The first three verses of Ephesians chapter two put the whole human race out of fellowship with God!  Paul writes:  “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins.”  In this brief treatise, let us examine together the dreadful killing power of sin and see how it can get such a hold on us that we may not be able to let go. Now read vs. 4-7.  Were it not for the gospel where we find God’s drawing power in His rich mercy and great love and wonderful grace, surely, we all would be doomed to everlasting damnation! 

A warning for…

Micah was a contemporary of Isaiah and Hosea.  He prophesied during the time before Israel was led away into Assyrian captivity.  And his message was one of warning: God is displeased with you.  He is coming in judgment if you do not turn from your wicked ways and return to Him.

In Micah 6:6-8, he brought the people to a decision point: “What shall we do?  What does God want?  1000 sacrifices?  10,000 rivers of oil?  How about my first-born?”  But God did not require any of those things.

“He has told you, O man, what is good” or “shown you” (NKJV).…

The Holy Spirit commended the brethren of Thessalonica through Paul’s written word in saying, “For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith toward God has gone forth…” (I Thess. 1:8).  This speaks volumes to the labor and dedication of these brethren.  Their actions spoke “louder than words” and their love and devotion to Christ was noticeable in word AND deed.  What is pertinent and applicable for us is to ask, “What was at the core of them being so noticeably faithful?”

There are indeed three…

Several years ago Kitty Kallen had a hit record called Little Things Mean A Lot. I can still see the recording going around on the turntable at the radio station where I worked.  It was a very simple lyric, affirming that little things in life and love are the things that really mean the most.  How true it is.  Everything we do is connected to small, simple, little things.  Life itself is composed of little things.  Days are comprised of hours, hours of minutes, minutes of seconds.  Weeks are made up of days, months of weeks, and years of months.…

Certain days have certain feels to them. To me, Mondays are usually sluggish, making it difficult to get my mind into gear.  I must not be the only one, because when I ask someone how they’re doing, they often reply, “Not bad for a Monday.”  Fridays, on the other hand, have an energy attached to them.  The weekend is near, and we can hardly wait to get it started.  Of course, all of this goes out the window during the holidays or when you’re out of your routine. Then, you wonder, “what day is it?” because every day feels the…

    Jonah is a unique book in many ways. It is the only recorded account of God sending a Jewish prophet to preach to a foreign country. Jonah is the only prophetic book that is chiefly about the prophet instead of the prophet’s message. Jonah is the only Minor Prophet in narrative form. Jonah is the only Minor Prophet mentioned by Jesus and the only Old Testament character that Jesus likens to Himself (cf. Matthew 12:39-41; Luke 11:29-32). Finally, and most amazingly, Jonah is the only preacher who hoped he wouldn’t succeed!

    We know little of the prophet except for…

The apostle Paul penned the following words to the new Christians at Thessalonica: “For who is our hope or joy or crown of rejoicing?  Is it not even you, in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? For you are our glory and joy” (1 Thess. 2: 19-20). 

After Paul and Silas left Philippi, they traveled to Thessalonica where there was a synagogue of the Jews and there Paul preached Christ and Him crucified for three Sabbaths, reasoning from the Scriptures, explaining and giving evidence that the Christ had to suffer and die and rise again from the…

The Search for Assurance

It was a discussion between preacher friends.  We were wrestling with the question of how  confident Christians ought to be, moment by moment, about their salvation. Some were arguing for an absolute assurance, others for a more cautious one. There is perhaps no concern which weaves its way so pervasively through the history of God’s people as does the desire for assurance in one’s relationship with God. Christians seem to vacillate between two contrasting themes of Scripture -- assurance (1 John 5:3) and warning (1 Corinthians 10:12).

The subject of assurance has been hotly debated down through the…

“It’s only one time. It’s only a little sin. Nothing bad has happened yet.” 

We are told in Ecclesiastes 10:1 that a little transgression comes with great consequences: “As dead flies give perfume a bad smell, so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.” A mistake, an unkind word, or one careless moment can produce destruction, so you must give importance to how you live (Ephesians 5:15-17). You either honor Christ or deny Him with a life that can cause you or others to fall away. 

On January 28, 1986, the space shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds after launch because NASA engineers…

Righteousness Exalts a Nation

If you watch or read the news on a regular basis, you will see a world in turmoil. Political rhetoric is sharp and nasty. Depending on who you listen to, democracy and freedom are threatened from both the right and the left. On the international scene, wars and threats of violence abound.

Closer to home, the moral fabric of our society is crumbling. Crime permeates our communities. Marriages are failing, leaving children to grow up in broken homes. Sexual sins have become normalized. Cohabitation is common before marriage, with some questioning the need for marriage at all. Homosexuality,…

What is life? Most things are clarified by some sort of measurement.  A  thing is considered to be a foot long when it measures up to the ruler that says so.  A gallon is a gallon because it can be authenticated by a comparison with the standard of what constitutes a gallon. 

What about life?  How does one measure life?  Do you measure it by how long it is?  Now, be careful–there are people who have lived a long time with terrible illness and pain.  Surely you don’t think that’s life.  And what about wealth?  Is that life?  Again, be careful–there…

Developing Discernment

In our 1 Corinthians class we just finished studying chapter six, where Paul addresses problems with the Corinthian Christians taking each other to court.

Paul says in 6:1-6: “When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints? Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life! So if…

America has some towns with curious names. There’s Uncertain, Texas; Neutral, Kansas; and Likely, California. You can visit Why, Arizona or Whynot, North Carolina. You can take a trip to Normal, Illinois or Peculiar, Missouri. There’s even Somewhere, New York and Nowhere, Colorado. I’m sure every one of those places has a fascinating story behind its name, even if few people know it.

Well, how about a place called Test and Quarrel? The Place of Burning? The Graves of Craving? The Waters of Contention? None of those sounds like a place you’d want…