“And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land…” – Ezekiel 22:30 He intended to kill himself. As he walked towards the East River in lower Manhattan, he came upon something unexpected – a group of people standing on the […]
I grew up in a Bible-believing church that celebrated the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ once each week in a meeting called “The Lord’s Supper.” The meeting is unlike communion services in mainline evangelical churches in that it is a service where men who have trusted in Jesus Christ can stand up to share […]
In the fall of 1977, I attended a prayer meeting in an assembly in Barcelona, Spain. I would be teaching English as a Second Language in that city as a self-supporting missionary. My desire was to go into full-time work, but I did not want to be the pastor of a church and did not […]
Spiritually we are in a shocking condition. The status of many local fellowships is bad news, and deteriorating by the minute. It is fairly well known that there have been scandalous cases of immorality involving even elders and full-time workers. Of course this type of news never gets into the magazines; there everything is sweetness […]
Sixteenth Avenue Gospel Chapel in Vancouver first opened its doors in 1947. It was located on the edge of a large development of new homes occupied mainly by families with young children. A large Sunday School was started and was blessed by the Lord with the conversion of many children. Over the years the demographics […]
Are we being upfront and honest about depression in Christian circles? Can the godly suffer from depression or is it only something that afflicts the weak in faith? For many believers the idea of Christian depression is an oxymoron that negates some of the foundational elements of the Christian faith, such as the call to […]
I, Robert, was born in 1938 near Algoma, Wisconsin, to dairy-farming parents. Both of my parents were practicing Roman Catholics; so, of course, I was baptized as an infant, and grew up in Catholic church. Before Christ When I was old enough to understand, something of the world around me, I realized that the World […]
As told to Jabe Nicholson. Anthony, son of Guiseppe Cetola, was born November 24, 1912 in Foggia, Italy, and raised in the hill country south of Rome. As a young man he worked as a shepherd there, but hearing of America, the land of possibilities, he saved his lire until he could afford the least […]
From the start, MSC has held four key beliefs about missions. First, we believe that God is the one who calls and sends workers. It’s more that God calls and enables people and much less that they choose the life of mission work. Also, this means that churches, God’s frontline for the Great Commission, send […]
The scene is a far too familiar one: the regularly scheduled elders’ meeting begins with a brief, but generalized, time of prayer. It is then followed by the usual routine of going around the table, asking each elder what he would like to discuss. The suggestions usually range from the urgent to the trivial – […]
I like the mid-week prayer meeting. I feel sorry for Christians who cannot make it due to legitimate demands of work and family. I feel even sorrier for Christians who can make it to prayer meeting but choose not to. Here’s why mid-week prayer meeting should be on every believer’s schedule. ✔ It is a […]
East Lawrence, KS Eastside Bible Fellowship began about four years ago in East Lawrence, Kansas. Leading up to this, the Lawrence Bible Chapel had targeted this area for a new assembly. On Wednesday evenings, several car loads of people from the homeless shelter and Salvation Army would be transported to the Lawrence Bible Chapel for […]
In 1960, D. James Kennedy graduated from seminary and began preaching at the Coral Ridge Church in Fort Lauderdale, FL. After just eight months of ministry there, the congregation dwindled from 45 to 17 believers. Although he was very discouraged about what was happening, he would not give up. He realized the problem was that […]
During the apostolic era, pioneering efforts pertained to missionaries visiting regions that had never heard of Jesus Christ previously. Though believers were rigorously opposed by the devil, many souls were saved and new local churches sprang up throughout the Roman Empire. Those responding to the gospel were to be discipled and cared for in local […]
“Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.” 2 Timothy 4:2 The faithful exposition of the Word of God powerfully transforms lives. This was never more true than in the preaching ministry by the so-called “Plymouth Brethren” 150 years ago. Men of God such as […]
Much of Scripture is narrative, that is, the stories or accounts of events. The challenge for the preacher is to make the story relevant for today. There is a need to develop a lesson or lessons from the account with meaning(s) and application(s) for today. Much of Scripture is narrative, that is, the stories or accounts […]
Despite a new wave of contemporary church buzzwords like relational, relevant, and intentional, people who show up on Sundays are looking for the same thing, which has long anchored most services: Bible-based in-depth preaching. According to Gallup researcher Lydia Saad, who conducted her poll in 2017, the number one reason Americans go to church today is “Sermons that […]
I was raised in Washington Heights, New York, in the 1980s. I grew up in the cocaine boom of New York. At the age of 14, I tried “coke” for the first time and the feeling of superiority grabbed me instantly. It wasn’t long before I began selling “coke” in my high school. By the […]
By: Charles Fizer The Apostle Paul emphasized the importance of Bible doctrine sixteen times in his letters to Timothy and Titus (I Timothy 1:3, 10; 4:6, 16). Bible doctrine is teaching exactly what the Scriptures reveal, whether it is objective truth or the practical commands they contain. In our desire to be “relevant” or “practical,” […]
It is the business of servants of Christ to proclaim the Word of truth to a lost world. But the mere statement of gospel truth, apart from the power of the Holy Spirit, is not likely to bring many results. It is true that God in His sovereignty may use His Word, no matter who […]