Recently, I read a discussion about the tradition of extending the invitation at the end of sermons. Some viewed it as something that has become passé, unnecessary or even unscriptural. Some pointed out there is not an example of the invitation in the New Testament. However, has anyone considered how few complete sermons are recorded? Of the sermons recorded, these were interrupted by an immediate response. Some have become “anti-traditionalists” and seek to trouble churches. Is it really the case that there is no authority for extending an invitation? Can one believe it would be “unscriptural” to give someone the opportunity to respond? The invitation is a call to action. What about when Jesus said, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28–29 NKJV)? The invitation to obey the Gospel is always open. The conclusion of a sermon is subjective, but that does not mean that extending the invitation is without authority. Some suggest a change to something else, but what exactly would that be? There are always responses to the invitation (public or private)—positive or negative. What will your response be?

(Matthew 6:22; Proverbs 15:30) Many years in the past, my grandfather told me that the eyes were the window of the soul. When I asked him to explain, he said, “If you cannot look a man in the eyes when you tell him something, then maybe there is something in your heart and soul you don’t want him to know about you. The same is true if he won’t look you in the eye either.” Years later, there was a teenage boy in our youth group at church who was letting his hair grow so long one could barely see his eyes. One Sunday, I was speaking with him and I said, “With your hair so long, people cannot see the joy of Christ that I know is in your soul.” He just dropped his head a bit. I hugged him and said, “Just think about it.” The next week, he had cut his hair short. He stood before me and said, “I understand.” He is a grown man now, and I get to see him when he comes back home for a visit, and though we never talk about the original encounter, I do see the light of Christ in that young man’s soul, and I trust that he sees my love for him as a brother in Christ. We can read about an awesome eye to eye encounter in God’s Word. Jesus told Peter that he would deny knowing Him three times. While Peter firmly claimed that it …

Will Worship has been defined as actions engaged in because they please the worshiper and not because the Lord commanded them. Who have we chosen to serve this day—ourselves unto damnation or our God unto eternal life? Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations—“Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle,” which all concern things which perish with the using—according to the commandments and doctrines of men? These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion [“will worship” KJV], false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh. (Colossians 2:20-23 NKJV) There are some today in the church who insist that modern innovations can be scripturally introduced into worship. They attempt to reconcile their beliefs by stating their introductions are no different than the use of a community building for worship and the use of songbooks. These wayward children of God say that their introductions are merely expedients to the furthering of God’s Word. Some of their introductions include the use of substitutions on the Lord’s Table, partaking of communion on days other than the first day of the week, the use of vocal groups (i.e, choirs) instead of congregational singing and drama performances instead of Gospel preaching. When compared to the teachings of the Bible, these introductions are nothing more than the product of those serving itching ears …

Jesus was all-knowing. Jesus was God on Earth, and He could do, say or know whatever He wanted about mankind and his surroundings. At the time of that last meal in the borrowed room, Jesus knew Judas would betray Him. Judas, the one Jesus had fed, loved, helped, taught, prayed with and invested in was going to sell his Friend for the price of a slave within the hour. Yet, Jesus still washed his feet. Satan had already put (literally, thrown) the betrayal into Judas’ heart, and Jesus knew it. After three years with Jesus, Judas should have had the faith shield (Ephesians 6:16) up and ready for the darts of Satan, but he was too interested in other stuff—material things. Remember, he was the one who handled the money for Jesus and His entourage. After all that time, the talks they had together, the time spent teaching others, the time spent working miracles and all the other things Jesus did with him, Judas was about to betray our Lord. Still, Jesus washed his feet, knowing it wouldn’t make a bit of difference to Judas. Have you ever thought about why? Jesus knew it wouldn’t change Judas’ course of action. He knew Judas would still betray Him, and He knew that Judas wouldn’t appreciate in the least the humble service of washing his feet. However, Jesus wasn’t washing Judas’ feet for Judas; He was doing it because it’s what God wanted. It was pleasing to God. Our service to others …

In the days of the judge Jephthah, war occurred with Ammon. Jephthah led the Gileadites in battle and was victorious. However, as they returned home, the men of Ephraim confronted Jephthah and the army and said, “Why did you cross over to fight against the people of Ammon, and did not call us to go with you? We will burn your house down on you with fire!” (Judges 12:1 NKJV). As a result of this confrontation, the Gileadites and the Ephraimites battled each other. From that confrontation, an event that teaches us some valuable lessons occurs. The Gileadites seized the fords of the Jordan before the Ephraimites arrived. And when any Ephraimite who escaped said, “Let me cross over,” the men of Gilead would say to him, “Are you an Ephraimite?” If he said, “No,” then they would say to him, “Then say, ‘Shibboleth’!” And he would say, “Sibboleth,” for he could not pronounce it right. Then they would take him and kill him at the fords of the Jordan. There fell at that time forty-two thousand Ephraimites. (Judges 12:5–6) In the same way that the Ephraimites could not avoid mispronouncing Shibboleth because of their accent and dialect, some actions declare the truth about our internal lives no matter what we claim about ourselves. The Shibboleth of Drunkenness All these Scriptures make it unmistakably clear that drunkenness is an action that demonstrates a person is not a faithful servant of God but instead is living the life of a servant …

When a Christian reads the first few chapters of the book of Acts, he has to get excited. Let us notice how the church grew. In Acts 2:41, about 3,000 obeyed the Gospel. In Acts 4:4, about 5,000 men (not including women and children) also obeyed the Gospel. Acts 4:32 records a multitude believed, and Acts 5:14 says, “multitudes both men and women” believed (NKJV). Acts 6:1 states that the number of disciples multiplied. How great and exciting it must have been to the apostles! How did the church grow so fast? We know it could not have been done by the apostles alone, but every member doing what they could contributed to that early church growth. “Therefore those who were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the word” (Acts 8:4). Some place the time of this at approximately at A.D. 37. It was a time when the opponents of Christianity visited Christian homes and cast Christian men and women into vile prisons. They were then brought before the elders of the synagogue, who tried to force them to deny Christ. Upon their refusal some of them were put to death. This persecution scattered the Christians, but it did not stop them from telling others about Christ. They traveled far and wide through various regions teaching and preaching the Gospel of Christ. They were truly fulfilling the Great Commission. Christ had said, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be …

God’s providence is at work in our lives, and His providence has been operative since Creation. We marvel at God’s wisdom and are thrilled to read of it in His Word. Such an example is found in Acts 18 and in the beginning of Acts 19. In Acts 18:1–3 we read of the apostle Paul coming in contact with a Christian husband and wife in Corinth. “After these things Paul departed from Athens and went to Corinth. And he found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla (because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to depart from Rome); and he came to them. So, because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them and worked; for by occupation they were tentmakers” (NKJV). Likely the providence of God placed Aquila and Priscilla so that they would be “found” (v.2) by Paul. Being Christians, as well as being of the same trade (“tentmakers”), they obviously had much in common. At this time, Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia as Paul had previously requested (Acts 17:15). Paul continued to preach, and what a daunting task that must have been in the sensual setting of Corinth. His frustration surfaced as “…he shook his garments and said… I will go unto the Gentiles” (Acts 18:6), which was God’s commission to him (Acts 13:46; Romans 1:16). Fear gripped Paul, and the Lord reminded him that He was with him. “Now the Lord spoke …

The apostle John encouraged his readers to live in a way that honors the Lord. There were those living among them who claimed to follow Jesus, but their life did not bear it out. Those who claimed to be following Jesus also hindered the walk of faith for those who truly followed Jesus. One of the descriptions given by John to determine who was faithful was the way they treated the brethren. In one place, he wrote, “He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him” (1 John 2:9–10 NKJV). The love brethren should show to one another comes from the knowledge of God sending His Son to die in our stead (1 John 4:9–11). God’s great love shown on the cross set the standard for love shared among brethren (1 John 3:16). Another description given to distinguish those who follow the Lord from those who did not was their actions. The epistle begins with the comparison of walking in the light and walking in darkness. Notice, those living in darkness do not practice the truth (1 John 1:6). On the other hand, those walking in the light bear a similarity to Jesus (1 John 1:7). John further distinguished between the two peoples in the third chapter. He explained, “Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He …

Imagine for a moment that somebody does something really nice for you. What do you say? What do you do? Hopefully, we at least say, “Thank you,” and maybe we even send a card or do something to show our appreciation. Now imagine that somebody does something so amazing and so transformative for you and for your life that words and the polite gesture of sending a card do not even come close to expressing how blessed, how honored and how thankful you truly are. In Luke 1:26–34, an angel appeared to a young virgin girl named Mary and informed her that she was going to have a child and to call His name Jesus. He told her that her son will reign over a kingdom that will never end. That shocked and confused Mary for she was a virgin and had never been with a man. The angel informed her in Luke 1:35 that the son that she was to have was from God. She was going to give birth to the Son of God. After hearing about her relative, Elizabeth, also being with child, Mary spoke again to the angel and said in verse 38, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word” (NKJV). Nothing was impossible with God, and Mary was faithfully ready to serve the Lord. In Luke 1:39–45, Mary traveled to visit Elizabeth. When she entered the room, the baby in Elizabeth’s womb leapt for joy, and “Elizabeth …

For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (John 3:17–18 NKJV) All too often, at least when it is convenient, mankind often views life from a perspective that can only be describe as spectatorial. There is not only a minimal investment through the lens of a spectator, but that investment is rather impotent in its ability to really make any sort of difference in the way a game is played or in the outcome of a game. It is, instead, the powers that be that hold all the cards, leaving us very little recourse to genuinely pursue an engaged and effective assertion of our energies. Unfortunately at times the powers that be also have the same attitude. While thrusting themselves upon others as the vital and dignified pieces of this game—the brains and brawn of the operation—everyone else is simply a pawn to be moved about at whim, becoming the sacrifices so the vital ones may find success. The masses of men are the political or financial doorstops who are beaten and abused so that door to vast wealth may open for the few. Have you ever felt that way? No doubt most of us will find some truth in those words. The majority has worn the …

Rehoboam received the throne to a great kingdom. His grandfather had subdued the enemies around the land, and his father was one of the wealthiest people to ever live. All he had to do was not mess anything up. Sadly, the very first thing he did upon taking the throne was to mess everything up. His people came to him with a request to lighten their workload. Rehoboam did the right thing in seeking advice; he just happened to choose poorly. The advice he took was not only to ignore the plea of the people but also to threaten them with harder labor and more severe punishments. A civil war resulted where he lost most of the kingdom, and then, the Egyptians attacked him, and he lost all his wealth. Had he taken the advice to listen to his people, he would have enjoyed a great kingdom, but his pride cost him everything. Learn from the mistake of this king—be humble.

The author of a first century letter began by identifying himself and the party or parties to whom he wrote. “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants” (Revelation 1:1) identifies the Father as the author, with Jesus Christ being the one through whom the letter was conveyed. Jesus is “the faithful witness” of God’s will and the first one to be raised from the dead to die no more (Revelation 1:5; John 3:31–32; Colossians 1:18). This would be a source of great encouragement since Antipas had already died for the faith and others would soon follow (Revelation 2:13). Knowing that God can raise the dead should give Christians courage, even in the face of death (Romans 8:11). Christ is likewise the Ruler over all who are in authority on the earth (Romans 13:1). It might have seemed that no one could control Rome, but the Lord was in authority and would judge them for their misdeeds (John 19:10–11). No one has ever loved any of us more than Jesus does (John 5:13; Romans 5:6–8). That love motivated Him to give His blood so that our sins might be washed away (Hebrews 9:14, 28). All who are a part of the King’s blood-bought body will rule over all (Revelation 1:6; Ephesians 1:22–23; Philippians 2:9–11). Members of Christ’s body have been made a priesthood to offer up sacrifices of praise to God’s name (1 Peter 2:5–9; Hebrews 13:15). John broke forth in praise to God’s name at the very mention …