Posts by Jim Elliff (Page 19)
Music in the Church: How Special Should We Make It?
You could put the entire teaching about church music in the New Testament in a paragraph or two. Add to this teaching those spirited illustrations of corporate singing in heaven displayed in the last book of the Bible, when angels and throngs of people fill the air with thundering six to eight line choruses. When it comes to intentional instruction about music, however, there are really only four passages in the New Testament: Speaking to one another in psalms and…
Seven Laws of the Race
The motif of the Olympic race was dear to the Apostle Paul. Did he sit in the stands in Athens or Corinth? Perhaps so. Regardless, parallels between “the games” and the believer’s race in life were often on his mind. He (along with the author of Hebrews) gives us seven laws for running the race. 1. Run to win “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such…
The Knife on the Table
James, always questioning: Mr. Brockton, how do Satan or his demons interplay with our lives? Is there such a thing? The wiser Mr. Brockton: The battle rages quite fiercely for believers in Christ who walk as they should. He opposes by distractions, obstructions, confusion and fear. But they have a special connection to inordinate desires in any human. James: Do you mean that they create lust in us? Brockton: No, but they seek to provide objects to excite our lusts,…
Book Hoarding
“Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance of books does his life consist of his library.” A pastor in a small church received his first book allowance, provided by the church. He began to purchase the books he needed to stimulate his thinking, improve his understanding, and jolt his conscience. His library grew. Later, at a larger church the book allowance increased, and he was able…
What the Book of John Says About Eternal Life
If you would have eternal life, something must change. The man, woman or child who remains as he is will die forever. The Gospel of John, from which all the following verses come, was given to present Christ and this eternal state. “Many other signs therefore Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book,” John wrote. “But these have been written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son…
Personal Evangelism Under New Testament Scrutiny: Becoming a Biblical Presenter
Our evangelism, on the main, begs for a complete makeover, and leaders are tirelessly inventive in the ways they are attempting to do that. They are as frantically creative as cutting edge businesses, and not at all ashamed of comparing themselves to them. You will find the Bible way down on the list of books about evangelistic strategy, even in most seminaries. This is so not only in corporate evangelism, but sadly, this is true concerning personal evangelistic methods as…
Pastors Moving to Other Churches: Why?
There is no biblical record of a pastor leaving one established church to become a pastor of another. This is clearly seen in the starting of new churches. The biblical precedent was for a new church to start without any official leadership. Outside of the Jerusalem church where the apostles were the first leaders, I’m not aware of any church in the New Testament starting with a pastor in place. This may come as a surprise to many, but it…
My Darkest Night; Hopefully Not Yours
At 3:30 a.m., I awoke to a black room, so dark that my eyes could not see even one inch away, much less to the other side. The simple room in a Romanian home in Brasov had one of those metal external shades that is lowered over the window, capable of completely deleting light. I was in the darkest place I had been in perhaps for years. And, since it was night and I was alone in the house, I…
What Did Jesus Mean by “The Broad Way?”
In the Sermon on the Mount, the broad way that leads to destruction is the external religious way. The narrow way is the way Jesus taught. This is seen particularly in the “antitheses” section in Mt. 5. For instance, the broad way is fulfilling the command, “You shall not murder,” but the narrow way is found in Jesus’ statement: “but I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother is guilty . . .” Or again, “You shall not…
In A Body
What did the writers of the New Testament mean when they claimed that Jesus Christ was resurrected? It certainly was not that he only appeared to be resurrected when in fact it did not happen. That is, resurrection to these writers did not mean that he appeared in some apparitional way, or some imaginary way, or some spiritualized way similar to the kind of thing a person might say about a deceased relative (i.e. “Mother is here with us whenever…
Reading Scripture Before Your Message
It may not seem that important to read well Scripture that you plan to expound, but you are mistaken on this account: You have failed to see that Scripture is the most important thing about your message! As I’ve grown older in the ministry, I’ve come to see that Scripture read well is a potent way to impact your audience for good. “Give much attention to the public reading of Scripture,” Paul said. Try these ideas for better listening: 1. …
Reformation or Revival?
If you have been around me very long, you have heard me emphasize that the crying need, the absolutely desperate need of the hour, is reformation. You have also been aware that for years I have also longed for revival. Recently I was asked what the difference actually is, if any, between revival and reformation. This is an important question worthy of your precious time to think it through. Though many are blinded to the current dilemma, the fact is…
How Inclusive Should the Local Church Be?
I once attended a Methodist church Bible study in another city. In the study I was verbally accosted in the class by the husband of the teacher for some things that I said. To my knowledge, I was only saying what any true believer ought to say, but he took exception. After the class we talked further about the different way we looked at the issue. At one point I asked him about an even more foundational matter: Do you…
Above Reproach — But What About the Kids?
The wise Apostle Paul insists that overseers be above reproach. By overseers he means those who not only are called by that title, but also that of pastor or elder. These words are used for the same person. That person, that overseer, that pastor, that elder, MUST be above reproach. Between Paul’s words — “IF ANYONE IS ABOVE REPROACH” — and “AN OVERSEER, AS GOD’S STEWARD, MUST BE ABOVE REPROACH,” he brings the family into our perview. See what I…
Shrunken Heads: A Letter from Jim
I could walk to the museum when I was a boy in Kansas City. Of all the wonders I saw there, the shrunken head was the most alluring. I could envision how it was made to shrink to the size of a hand. It was inset in the wall, darkened, menacing, exotic, jaw-dropping, and . . . fake. It was years later that scientists discovered that 80% of the shrunken heads displayed around the country were not human heads, but…
Singing to “Another Jesus”: A Letter from Jim
Dear CCW family, Let me remind you of an experience I had before COVID-19, when you could sit very closely together . . . Christmas Tradition: Singing Carols to the One They Don’t Love “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you.” Jn 15:18 “And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds . . .” Col 1:21-22 “For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and…