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The Discipline of God is Strong
The discipline of the believer provides one of our greatest assurances of God’s love. Please read and think deeply about “The Discipline of God is Strong.”
The Unrepenting Repenter
The believer in Christ is a lifelong repenter. He begins with repentance and continues in repentance. (Rom. 8:12-13) David sinned giant sins but fell without a stone at the mere finger of the prophet because he was a repenter at heart (2 Sam. 12:7-13). Peter denied Christ three times but suffered three times the remorse until he repented with bitter tears (Mt. 26:75). Every Christian is called a repenter, but he must be a repenting repenter. The Bible assumes the…
Say What You Love About God
May I suggest something of value for you to do that has great returns. It is so simple, yet profound and effective. We all can do it. Here it is: DESCRIBE SOMETHING YOU VALUE ABOUT GOD TO OTHERS. I mean by this to thoughtfully tell somebody what God is like. Portray as colorfully as possible a characteristic of the Father, Son, or Spirit that you value and think is worth being known. A believer who could learn to do this…
Until We Die
Poem written for Jeannie Elliff just before her death on 7/20/15 UNTIL WE DIE Jim Elliff We don’t know how to live until we die– die to trust in living as that which keeps a life, die to fear of dying as that which ends a life. And if we die to living, And live by dying, We live the truest life by Him whose life we’re given, Who came as life And lived to die And rose to life…
God Above All Governments
You may disagree, but I believe biblical history and subsequent Christian history demonstrates that radical internal holiness, godly enthusiasm to follow Christ, and courageous truth-inspired faith in him regardless of the societal externals or the diffidence and even hatred of those around us, do more to accomplish the will of God in the world than the seating of any government over the people. The government may or may not support the Christian viewpoint. It did not in New Testament days…
How to “Get Over it” When You Taught Poorly
If you teach the Bible regularly, you know the experience of wishing you had done better — sometimes much better — immediately after you finished. I have been there. I once spoke at a men’s retreat of a church different than my own. About halfway through my message, I could feel in my soul that things were going poorly. The men seemed unenthused. Two guys were whispering to each other and laughing. I pressed on, but it never improved. Afterwards,…
No Lay-up Shot: A Lesson from the Masters
For some reason unknown to humankind, my older brother got to play golf on the distinguished Augusta National Golf Course, the course where perhaps the best tournament of the year is held—The Masters. It was there that the following life-shaping event took place. He was playing through the course with the required caddy. After he landed in the middle of hole 13 of the notorious 3-hole Amen Corner, he asked the caddy for a certain short iron. Astonished, the veteran…
Dear Eden from Sweden
I write poetry for my grandchildren as their “PaJim.” This is one. We have a strain of Swedish ancestry on my wife’s side — a farm family in Sweden who moved to Canada and then to Minnesota in the 1800s. This poem reflects that connection. Likely the members of that family used “kulning” to call the cattle. Before you read this poem, listen to the enchanting kuhning of Jonna Jinton at this address to understand the poem better: https://youtu.be/KvtT3UyhibQ?feature=shared. The…
Are You A Theological Ignoramus Like J.I. Packer Once Was?
J.I. Packer tells a personal story about his freshman year in college (see Bruce Milne, Know the Truth, IVP, 1998, p. 9). The chaplain at his school took some of the students on “pastoral walks.” Packer was on one of those strolls and said of the chaplain, “He was urging me to read theology, the subject which he himself taught, as a sequel to the classics degree on which I embarked.” Packer explains the exchange that happened next. I explained…
YOU HAVE HEARD OF THE ENDURANCE OF JOB
Job stands as a unique figure in the Bible. Poignant lessons emerge from his trial. James had him in mind as he wrote his epistle.
A Biblical Case For Biographies and Autobiographies
The men of my church recently got together for two hours on a Wednesday evening, and then the women did the same the next Wednesday. On both occasions, part of the meeting involved watching a video of someone giving a biographical sketch. I was given the task of introducing the videos for both meetings, and I also included a few thoughts concerning what the Bible says about observing and learning from and even being inspired by other followers of Christ.…
Seven Laws of the Race – A Letter From Jim
Dear CCW family, As believers we are all runners . . . long distance ones. According to the author of Hebrews, we run “the race marked out for us (see 12:1-3)”. This means that the race we run is designed for us and not everyone else. And, it likely will not be easy. Consider the information I gathered below to gain insight into how the Bible writers believed we could run it well. How do you believe you are doing…
To Fly to Safety or Not: What to Do When the Arrows are Aimed at You
If you’ve ever been in a minor car accident, you might have called a loved one and immediately said, “Hey, everything’s okay; I’m not hurt. But I’ve been in a wreck.” David starts off Psalm 11 with “everything’s okay” type of language: “In the LORD I take refuge.” He was living in a society in which “the foundations” had been decimated (v. 3), probably meaning, “The foundations of law and order have collapsed” (New Living Translation). It was chaos all…
Spiritual Inventory for Pastoral Visits
Name_______________________________ Date_____________ Spiritual Inventory for Pastoral Visits For systematic pastoral visitation of church members____________________“Warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all men.” 1 Thess. 5:14 “Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly, nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the…
What is a Missionary?
What is a missionary? He is not only an evangelist because there is a such person as an evangelist that God has gifted and given to the churches. But he must at least be sincerely, consistently and powerfully evangelistic, because it is out of new converts that he will begin churches. He isn’t only a teacher, because there is such a person as a teacher that God has given to the churches. But he is no less than a very…
A Tale About Choosing a Church
Stu and his family had just moved to a new city. His company transferred him unexpectedly, so he either had to relocate or find another job. He chose to go, but had little time to research good churches before they arrived. Thankfully, he knew a couple of websites that pointed them toward gospel-believing churches in the area. They decided to visit two. The First Church The “new family in town” first attended the larger of the churches. The greeters at…
Little Ones Perishing: Don’t Miss the Meaning
What do these verses mean? What do you think? If any man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go and search for the one that is straying? If it turns out that he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray. So it is not the will of your Father who is in…
Witness of the Spirit
“The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God . . .” Romans 8:16 This “witness” which leads to assurance that we are in God’s family is not a direct or immediate feeling or sense that we are God’s children—some inner confidence that may be entirely misplaced by being based on nothing but the notion itself. The believer will not say merely, “I know that I know that I know.” In fact, having confidence in…
God’s Power in Kingdom Advance: How This Reality Speaks to Us Today
God’s kingdom advances because he is powerful. When the gospel came to Philippi (Acts 16:11-40), this was true in multiple ways. First, in Lydia’s conversion, “the Lord opened her heart” to believe (16:14). Second, the Lord overcame an onslaught of persecution. For many days, a demon-possessed slave girl interrupted Paul’s preaching, but then he cast the demon out “in the name of Jesus Christ.” And then, once Paul was put in jail, the Lord sent an earthquake leading to the…
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…