Christian Living

Leaving Our First Love

Leaving Our First Love

We read in Revelation 2:4-5, “Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.” Though the Lord […]

Testifying for Christ

“O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall show forth Your praise. Psalms 51:5, NKJV Witnessing has always been very close to my heart. Someone said that sharing the gospel can be defined very simply as one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread. Sometimes we see videos or photographs of starving adults […]

Ten Commandments for Bible Study

Ten Commandments for Bible Study

“Be diligent to present thyself approved to God – a workman irreproachable, rightly dividing the Word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15, Young’s Literal Translation In His wisdom, our God has placed what we might consider three “sentinels” in His Word – one at the beginning, one in the middle, and one at the end (Deut. […]

Shepherding the People of God

Shepherding the People of God

As one looks across the face of assembly life today there are some real concerns from many of God’s dear children. One of the major concerns is a lack of true spiritual leadership. Often there are men who are burdened for the saints but somehow don’t know where to start. Perhaps this article might be […]

Run the Race Well

Run the Race Well

I really enjoy watching the Olympics. I am amazed at the intense skill and competition between the athletes. Sadly, some athletes are disqualified because of cheating or a negative drug test, crushing their hopes of a medal. The Corinthian believers were familiar with the Greek Olympic Games, as well as their own Isthmian Games and […]

The Dangers of Disobedience

The Dangers of Disobedience

No one is above the Lord. His word authoritatively directs every kind of people, and the dead small and great will one day be judged based on their response to it (Mt. 12:36; Jn. 5:24-30; Rev. 20:11-15). Even notable public figures are responsible to obey Him. 1 Kings 12-13 provide three incidents that show the […]

Knowing the Will of God

Knowing the Will of God

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, […]

Walking with God

Walking with God

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...

Pitfalls in Parenting

Pitfalls in Parenting

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 […]

Daniel’s Story

Daniel’s Story

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 […]

Do We Care?

Do We Care?

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 […]

The Ministry of Song Leading

The Ministry of Song Leading

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 […]

Are You Cross Eyed?

Are You Cross Eyed?

Most likely we all heard as children, “If you cross your eyes, they’ll stick!” Though this perception is false, the medical condition of being cross-eyed is called Strabismus. It occurs when the eyes are unable to focus on the same object and maintain proper alignment. While this is not a desired condition in the physical […]

How To Deal With Criticism

How To Deal With Criticism

One of the greatest tests in the Christian life is how to respond to criticism. If you are going to be a leader, then criticism is part of the job description. There is no such thing as going forward for God without opposition. Moses faced criticism, John the Baptist faced criticism, and our Lord Jesus […]

It’s Time We Faced The Facts: Why is the Church Powerless?

It’s Time We Faced The Facts: Why is the Church Powerless?

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 […]