All Posts (Page 23)
Giving Up Our Rights
Consider the formula: Giving up rights = Gospel advancement. Rights are those preferences and freedoms we enjoy as Christians related to what we eat, drink and enjoy and even some things that we are owed or deserve. To us in the West, willingly giving these up is an uncomfortable concept. However, in 1 Corinthians 9 we discover that Paul’s main method of evangelistic ministry was focused upon giving up his rights. Three are mentioned explicitly: the right to get married…
A Letter from Jim | April 2018
I’ve just been 12 feet from a very loud business consultant, whose confident speech was nearly deafening. He had made money and was pushy and totally sure of himself as he told his subordinate just how to do it. I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone so brash as this man. Frankly it turned my stomach. I realize that most people of the world live for themselves, but at least many of them try to “appear” humble. This man had…
Questions for a Prospective Pastor
It is not uncommon for a pastor to be opposed by the very people who at first enthusiastically promoted him. Why? Often it is because only surface communication took place between the potential pastor and the congregation before he assumed his position in the church. In our day it is possible for a pastor to be chosen for a church with almost no serious questions being asked, much less any doctrinal questions. This should never be the case. We suggest…
Taxes and the Day of Salvation
That dreaded day is upon us again, April 15th. When our American fathers stormed the Boston docks, threw out the British tea, and cried, “No taxation without representation,” they could not possibly have imagined what freedom from our mother country would bring. Untold treasure and opportunity, true. But we also have incurred the privilege of paying now over 50% of our income in taxes of an alarming variety. You work half of the year just to do that. Many of…
A Letter from Jim | March 2018
First, A Story to Ponder There were thirteen trumpets in a row on the porch. The lady came alone. She still had the choice to keep the two small copper coins in her hand. She slowly walked across the Court of the Women. Then she paused close to the colonnade watching certain religious leaders step around and past her to make their offering. She felt pensive but determined. She had so little to give compared to them; she only had…
As It Is In All the World
“. . .the gospel which has come to you, just as in all the world also it is constantly bearing fruit and increasing, even as it has been doing in you also since the day you heard of it and understood the grace of God in truth; just as you learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow bond-servant, who is a faithful servant of Christ on our behalf. . .” Colossians 1:5-7 This describes how the gospel came to the people of the city of Colossae. They…
A Letter From Jim | February 2018
I just got off Skype with a pastor in Colorado who has been studying Galatians with me. We’ve had several weeks of study, marking the text in our notebooks, reading and re-reading together and separately, sectioning the book, and discussing the major themes and minor conundrums. We tried to understand everything. We worked about an hour and a half today, and it was pure joy! God is unveiling potent truths in this amazing book. That pastor assured me that he…
A Letter from Jim | January 2018
Dear CCW family, I hope you will take some time to look over the collage of photos in this letter. We can’t begin to show even one photo from each of our ministry experiences this last year, but we wanted you to see some. What a year! Our team spoke hundreds of times in the US and several venues overseas, such as Canada, India, South Africa, Zambia, Colombia (2x), Ethiopia, and Peru. Now we are working on 2018, filling in…
Culture is the Backdrop for the Real Story
Christians, God is infinitely more concerned about the heart, faith, behavior and unity of true believers in our country than the politics, economics, social trends, racial tensions, sexual downgrade, and international relations of the country. But that does not mean these things have no meaning or present no concern at all. We learn about this priority of God for the true church above culture from examining the emphasis of the New Testament during the time when Christianity was not conjoined…
Rebuilding Our Churches with Bible Reading
I’m no prophet, but I believe we may soon see a swelling interest in reading the Bible both together & alone that could rebuild our faltering churches, and improve the good ones. My information is purely anecdotal but substantial. I’m certainly not the only one seeing this tremendous need and trying to do something about it. Perhaps God will use each of us who care about this to repair the crumbling base in these slanderous, corrupt and morally compromised days.…
A Letter From Jim | December 2017
Dear CCW Family, Please take a good look above. This is our main CCW “communicators” team — Jim Elliff (and Pam with Laura. Benjamin and Bryan not pictured), Steve Burchett (and Patty with Katie, Luke and Lilly), Kole Farney (and Rachel with Karter and Russell) and Bryan Elliff (and Joey with Lucas and Zion). Behind these there are several other workers and board members who help us to do our work in strategic ways. Thanks for praying for us, encouraging…
What Does it Mean to Believe in Christ?
To believe in Christ is to whole-heartedly, with mind and life, buy into the supreme value and status of Christ along with the system of truth and way of life He represents. Trust, or faith in Him, who has alone done what is necessary for our forgiveness and complete salvation now and forever, is a main tenet of that system. If a person says he believes in Christ, yet does not demonstrate that he has bought in fully through his…