Mary Magdalene received the honor of being the first person the Lord appeared to after His resurrection. She was one of the women who followed the Lord Jesus as he went about His itinerant ministry. These women ministered to the Lord and His disciples out of their own substance (Lk. 8:3). Though Christ performed miracles […]
“And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.” 1 Cor. 15:49 One of the amazing things to me when perusing family portraits is the clear resemblance that children have to their parents. In many cases, it can be clearly seen that “the apple has […]
Settling down in the easy chair one night, I looked forward to an interesting-looking episode from the documentary, “America in Color.” It is not that I often find time to do this, nor can even afford the time to do this. But on this occasion, I did – my version of coming aside to rest […]
For the typical believer and especially those younger in the faith, the terms Covenant theology and Dispensationalism can be very confusing. Even mature saints find it difficult to get a handle on these two main approaches to biblical interpretation. Combined with other theological terms such as premillennialism, amillennialism, preterism, Christian reconstructionism and progressive dispensationalism, the […]
A mentor is an experienced and trusted adviser: a guide, counselor, and consultant. A mentor shares what they have learned and is assumed to have greater wisdom, experience and maturity. A mentor is also a caregiver. Leadership gurus today uses the term “People Engineering” to denote the concept of a mentoring relationship. In the church, […]
Saved to the Uttermost: An Interview with Ralph Monahan Recently, I sat down with Ralph Monahan who in August, 2018 celebrated his 98th birthday. He is one of the remaining number of veterans quickly vanishing from the scene who faithfully served their country in the Armed Forces during World War II. This is the sum […]
Its Importance The importance of the Lord’s Supper is established by the very fact that it was instituted by the Lord Himself. It was His personal request that we remember Him in this way. It is also the only New Testament church ordinance reaffirmed in Scripture by a glorified Lord (1 Cor. 11:23). Paul told […]
On October 15th of this past year, Paul Allen1 finally succumbed to non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. As co-founder of Microsoft, Allen was a visionary. Much of the technological world around us bears his imprint. “Mr. Allen was a force at Microsoft, along with its co-founder, Bill Gates, as the personal computer was moving from a hobbyist curiosity […]
“What Difference Does the Fear of the Lord Make?” “The fear of the Lord” is a truth which is often missing in action today. In our local churches, we are often characterized by independence from God rather than dependence upon Him. In short, we notice this both individually and corporately. This explains the rationale for […]
This Christmas we have contemplated again the eternal Son’s incarnation. But what did it mean for the transcendent One to draw near? In Philippians 2:7 we read that He “made Himself of no reputation and took upon Him the form of a servant.” The word translated “no reputation” literally means “to empty or abase.”1 In […]
There is no question in my thinking that our pilgrim forefathers had Deut. 26 in mind when they established the first Thanksgiving in our country centuries ago. The law of the offering of the first fruits was God’s instruction to Israel to acknowledge His abundant provision once they entered Canaan, the Land of Promise. It […]
The late J. Christy Wilson was raised on the mission field in Persia, present day Iran. In the mid-1950’s, he and his wife became the first missionaries to Afghanistan. They had a valuable ministry with Mrs. Wilson developing braille for the Afghan language. She taught blind Afghan children and in a class of 17 students, […]
In biblical and modern history, a few brave souls have chosen to walk with the Almighty. Meeting people like this can make a lasting impact upon us. Enoch was one. The Bible says, “Enoch walked with God three hundred years.”1 He did not take a few steps and then turn...
Parenting is no easy task and the Bible gives no guarantees of the outcome. Prov. 22:6 is a proverb, not a promise. Experientially, all of us know many that have not gone on for the Lord. There is no easy answer to this reality, most of us know of families where one or more children […]
In the book of Revelation there is an impressive number of references to clothing which encompasses a variety of Greek words. Often in Scripture, the believer’s garment represents righteous works done in faithful obedience to God (e.g., Rev 16:15; 19:8). For the sake of brevity, we will examine a few of the verses in Revelation […]
That God has ordained and blessed the world through preaching should be obvious. Scripture records the spiritual advances that have been made through the preaching of God’s Word1. In addition we are specifically exhorted to “Preach the Word”2. It follows therefore that we should encourage preaching to be done in the finest way possible. There […]
I love Christmas! I especially like reconnecting with family and friends via their Christmas letters to find out how their year has been. I also enjoy reading the biblical account of the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ and the events surrounding it: first, as prophesied in Genesis (3:15; 49:10); second, as foretold by the […]
In recent years, there has been a need for a balanced, scholarly, and well-reasoned book to answer some of the more strident Calvinist apologists’ charges. In some assemblies, aggressive Calvinist authors and teachers have created baseless division and unrest. The book Determined to Believe?, written by Professor John Lennox, is exactly the kind of book […]
“The Lord’s work, done in the Lord’s way, in the Lord’s time will have the Lord’s supply.” This was the guiding light of Story Book Lodge Christian Camp’s founding director. Ben Tuininga, a recent graduate of Wheaton College was like so many other graduates of Bible colleges. Idealistic and a little discouraged, Ben was unsure […]
Some quit because they were never saved (1 Jn. 2:19). However, when genuine believers depart, relational problems are often the root cause. Yet leaving one’s assembly should be the last option. If we must leave, it’s important to find another local church as soon as...