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...
“And behold I am coming quickly, and my reward is with Me to give to every one according to his work.” Revelations 20:11 I remember as a young boy, the thrill I had every September as I looked forward to the approaching school year. It was not that I despised the summer, it was my […]
C.H. Macintosh said “There are two grand facts which characterize Christianity, and mark it off from all that had gone before; and these are, first, man glorified in heaven; and secondly, God dwelling in man on the earth.” One result of Christ Glorified is the truth of the forerunner, a word found only once in […]
Choice Gleanings will enter its 79th year when it brings out its 2019 edition this fall. Inspired by his parents’ calendar from the Netherlands, William Pell’s desire to produce a daily devotional calendar was initially met with skepticism and discouragement. But he went ahead with it anyways and launched “Remembrancer” 1 in 1940 with an […]
Every phase of life is a new beginning and a learning step in God’s School. These include our school days, our career, and choosing a life partner. The last phase is death. As we begin our physical lives as a baby, we also begin our spiritual lives as babes the day we accept Christ as […]
As a young boy, my family attended a local church where they would annually have a “stewardship Sunday” – where stewardship meant how much money you would give to God for the coming year. It seems they missed the point. God has already given all that we have (not just money) and we are to […]