
The reality is, the Beatitudes show us that we belong to an entirely different kingdom.
None of the beatitudes are natural tendencies. They do not exist in the heart of the natural man, nor are they even possible in people who have not been born again. Part of this misunderstanding stems from not understanding the Beatitudes themselves. They may assume that poverty of spirit means to sympathize with the poor... Continue Reading
Homeward Bound: Why We Keep the Destination in Mind
Viewing this world rightly helps us live for the new heavens and the new earth.
How quickly I forget that I’m a sojourner. I am tempted to build my own personal kingdom filled with fortresses of comfort and towers of self-glorification. It’s no wonder the Apostle John told Christians that everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—come not from the... Continue Reading
Slaves and Masters
The institution of voluntary indentured servitude enables us to understand better what Jesus Christ has undertaken for our redemption.
An indentured servant, together with his family, was to be set free in the seventh year (Exodus 21:2–4). This was meant to remind Israel of what God had done in setting them free from their bondage in Egypt. That, in turn, serves as an Old Testament picture of the redemption that sinners experience through the... Continue Reading
Unity in the Midst of Trials
Like mindedness for us has this same goal: God’s glory.
With the Gospel as our basis for unity established, Paul turns his attention and ours to an expansion of how such unity is exhibited—likemindedness, or as the ESV translates it—“of the same mind.” Likemindedness is very important to Paul, he mentions it 10 times in Philippians. It literally means “to love the same things.” What... Continue Reading
Desperately Wicked Hearts
The human heart is the enduring problem.
A heart apart from God’s grace is desperately wicked but doesn’t know it. A heart touched by God’s grace might still slip into wickedness, yes, but it will knowingly turn in repentance and faith in God and find cleansing in His grace. Malcom Muggeridge famously observed that “the depravity of man is at once... Continue Reading
Supernatural Selection
We must understand that both natural phenomena and supernatural miracles are equally demonstrations of God’s power—for He is in control of everything that happens.
God is intimately involved in all aspects of the universe. Even with something as trivial as flipping a coin, or casting lots, the outcome is determined and controlled by God (Proverbs 16:33). The normal operation of the universe is not by its own power, but is by God’s power. Therefore, in the Christian worldview, “natural”... Continue Reading
How the Draconian COVID-19 Lockdown Measures Undermine the Abortion Lobby’s “My Body, My Choice” Mantra
It's not only an unscientific and rather stupid slogan, it is also an ugly and selfish defense of a horrific and violent action.
Now more than ever, as our society suddenly dispenses with arguments they have used to defend the killing of pre-born children for half a century, we should challenge our culture to live up to the principles they are currently appealing to. Abortion supporters have many arguments they utilize to defend feticide, ranging from difficult... Continue Reading
What To Do After You Preach
Where men preach, flaws abound.
Charles Spurgeon, arguably the greatest preacher of the past 300 years, famously said, “It is a long time since I preached a sermon that I was satisfied with. I scarcely recollect ever having done so.” And this guy was called “The Prince Of Preachers”! If Spurgeon found himself unsatisfied with his sermons, it’s safe to... Continue Reading