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 […]
The declaration, “Your son won’t live through the night” stung like an arrow piercing our very souls. I had a healthy pregnancy – or so I thought. No one detected a heart murmur and definitely not a fatal one. How could this be? As Jay and I listened to the Emergency Room doctor’s excruciatingly painful […]
As a scientist and convinced Christian, I frequently encounter people who presuppose that everything can be explained by natural causes. This naturalistic view is especially common among my scientific colleagues. From this a whole set of conclusions follow, which are often assumed without checking the evidence. So, the objectivity which many scientists claim is not […]
In 2013, I had the opportunity to visit Downtown Outreach Bible Chapel (DOBC); an assembly established in 2010 by evangelist, Layton Kerr. Layton is part of Open Air Campaigners, a non-denominational gospel-centered ministry whose motto is “Preaching Christ by all Means Everywhere.” One Friday in June, several of us met for prayer in a homeless […]
Since three nouns used for Christ’s coming can either refer to the rapture (His descent to the air for His church) or to the second coming (His return to earth with His church), the verse’s context is vital to our understanding. The first word is parousia (G3952) meaning “presence,” signifying both the Lord’s arrival and […]
“One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts.” – Psalm 145:4 No matter where I go, I continually hear the importance of reaching out and ministering to the younger generation. In a previous day, there was a concerted effort to do so with accounts of many young people coming […]
Teaching, preaching, writing, and articulating the need for more serious shepherding work in the assemblies are not common in our time. Practical pastoral theology, relating theology to ministry is seldom discussed even among church leaders. However, postmodern times challenge us with the urgent need for a profound commitment to the biblical mandate of pastoral (shepherding) […]
An Exhortation For Each One To Reach One (And More!) “Do the work of an evangelist…” He wrote the note. He locked his door. As he walked down 14th Street, heading to the East River, he came across a small group of people gathered listening to someone painting and talking. With his interest peaked, he […]
As Richard walked into the chapel on a snowy Sunday morning, he was reminded by a brother that he was scheduled to lead the singing. “I completely forgot!” he said. He quickly sat down and thumbed through the hymnal to find a few of his favorite songs. The piano player sat down at 11:03 and […]
By: John E. Phelan, Sr. It was on a naval base in California when a fellow sailor asked me if I was saved. He used terminology I had not often heard in the denomination in which I was raised. Soon after that, I received the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior, was baptized, and received into […]
By: Jon Benson The first session of Camp Li-Lo-Li commenced on July 25, 1953. However, as with all great works of God, the process of getting to that first day started many years prior. It started with the conversion to Christ of a 13-year-old boy. He had previously heard the gospel and on at least […]
John 11:25 “…I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.” I was born in Queens New York City, New York. My parents met during WWII when my father was in the Army Air […]