During this terrible pandemic, many are weeping in lament for the loss of friends, family, neighbors, fellow Christians or folks we don’t even know. I know it is a heart-wrenching situation, but we do not weep alone in our sorrow. Jesus hears every sigh and every moan of sorrow, and He sees every tear we shed for ourselves or for others. John 11:35 records, “Jesus wept” (NKJV). If we read the entire account of Jesus about to restore Lazarus to life, we will notice the following. Lazarus and his sisters Mary and Martha were friends and followers of Christ. They sent for their friend Jesus to come to their brother in his hour of death. They believed that Jesus could have saved their brother from death. Jesus, knowing that a mighty work was to be done in order that men could see the power of God, delayed His coming until Lazarus was certainly dead. On arrival, and learning that Lazarus was already entombed, He wept and commanded the tomb be opened. The rest is history. On another occasion, recorded in Luke 19:41-44, we read: Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, and level …

The short letter of 3 John was written to an individual by the name of Gaius, whom John warmly addressed as “beloved,” or as a “dear friend.” He warned him of a problem that is as much a problem today as then. “I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to have the preeminence among them, does not receive us” (3 John 9 NKJV). Other translations described him as the one who “loves to have the preeminence,” “loves to have first place” and “who likes to put himself first.” Literally, John called him “the one loving-to-be-first among them Diotrephes.” It’s not the kind of description most people would want about themselves, but it does accurately portray the attitude of many today. Whether done in backroom meetings or in full view of others, such attitudes and ensuing actions are wrong. Jim Sheerer, in his comments on this passage, said: Diotrephes was proud. He refused to help the traveling preachers and did not let other Christians help them. The problem was personal. Diotrephes was greedy for place and power. This was a time when the organization of the church was undergoing a slow change. The change that was taking place was to have one man over the church. This was a departure from God’s plan that resulted in further departure in organization. Diotrephes is an example of the early roots of this heresy. The New Testament is filled with warnings about this. Paul wrote, “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition …

Watching or reading the news can be depressing. The focus is on the worst actions of man, often against other men. Focusing on such can result in a sense of helplessness and hopelessness. The Christian, however, has multiple reasons for rejoicing. God’s children should rejoice in the Father’s love. He sent His Son to die for us while we were sinners (Romans 5:8) “In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:9-10). That love permits us to say there is literally nothing that can defeat us (Romans 8:38-39). Those in Christ can rejoice because we are free from sin. That freedom was achieved when we changed masters by obeying from the heart the pattern of teaching in the Gospel. Those who have repented and have been baptized under Jesus’ authority went down into the water dead in sin. In the watery grave, they were buried with their Lord, coming in contact with the blood He shed in his death. Freedom from sin was achieved and all condemnation was removed (Romans 6:3-4, 16-18; 8:1-2; John 19:31-35). Those who are part of Christ can rejoice because of their hope. Peter said, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has …

Sin promises a garden of delight, full of sweet fruits. The reality of it, however, is far from that promise. The poison of sin is fatal to our souls. In 2 Samuel, chapter 13, we read of a terrible sin. It involved incest, rape and heartache. David had succumbed to sin’s promises with Bathsheba, and the consequences for him, his family and the nation were dire indeed. Here were some of the results. Amnon was the eldest son of King David. He was in a position of power and could have anything or anyone he wanted; yet, what he wanted was his half-sister, the princess Tamar! In 2 Samuel 13:1, we read of Amnon’s wicked desire: “After this Absalom the son of David had a lovely sister, whose name was Tamar; and Amnon the son of David loved her” (NKJV). Later, we see the tragic consequences of Amnon’s sin and David’s earlier sin with Bathsheba. From verses 2-12, we read of Amnon conspiring to commit sexual assault on his half-sister. In 2 Samuel 13:12-15, we read of the result of Amnon’s sinful desire. The terrified girl protested. “No, my brother,” she said to him. “‘Do not force me, for no such thing should be done in Israel. Do not do this disgraceful thing! And I, where could I take my shame? And as for you, you would be like one of the fools in Israel. Now therefore, please speak to the king; for he will not withhold me from you.’ …

Recently, Alice and I saw a sign that said, “Life Rules,” and the rules were named in this order: “Take chances, follow your dreams, risk it all, fall in love, believe in yourself, ask questions, let go, make mistakes, start over, speak the truth, take responsibility, find happiness, live for today.” I’ll agree that some of these are very good rules for daily living if being done for the right reason. Follow your dreams! There’s an old saying, “When one dreams dreams, some of them are bound to come true.” If people before us hadn’t had a vision for the future, many of the comforts and even necessities would not be available to us today. The same is true for those to follow after us. Those dreams cause us to believe in ourselves. If we didn’t dream and believe in ourselves to accomplish those dreams, we would tread water, getting nowhere in life. And ask questions! We’ve all had small children at our feet, asking questions faster than we could answer them. Don’t take someone’s word just because they said it; delve into the truth of the matter and see what makes things “tick.” The next life rule was to let go! This is something that must be taken with the outlook that letting go could be detrimental, not only to ourselves but to those around us. Are we sure we want this to happen? We must always maintain some control over our feelings, attitudes and words. We all have and will continue to …

Have you ever imagined what it would be like to be blind – to always see nothing but blackness? How disorienting that must be! How great a struggle to go through each day and operate in this world! The simplest of tasks would be monumental. The difficulty of safely operating a device like a toaster or a stove, cooking an egg or making a cake would be inconvenient at best. This concept is important to realize. Imagine how a journey through life would be without the Word of God – divine revelation. “Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path. I have sworn and confirmed That I will keep Your righteous judgments” (Psalm 119:105-106 NKJV). Jesus Christ and His Gospel are the light God sent into the world. Without Jesus and the Gospel, we would go through this life with our eyes wide open but lost completely in spiritual darkness without any guiding light at all. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. He was in the …

A few moments ago, an incident happened that thrilled and disturbed me beyond expression. I had written an article on prayer and had given a copy of it to one of my sons, for we had been discussing prayer a little while before. He had it on his desk, and my granddaughter who just finished the second grade was reading it. She discovered a passage from the Bible that I had used, in which I said, “You are aware that James 4:15 says, ‘The prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.’” I had hit the wrong key, and the reference should have been James 5:15. My son just called me and said, “Chelsea has found an error in your article.” To say I was astounded and thrilled would be an understatement. The fact that she read it was wonderful. The fact that she looked up the Scripture references and read them was not only more wonderful but also amazing. Probably not one adult in 10,000 would do that. For a little girl ready for the third grade to do it is so unusual and thrilling that I almost cried. However, I do not write this article to tell about one of my precious grandchildren. I write it to emphasize two especially important points. First, I urge all those who read articles and listen to sermons to check the Scriptures they use to …

Due to the pandemic, most parents with school-aged children have been introduced to the world of homeschooling, like it or not. Even before the pandemic, many Christian families chose to homeschool their children, and they feel their children learn better in this type of an environment. Regardless of how parents choose or are compelled to educate their children, it is vital that all parents home Bible school their children. This is especially important since the pandemic has interfered with our regularly scheduled children’s Bible classes. The Bible teaches us that it is our job and responsibility as parents to train our children in the ways of the Lord. Deuteronomy 6:5-7 teaches us, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up” (NKJV). Then, in the New Testament, Ephesians 6:4 commands, “And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.” Further, we learn in 2 Timothy 1:5 and 2 Timothy 3:15 how Timothy was taught the Scriptures from his youth by his mother and by his grandmother. Josh McDowell once wrote, “God emphasizes the importance of parents teaching the Bible to their …

First Corinthians 14:15 states, “What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding” (NKJV). We learn in this passage that as we worship God in our prayers and in our songs, we should and must offer such worship in spirit and in truth, making sure that we do so both with the proper spirit and the proper understanding. If we are truly the children of God, we will always desire to offer our prayers and sing our praises in a deep, spiritual consciousness of what we are saying in our prayers and what we are expressing in our songs. Notice carefully and thoughtfully some of the lyrics of the songs that we often sing. “Into our hands the gospel is given”“Send the light”“Are you sowing the seed of the kingdom, brother?”“Ring out the message”“Throw out the lifeline”“O, spread the tidings round”“Arise! The Master calls for thee, the harvest days are here”“Far and near the fields are teeming with the waves of ripened grain”“Hark, tis the Shepherd’s voice I hear… bring them in”“Lead me to some soul today”“Rescue the perishing… snatch them in pity from sin and the grave”“Seeking the lost, yes, kindly entreating”“The blessed gospel is for all”“Ye are the light of the world”“You never mentioned Him to me”“Here am I! Lord, send me” That last song is taken from Isaiah 6:8 where we have the …

Growing up, I was surrounded constantly by passionate preachers. I use the word “passionate” not only because the lessons they presented were heartfelt, but also because when the need arose, they preached passionately against the sins about which the Bible warns us. This kind of passionate preaching has sometimes been labeled as preaching “hellfire and brimstone,” which is a reference to the punishment that awaits those who do not obey Christ (Revelation 21:8). If someone were to tell you the preacher is preaching hellfire and brimstone, how would you respond? First, I want to acknowledge that there are many people in our world who have probably never heard this phrase and might not have an immediate response. Maybe this is because they have never heard this kind of preaching, or maybe it is because they have just never given it a label. So, we need to acknowledge that phrases like this are not always understood by all, and that even includes those of us who think we know what we are talking about. Preaching hellfire and brimstone gets both positive and negative responses. Some see it as harsh and unloving preaching that only focuses on sin, condemnation and hell. Others see it as loving and zealous preaching that in a very direct way calls sin what it is, explains the punishment for being disobedient and encourages faithful living before God. As you can see, these are two very different viewpoints on this type of preaching. In a similar fashion, if …

When Paul, with Silvanus (Silas), and Timothy wrote the first epistle to the Thessalonian church, they were impressed with the faithfulness of the church through persecution. The Thessalonian church started with persecution from envious Jews (Acts 17:1-8). Some Jews, Greeks and leading women of the city were persuaded (Acts 17:4) and this stirred up the angst of the Jews who wanted to keep their traditional status quo. They ran the missionaries out of town. It is likely these incidents to which Paul obliquely refers in his statement that the Thessalonians had “received the word [of God] in much affliction” (1 Thessalonians 1:6 NKJV). In the midst of several compliments regarding their steadfastness and evangelistic nature in Chapter One, Paul specifically noted an intriguing trifecta – their “work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope” (1 Thessalonians 1:3). Some have noted the parallel with 1 Corinthians 13:13. There, Paul highlighted the virtues of love among brethren, prodding the Corinthians to exercise love rather than selfishness in the exercise of their gifts in the worship of the local church (in the broader context of 1 Corinthians 12-14). He spoke of how the temporary spiritual gifts, which were miraculous, would eventually fade, but faith, hope and love would remain. Some have also suggested a progression in this 1 Thessalonians 1:3 wording that suggests an increase in intensity. The work of faith is the beginning. Faith demands works; without works, faith is dead (James 2:14-26). This one great truth has volumes written …

That’s a phrase that I’ve found myself using a lot – especially with a 3-year-old. He’s always wanting to do something – to go outside, to go inside, to ride his truck, to play in the sprinklers, to mow the grass, to trim the bushes, to climb stuff, etc. We can’t do it all, and so, he hears, “Just wait,” a lot. It’s hard to wait, though, isn’t it? It’s especially difficult when we’re forced to wait for things out of our control. God’s plan doesn’t work on our timetables. It works on His time. Today, for what do you need to “just wait”? For what have you tried to work in the past when you needed to wait? How will today be different?

How many had eaten in Matthew 14:21? “Now those who had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children” (NKJV). Five thousand? If you said, “No, more than five thousand. That wasn’t counting the women and children,” you are correct. That’s the idea of the word translated “besides.” The men were counted separately, not counting women and children. However, the word can also mean “without.” Why wouldn’t the translators use that word here? Let’s try it. “Now those who had eaten were about five thousand men, without women and children.” While “without” is one shade of meaning of the word, it would give the wrong idea given the context. Someone might come away asking, “Were there women and children? Did they not get to eat?” In John’s account of this miraculous feeding, there was a young boy who had loaves and fish (John 6:9). It was a great multitude, and there were women and children in it. Jesus was healing the sick. The word is translated “besides” because they were there. They just weren’t included in the counting. Here’s why this is important. Some take Paul’s emphasis on righteousness being by faith, in places like Romans 4, and try to remove anything we do, “works,” from faithful living. Romans 3:28 concludes “that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds [works] of the law.” Abraham was a great example of this because he was justified without being under the Law. However, it wasn’t because what he …

Before God brought the 10th plague upon Egypt, that is, the death of the firstborn in every family among the Egyptians, including the animals, He informed Moses that no harm would come to the children of Israel (Exodus 11-12). On the 10th day of the first month of Abib, every man was to take a male lamb of the sheep or goats and keep it until the 14th day when it was to be slain. The men were instructed to take the blood of the animal and put some on the doorposts and the lintel of the house. Instructions were also given as to how they were to prepare the lamb for a meal in each household. Only unleavened bread was to be eaten with the meal. This was the “Lord’s Passover.” The Passover was to be a memorial for Israel throughout its generations. The Lord spoke to Moses, “For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord. Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt” (Exodus 12:12-13 NKJV). The lamb that was killed was without blemish. The blood that was placed …

There are several passages of Scripture that speak to our current situation. These passages are not necessarily prophecies as much as they assure us that evil desires are nothing new. Paul informed Timothy that “evil men and imposters will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived” (2 Timothy 3:13 NKJV). Demar Elam expresses the reality of the situation in his statement, “Evil circles the globe while truth puts her boots on.” Evil holds drawing power due to its acceptance. Once it gains acceptance, evil picks up speed due to its willing accomplices. Listen to Paul’s description in 2 Timothy 3:1-5. But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. Evil steals all care for others’ wellbeing while pleasing the god of self. Whatever seems good to the eyes and pleasurable at the moment drives the willing participant to engage in his or her desires. These activities not only jade the eyes but also harden the heart. The now victim becomes so enamored by evil that he or she is unwilling to accept a worldview apart from sin. Sin rules over one as a king (John 8:34). It promises freedom but enslaves the poor soul to a life of heavy …

Most children and adults who have attended Bible school have heard the story of David and Goliath. It seems incredible that a keeper of sheep would be able to slay a nine-foot-tall battle-hardened warrior, but that is exactly what happened according to the biblical account. With the help of God, David was able to overcome an enemy who had caused the armies of Israel to remain frightfully away from the field of battle. For a moment, one might consider the account of David and Goliath and make application to the spiritual warfare that we face on a regular basis. As enemies go, Goliath was in total, vocal rebellion to the army of Saul. Goliath’s impressive stature and words of disdain appear in 1 Samuel 17:4-10. These verses say: And a champion went out from the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, from Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. He had a bronze helmet on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. And he had bronze armor on his legs and a bronze javelin between his shoulders. Now the staff of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and his iron spearhead weighed six hundred shekels; and a shield-bearer went before him. Then he stood and cried out to the armies of Israel, and said to them, “Why have you come out to line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, …

The issue of authority is one of the more important foundational topics that is frequently ignored by much of the religious world. However, I am glad to say that it is changing. More and more, people are considering the issue, and so, here are some things to share with others on why we should do things Jesus’ way instead of in our own ways. First, Jesus is Creator (John 1:1-10); as such, naturally, He has the authority to set law and tell us what He expects and desires of us. Second, Jesus is our Redeemer (Galatians 3:13). Since He gave His life for us to free us from sin (Galatians 1:4), we honor Him by doing things His way. Finally, Jesus is our Judge (John 12:48). He declared that there is one path to God, and it is through Him (John 14:6). Therefore, there is no other way but Jesus’ way!