“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14 At a time when the empire of Assyria was bulldozing nations, Isaiah boldly proclaimed the coming of the victorious virgin-born child. Assyria was on the rise but so was […]
Teaching
Our Unchanging God
A familiar hymn states: “Change and decay in all around I see; O Thou who changest not abide with me.” It seems that nothing is exempt from the relentless forces of change in us and around us. But God is! Malachi 3:6 says, “For I am the LORD, I do not change; Therefore, you are […]
Will The Real Missionary Please Stand Up?
At the start of a regional Missionary Study Class, I asked for all missionaries present to show their hands. There were a few who did. I chose to begin with this exercise to set the stage for re-defining the term “missionary” from a biblical perspective. What is a...
Foundations of the Faith: Stirring Up Our Spiritual Gifts: Part 2
Speaking Gifts In the last issue we considered the temporary sign or foundational gifts. Let us now consider the speaking gifts beginning with prophecy (Rom. 12:6; 1 Cor. 12:10, 28; Eph. 4:11). In the early church some received direct revelation through the Spirit and conveyed it to other believers (Acts 11:27-28; 21:11). On some of […]
Foundations of the Faith: Stirring Up Our Spiritual Gifts
It is customary for some couples in North America to bring a gift, such as chocolates, flowers, or dessert when invited to someone’s home for dinner. Similarly, when the Holy Spirit comes to indwell us at the time of our new birth (1 Cor. 6:19-20), He comes with a gift. Freely given by God’s grace […]
The Loveliness of Christ
Think of three or four people that you really enjoy being with. What are the intriguing qualities of each person’s character that you appreciate? Now imagine how delightful it would be to converse with someone that possessed all of these favorable qualities. Furthermore, ponder what it would be like to interact with a person who […]
Old Testament Portraits of Christ: Joseph: Loved, Hated, Exalted Over All
The story of Joseph is a favorite Bible story for many of us with one-fourth of Genesis about him. Perhaps the best reason for this is that he is telling us a bigger story. His life reflects the life of the Lord Jesus in so many ways. In fact, the whole Old Testament is a […]
If Anyone Thirsts: The Sovereignty of God and Human Responsibility in Amazing Harmony
Our Lord says, “If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink” (Jn. 7:39). His invitation goes out to all— “if any man”—and He gives all people the choice and power to come— “Let him come.” Here, we see two choices: God’s choice and man’s choice. God made a choice to invite all […]
Old Testament Portraits of Christ: Boaz, the Kinsman – Redeemer
A godly man is strong to bless others, as he brings the Lord into situations, inspiring confidence through his excellent character. In scene one of God’s record of Ruth, Naomi is empty and bitter with the Lord. Enter Boaz and a radical change occurs. By the end of scene two, the one who was bitter […]
Foundations of the Faith: The Person & Work of the Holy Spirit Part 2
The Work of the Holy Spirit TodayHe Gives the Believer Gifts (1 Cor. 12:7-11; Rom. 12:3-8; Eph. 4:3-13; 1 Pet. 4:7-11) The Holy Spirit gives every believer something to do. He distributes spiritual gifts so each believer can be involved in building up, binding up, and beautifying the body of Christ. Some gifts were only […]
Practicing the Priesthood of All Believers
We consider the priesthood of all believers as one of the distinctives of our faith and endeavor to faithfully apply the doctrine in our assembly gatherings. Our open worship and remembrance meeting, the freedom in ministry, and the liberty to exercise one’s spiritual gifts are indeed a splendid demonstration of the grandeur of this precious […]
How Great Is Our God!
Human beings are clearly designed to enjoy the blessing of love, both by showing love and by being loved. If we felt totally unloved then we would wonder whether life was worth living. Love is very important to us and is expressed in the close relationships of marriage, family and friendship. Life loses a great […]
Foundations of the Faith: The Person & Work of the Holy Spirit
The Work of the Holy Spirit Today From the first chapter of Genesis (Gen. 1:2), to the final chapter of Revelation (Rev. 22:17), we read about the Person and work of the Holy Spirit. He is described as a Person, having intelligence (Isa. 11:2; 1 Cor. 2:10-11), emotions (Isa. 63:10; Eph 4:30), and a will […]
Reconciled and Rejoicing
The Christian’s great source of rejoicing is God’s grace, which reconciles us to God. Reconciliation is when God brings sinful man into a perfect, eternal, and harmonious relationship with Himself. Paul writes to the Romans, contrasting man’s attempt to become righteous through his own efforts with God’s way of faith (Rom. 3:28). Righteousness is gained […]
Our Saviour Lives! Mary at the Mercy Seat
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 […]
The Great Divide: The Difference Between Dispensationalism and Covenant Theology
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 […]
Mentoring Leadership: Building Generations for Christ
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, […]
Foundations of the Faith: The Lord’s Supper
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 […]
Data Explosion: And A 2,500 Year Old Prophecy
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 […]
Dressed for the Occasion
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 […]