Isaiah prophesied that the coming Messiah would be a “light to the Gentiles” and bring “salvation to the ends of the earth” (Isa. 49:6). In the New Testament, Simeon having been promised by the Spirit that he would see the Messiah before his death, recognized that the Child Jesus was the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy […]
January 2020 Edition
Report: Bathed in Prayer & Centered on the Word: How God Led Us to Begin a Community Bible Study
Recently retired with our five children scattered over many states, my wife Kathy and I wanted to be used for God’s glory in whatever time He gives us. To live in Florida was always our dream but after a few years of praying for the Lord’s leading, He opened the doors for us to return […]
The Emancipation Proclamation
“For he that is dead is freed from sin.” (Rom. 6:7) The Emancipation Proclamation, issued on January 1, 1863 by President Abraham Lincoln, declared all slaves in the Southern Confederacy to be free.1 However it was dependent upon the North winning the on-going Civil War. In Romans 6:7 we have the believer’s Emancipation Proclamation grounded […]
The Impeccability of Christ: Was Christ Able to Sin?
Orthodox theologians have universally agreed that Jesus Christ never committed any sin. He was sinless, blameless, and holy. The sinlessness of the Lord Jesus Christ is an absolute necessity for the efficacy of His penal, substitutionary death and is a decisive proof of His deity. Any moral failure on the part of Christ would compromise […]
A Root of Bitterness
Everywhere I look across the church landscape, I see Christians seething with bitterness. It seems to be an epidemic, especially among the younger generations. These hurting souls are nursing wrongs, sometimes old, sometimes new, sometimes real, sometimes perceived. Frequently, these wounded believers are not looking for an apology. They have already received one, or two, […]
Great Is Thy Faithfulness
Psalms 37:23 reads, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord and He delighteth in his way.” My father grew up in East St. Louis, but moved to Michigan during the early 1900s. Through the faithful witness of someone in the local Baptist church, he trusted Christ as Savior. Aspiring to become […]
Where Is Our Focus?
The ancient Greek maxim “Know thyself” is elevated to unprecedented heights in this narcissistic age. Numerous social media platforms aid fallen human beings’ self-absorption by advertising their vain self-worth. Sin turns them inward, exalting them to heights...
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 […]
2020 Vision: Editorial
“O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.” 2 Chron. 20:12, NKJV When Jehoshaphat received the distressing news that a number of enemy nations were coming against him, […]