Since the inception of the church on the day of Pentecost many believers have started ministries of all shapes, sizes, and scope. Some of these ministries existed for long periods of time, others only until a need was met. Some became well recognized on a national or international scale, others operated in seeming obscurity. These […]
How one assembly found a way to keep their summer children’s ministry intact. The year 2020 will long be remembered as the year of the coronavirus and the way we approached our Vacation Bible School (VBS) in a new way. Zoom, which we had never used before at Mountain Ridge Bible Chapel, had now become […]
The apostle Paul commenting on the perfect deity and humanity of the Lord Jesus wrote “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh…” (1 Tim. 3:16) W.E. Vine defines the word “mystery” as being “outside the range of unassisted natural comprehension and can only be made known by […]
The work of the preacher in preparing a sermon must include an appreciation of the type of literature. In scripture there are narrative or historical accounts, parables, prophecy, teaching, and poetry. The starting point in analysis is exegesis, the explanation or interpretation of the text. Studying and preaching from poetic passages requires an understanding of […]
Jeremiah 22:24-30 In what some have referred to as “Coniah’s Curse”, the Lord revealed through the prophet Jeremiah that none of Coniah’s descendants would sit on David’s throne. Early in their history, the Lord had warned Israel about turning from Him to idolatry. After Solomon’s reign the Lord split the kingdom in two, the 10 […]
Ministry Opportunity Full-time camp workers needed to serve at Camp Horizon in Central Florida. We are looking for couples or individuals with a heart to serve the Lord in Christian camp work. The positions are paid and provide housing. Interested candidates for maintenance or food service (this one could be part time) positions should contact […]
If we could see beyond today As God can see, If all the clouds should roll away, The shadows flee; O’er present griefs we would not fret, Each sorrow we would soon forget, For many joys are waiting yet For you and me. If we could know beyond today As God doth know, Why dearest […]
“…Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him…” Psalm 42:11 The year 2020 as with other notable years in recent times, will not be soon forgotten—at least by this generation. The first editorial of Cornerstone Magazine this year was titled “2020 Vision.” It was an exhortation to the Body of Christ to sharpen […]
The book of Acts begins with 120 frightened and powerless believers. But ten days later the promised Holy Spirit came in a demonstration of power (wind) and light (fire). Peter preached the gospel, many were saved, and began to assemble to be taught the Word, fellowship, break bread, and pray. Peter and John continued to […]
Given the centrality of Christ’s redemptive work on the cross, it is interesting that He never refers to it as His cross.1 He spoke of the disciples’ individual crosses, but that referred to their identification with persecution for His sake, as well as death to the old life (Matt. 10:38; 16:24-26; cf. Rom. 6:6; Gal. […]
I grew up as a child in a fundamental “churchy” family. We went to church together, were always involved in church-related activities, and were usually present whenever a meeting was scheduled. Every year our fellowship would have a “Decision Day” on a Sunday in September. The Decision Day was when the gospel was preached, and […]
Fueled by earnest prayer and the support of believers willing to take time off from work, the New Hampshire Avenue Gospel Chapel (Silver Spring, MD) started a Good News Club (GNC) with 5 children from our Assembly. Our goal was “to go”1 teach the Gospel to children in a neighborhood school. We had 20 children […]
“For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So, then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.” Romans 14:10-12 Believers will not face the judgment […]
Money can be restored. Property can be restored—broken-down cars, stripped painting, old houses. Relationships can all be restored. But the one thing that can never be restored is time. Time flies by and it does not return. Years pass and we never get them back. Yet God promises the impossible: “I will restore the years […]
In this chapter, Paul defends the doctrine of resurrection, describing in verses 13-19 the consequences of no resurrection. If Christ is not risen then our preaching is meaningless (v. 14), the believer’s faith is futile (v. 17), they are still in their sins (v. 17), the dead in Christ have perished (v. 18) and all […]
News and Notices New Assembly in Houston We are a new assembly in the Houston area. Meetings are Breaking of Bread Sunday 9:30 am, Sunday evening service 7:00 pm, Wednesday night prayer and Bible study 7:00 pm. It is a pleasure to welcome all in fellowship with a commendation letter from the assembly you have […]
After Israel’s return to the land following their Babylonian captivity, enthusiasm reigned supreme as plans moved forward to rebuild the temple which had been destroyed 70 years before. The prophet Jeremiah had accurately prophesied of these events (Jer. 25:11-12), but his words went unheeded, and the nation reaped the sad results. Now, decades later, they […]
To say that the woman’s role in the church is a controversial subject would be an understatement! Sadly, the subject in the local church is increasingly being challenged today. Many churches have divided over this issue, resulting in many hurts and families leaving their meetings. The pressures of society, genderism, feminism, and equal rights have […]
David begins Psalm 139 marveling about God’s knowledge: “O Lord, You have searched me and known me.” We conduct a search to find something that is lost or to obtain information about something of which we want to know more. But that doesn’t apply here. It is not that at some moment God chose to […]
When young I was active in my local synagogue where I had my Bar Mitzvah and was in the youth group. Later in college, I was treasurer of the Hillel Jewish group, but functionally an atheist. I drank heavily and engaged in improper relationships with women but justified this by lowering my standards. I enjoyed […]