It is clear that many people already believe the Bible is a book whose message is hidden and must be drawn out by those who have the eyes to see it, the minds to understand it, and the keys to decrypt it. From what I have observed, such books tend to be predicated on a... Continue Reading

The Scripture says that one must trust him (not merely verbalize or vocalize “He is Lord”). The problem with these people is that they only parroted the right words, but in their day-to-day lives, they never obeyed Christ as Lord. Of how many American church-goers is this true?   Matthew 7:18-24 is one of the... Continue Reading

We know we will have trouble, strife, persecution, tribulation, distress, affliction, and trials–but we fear none of them.  Our Lord Jesus Christ, our Good Shepherd, will see us through all of them; and He will walk with us through all of them.   By “fear-mongering,” I mean the intentional (or even unintentional) bringing about of... Continue Reading

Samuel led the people of Israel to repent of their sinful idolatries and to turn again to serve the Lord (1 Sam. 7:1–4; 28:3). He led the people of Israel to worship the Lord and then, with a clear focus on the Lord as their true deliverer, led them to a great military victory over... Continue Reading

 Genesis 3 tells us that wanting to be like God is at the core of it. We all prefer to do what we want instead of what God wants. We’d like to decide for ourselves. It is called ‘coveting’ to want something you do not have. They want more wisdom, more power, more knowledge, more... Continue Reading

I remember being deeply moved when I first read the story of the famous James Boswell (1740-94) who became celebrated as a close friend of Samuel Johnson, the writer, philosopher, and wit. Boswell tells in his autobiography of a day when, as a child, his father took him fishing. He records it as the most... Continue Reading

Friend, are you the angry people or the grateful man? I think there are so many times in our lives where we have a choice regarding which story to tell after Jesus moves. After he intervenes and heals. We can tell the story of what he took away, or we can tell the story of... Continue Reading

My status before God partly depends how much I have repented.  However, the Bible teaches that my status before God depends entirely on what Christ has done in my place.  If I am in Christ by faith, “There is therefore now no condemnation…” (Rom.8:1). Practically, answering this question in the affirmative means no one can... Continue Reading

Genesis 3 is the tragic explanation for the world as we know it. It teaches us that sin is not a minor flaw but a catastrophic, freely chosen rebellion that has corrupted every aspect of our being and our world. It has alienated us from God, from each other, from ourselves, and from creation itself.... Continue Reading

Look for a church that bears the three marks: the right preaching of the gospel, the right administration of the sacraments, and the proper administration of church discipline. From there, look for a church where people with all sorts of different personal convictions rally, not around their personal opinions, but around Jesus and his gospel.... Continue Reading