All Posts (Page 21)

All Posts (Page 21)

Proclaiming Christ in the Communist White House: A Letter from Jim

Ron Owens shares our experiences in Slovakia just after the Velvet Revolution. We had planned the trip when Communists were in charge, but everything changed, and we were privileged to be among the first Christian leaders in 42 years to openly proclaim Christ in theaters and meeting halls wherever we went. Read about our experiences in “The Communist White House.” I still am amazed when I recall those days. Thanks, Ron, for reminding me of that beautiful time. I think…

The Atheist’s Nagging Knowledge: A Letter from Jim

I stood before Michelangelo’s David in Florence, Italy. No one questioned that an artist had sculpted this magnificent piece of Renaissance art. It was the work of a genius. Yet, in the same room, no doubt, there were persons called “atheists” who would deny that a greater Artist was also necessary to create the original David that Michelangelo attempted to imitate.  The true David, like other creations of God, was far more difficult to make than what Michelangelo crafted out of stone.…

Muller on Finding God’s Will: A Letter from Jim

Dear CCW family, George Muller and I are old friends. My first serious look into his life came from a book from my father’s library which I read in College, Pierson’s George Muller of Bristol. I can distinctly remember where I sat and how I felt while reading those chapters. I thought, “I would like to live a life like this.”  Since those days, I’ve had many encounters with the kind old Muller. His life and words have guided me over…

Memories of Apartheid

Years ago in what was then called a “Colored Township” in Capetown, South Africa, I wondered at the hatred that caused that circular black burn mark on the street close to the front door of the gentle believers who had opened their hearts and home to me. What causes a person to “necklace” another with a flaming tire? In those days of both Apartheid and tribal strife, nerves were strained. Many mornings in that enchanting country we awoke to read…

Note to Bible Readers: “I Married an Ugly Man!”

Suppose you were a mail order bride from another country. You dream about what kind of husband this foreign man will be as you take the boat across the ocean. When you first set your eyes on him, you’re disappointed. He’s ugly! But the contract is signed and as he throws your bag on to the carriage, you have your first realization that, in fact, he’s a kind man and really wants the best for you. As you travel down…

The Role of Timothy and Titus: Apostolic Representatives, Not Pastors

I sometimes hear respected Bible teachers refer to Timothy as the pastor of the church in Ephesus. One of my favorite expositors also refers to Titus as the pastor on the island of Crete. But were Timothy and Titus really pastors? Pastor Titus? Titus is never mentioned in Acts, but his name is found often in Paul’s letters. After Paul was released from his first Roman imprisonment (at the end of Acts, around A.D. 62), he ministered with Titus on…

The Riots: What’s Obvious

What has become obvious in the riots is that the old evolutionary hope in the innate goodness of mankind and its gradual improvement over time is entirely unfounded, just as the Bible states, and that there is no answer therefore except in Christ who was sent to us to deliver us— again, just as he has said. We should not hold any vestige of remaining hope in religious rituals to save us, or yet other social constructs or programs but…

He Leads for His Sake

Part of our problem with God in the midst of difficulty is that we continue believing that our lives are all about us. And when we turn inwardly, becoming preoccupied with self, we quickly spiral into fear and anxiety. But, Psalm 23:3 says, “He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” Here, the Lord frees us from our deadly self-centered trajectory though the reminder that God’s work in our lives is for his name’s sake. Your present…

From My Isolation: Two Questions Concerning COVID-19

Everybody is talking about it. I can’t stop thinking about it. I am writing this from my bedroom where I’ve been self-isolated, separated from my wife and child for four days, due to certain symptoms. The existence, spread, and devastating effects of COVID-19 over the last couple months are causing many people to ask a lot of questions.  The first question is, “Where is God in all of this?” The short answer is: where He’s always been. God is currently…

What About Untimely Death?

If God works all things according to the good of those who love Him (Rom 8:28), why do some believers suffer and die? It is helpful to remember when answering hard questions like this that it is always gain for a Christian to die (Phil 1:21). God will sometimes override the good thing of temporal provision to bring the better thing of going to be with him (Phil 1:23). This is not a surprise, even for the Christian, because no…

God’s Continuing Provision: A Letter From Jim

I recently saw the photo below with the caption, “Online Dating in the 1930s.” You’ve got to laugh at that! But this photo also reminds me about what is NOT true for our ministry and our CCW team. We are NOT just hanging on provisionally, or in any other way. And that doesn’t mean we haven’t had a lot of last-minute deliverances, but something much more profound. Let me explain. Pam and I just finished reading through Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual…

The Surpassing Worth of KNOWING Christ

Most do not understand the implications and ramifications of KNOWING Christ. It has a comparative value. Notice what one like Paul will forfeit to know Christ. I’m quoting only part of the long sentence, but it conveys what I want you to see: “But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered…

What About Your Relatives? : A Letter from Jim

For many of us, the Christmas/New Year season is a time not only to think about Jesus’ incarnation but also to enjoy our relatives and friends. Perhaps we see them only at this time of the year. Some time ago I wrote this short article to guide us about speaking the gospel to those relatives we love. Take a few moments to ponder these ideas: What About Your Relatives? In the New Testament, we find new believers confronting their own…

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…

The Old Ways: A Letter From Jim

The old ways. Do we want them? Some of you are older (though I’m glad that hasn’t happened to me). And all of you are older this year than you were last. Was it better before? Do we have the right perspective about the way it used to be? There is something charming about what things were like before smartphones and social media and so much public anger…..the pace of life, the emphasis on relationships, the steadiness of it all. …