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The Spirit Moves Us Around—Some Reflections

“And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them. So, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and…

Cataracts of Unbelief Remaining

We are not perfect believers. Cataracts of unbelief cloud our sight and therefore we still stumble, much to our dismay. However, if we gaze intently at his glory revealed in his word to us, due to the transforming aid of the Spirit, our sight of him is clarified from one degree to another creating increasing conformity to him. And, we look with hope because we know that when we see him as he is, there will be no filtering doubts…

The Negotiables: Must We Forever Do Things The Same Way?

I am a lover of the local church in any form I find it, provided we mean the same thing by “church.” I’ve had sixty years of ministry in all kinds of churches, internationally and here in the States. I have seen some great ones and some very sad, sickly ones—and that has little to do with size. If it is a true church, however, I’m for it and wish to see it flourish. I’ve not lost my enthusiasm for…

Fences

It had not occurred to me that the fences in view on our back porch were so much in the style of colonial America. Such fences always impressed me when visiting Williamsburg in Virginia. The very wealthy might have wrought iron or stone, but the common fence 250 years ago was four feet high and wooden, sometimes painted but often not, just like ours. There is a warmth to that, as I look out over the fences here among neighbors,…

Two More Ways to Bless Others by Reading the Bible to Them

I hope you are part of a church that includes “the public reading of Scripture” (1 Timothy 4:13) at its main weekly meeting. Family worship is also a common setting for reading Scripture out loud to others. In both of these settings, both the reader and the hearers are, as John wrote about the public reading of Revelation, “blessed” (Rev. 1:3). What follows are two additional ways we can experience this blessing as readers and also bless others.  First, read…

Paul and Prayer: Colossians 4:12-13

Colossians 4:12-13 “Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God. For I bear him witness that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and in Hierapolis.” Epaphras was, according to the Apostle Paul, the person who started the church at Colossae. This was his hometown, situated about 100 miles…

George Muller on Prevailing Prayer

My life and ministry has been guided significantly by the insights God gave George Muller in the 1800s. Here is his answer concerning what is necessary in prayer. He stated that he had seen over 50,000 answers to prayer, 30,000 in the day or hour they had been requested. Let’s take his counsel. Note: I’m unable to connect this graphic to its source.

Powerfully Kept

I’ve seen a few extremely powerful things. I once watched a tornado whirling debris on the lawn as it rose up and passed just beside our house. I know that it was insane to be outside watching, but power is intriguing. I’ve been in a tropical storm on the Florida coast, packed and ready to leave in an instant if it accelerated to a hurricane. I’ve felt the ground rumbling while watching a space shuttle launch, and I’ve circled three…

CCW: Receiving the Courage and Guidance to Begin: A Letter From Jim

Dear CCW family, Since we are celebrating 40 year anniversary of Christian Communicators Worldwide, I’m including a brief explanation of its inception. I hope you don’t mind a little nostalgia. Through CCW we have traveled to nearly forty countries to teach the Bible, along with every state but four. We have counseled and mentored pastors and leaders, written 1,500 articles and numbers of books in English and other languages that we distribute without cost, written in various publications of other…

Persons Expelled from the Church: May They Attend Church Meetings?

I have often heard through the years that those who have been disciplined out of a church should nonetheless be allowed to attend as non-members. I want to submit my view on the matter. The passage about the man who committed incest is instructive. This is found in 1 Cor 5. Look carefully at what Paul instructed the Corinthian church to do concerning this man. Note the strong language: —“so that the one who has done this deed would be…

An Argument for Learning

One of the immense edifices on the skyline of Christian history over the last hundred years was the eminent leader, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981). He is noteworthy not only because he was a great preacher and the pastor of Westminster Chapel of London, but also because of his zest for learning. Having begun as a physician of exceptional quality, he carried over into his Christianity and ministry this unceasing hunger to know more. From a delightful little book entitled Martyn…

Review of God Sent Revival by John Thornbury

Thornbury, J. F., God Sent Revival, The Story of Asahel Nettleton and the Second Great Awakening, Welwyn, Herts, England: Evangelical Press, 1977, 238 pp. ($15.00) John Thornbury was a pastor of a thriving church called Winfield Baptist in Winfield, Pennsylvania, but is now retired. He studied in Kentucky at the Lexington Baptist College with further studies at the University of Kentucky. He has authored several books, the latest of which is an excellent biography on David Brainerd. Thornbury was a…

The Guarantee of Holiness

“Say not that thou hast royal blood in thy veins and art born of God,” said puritan William Gurnall, “unless thou canst prove thy pedigree by daring to be holy.” There is no such thing as an unholy Christian (at least in any ongoing sense.) Can Christians commit any sort of sin? Yes. Can Christians repeatedly commit sin? Yes. Can Christians commit the worst of sins? Yes. But it is inconceivable that a person could be a Christian without holiness…

Christian Communicators Worldwide: The Impetus to Do It

This year Christian Communicators Worldwide is 40 years old. Before the inauguration of the CCW ministry, the elderly J. Oswald Sanders came into my life. I had read his writing, but Pam and I had the privilege of having him in our home in Little Rock, where I had asked him to address leaders in the area and our church. The timing was perfect because I was going through a decision process that would change my future dramatically. Dr. Sanders…

How My Congregation Worshiped and Edified One Another One Sunday in March

Tim Challies has occasionally written posts over the years that are titled, “How We Worshiped One Sunday,” followed by “in (name of the month).” I enjoy reading those and appreciate his church’s intentionality and love for the gospel. From what I can tell, it’s a wonderful body of believers. I thought it might be interesting to follow his example and share what happened in my church on a recent Sunday. Why? Though we believe the same gospel as Challies’ church…