Articles

Articles

Peace, or Division, on Earth?

Relationship conflict is stressful. I don’t like it at all. But according to Jesus, his followers are not always going to be at peace with others. This is how he put it. Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. For from now on in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against…

Some Comments on the Wretched Man in Romans 7

Romans 7:13-25 is a difficult passage, but many concerns vanish when chapters 6 and 7 are analyzed together. Four questions are answered that arise in the Jewish mind related to grace and Law (Rom 5:20-21). This is in a section principally addressed to Jew-born believers, but not without benefits for the Gentile believer. Each of the questions are answered by “absolutely not!”. Here they are: 1. Are we to continue in sin that grace may increase? Absolutely not!….Paul uses the…

Cremation or Burial? (with “Reducing the Cost of Funerals”)

There is no sin in cremation, that is for sure. And there is no inability on God’s part to raise a cremated body from the dead. But is cremation, a practice most often seen in Eastern religions, the best for the believer in Christ? It is clarifying to note that burial was God’s preferred method of disposing of the body of Moses. God had the power to cremate Moses’ body on the spot, but rather, this gentle and loving phrase…

One Another Commands: the Heart of Christian Fellowship

Be at peace with one another. Mk. 9:50Wash one another’s feet. Jn. 13:14Love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. Jn. 13:34Love one another with brotherly affection. Rom. 12:10Outdo one another in showing honor. Rom. 12:10Live in harmony with one another. Rom. 12:16Welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you. Rom. 15:7Greet one another with a holy kiss. Rom 16:16, 2 Cor. 13:12Wait for one another. 1 Cor. 11:33Comfort one another, agree…

A Different Style of Evangelist: Laborers on the Loose

The disparity between what Christ and Paul did in evangelism and what we do, at least in the West, is dramatic. Let me explain a few of those differences: 1. The first radical departure from Jesus and Paul is our concept of time-specific, meeting-oriented evangelism. You will read in vain in the New Testament to find so many days of evangelistic preaching scheduled for Jesus or Paul and conducted at 7 p.m. in a certain location. You do not find…

The Staying Power of Mental Images

I will only use a short section of Matthew to illustrate the way John the Baptist spoke, which was characteristic of the prophets before him and of Jesus as well as Paul, and almost every other writer or speaker in the Bible. There is something to learn here from him about speech that is crafted to be remembered. Almost all you will memorize and quote supports this proposition: literary images are retained in the mind when mere argument is too…

CCW Bible Intensives: Consider Taking a Group Deep-Dive into the Word of God

In 2012, CCW began to lead what we have called “Bible Intensives.” The idea came as a convergence of new personal experiences in the Scriptures. It was the result of much soul-searching about how to effectively involve other believers in a powerful and mutually stimulating experience with the Bible that would last. The aim was to see people at all stages of Bible knowledge and skill encounter a new level of experience with the word. What is a Bible Intensive…

How to Find a Wife

The proverb says, “He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord” (Prov. 18:22). But wisdom also tells us that one should seek this blessing from the Lord at the appropriate time and in a godly way. Many Christians enter the dating scene while they are still in their teens. This practice is fully endorsed, and even expected, by a society that holds a completely inadequate understanding of what it actually means for a…

The Law of Love: New Covenant Primacy

The Law of Moses and the Prophet’s admonitions are all fulfilled in the law of love. “Treat others the way you would have them treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets” (Mt. 7:12). The New Covenant responsibility for the believer is similar: “Bear one another’s burdens and thereby fulfill the law of Christ” (Gal 6:2). Or, put another way, “Do not look out for your own personal interests, but for the interests of others” (Phil 2:4). Love…

But I Don’t Feel Thankful

“But I don’t feel thankful.” I can hear this perfectly logical complaint coming from my kids when I make them say “Thank you” for some act of kindness done toward them. Should we really act grateful when we are not? But perhaps the better question is, “How could we be so blind to all that God has done that we would ever be ungrateful?” When the Pilgrims ate the first Thanksgiving meal in 1621, they were being thankful even though…

What a Person With Intellectual Disabilities Needs Above All

Over sixteen years ago, I was in our unfinished basement, painting the concrete floor. The door at the top of the steps opened, and my wife came down the stairs with a look that said, “Our lives are going to be different now.” The diagnosis was in. Our baby girl had a genetic disorder (Williams Syndrome) in which chromosome seven lacks over twenty genes that would normally be there. The result? Intellectual, physical, and learning disabilities. (The term “disability” captures…

What About the Relatives?

For many of us, the Thanksgiving/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: Can you find Jimmy in this photo? Some of you may see Tommy and Billy,…

What It Means To Love Christ

Do you love Christ? Let’s start to answer that question by asking another: Is love something you feel, or something you do? Love is undoubtedly seen in action, even when feelings are fugitive. We all believe we should obey the Lord even if our heart is not necessarily warm toward him. Surely we are living in love when we rule against our negative emotions in order to obey. A missionary says he loves Christ as he goes to serve others,…

My First Unmistakable Answer to Prayer

My first clear and dramatic answer to prayer came in the early years of my ministry life. I was a college student at Ouachita Baptist University, attempting to pastor my first church in Washington, Arkansas, the historic Civil War capital of Arkansas. There were four hundred people in this town which is now a beautiful State park. Shortly after I began pastoring I read a small book in my dorm room called The Power of Positive Praying by John Bisagno,…

The Cross: the Character of Our Christianity

The cross is the character of Christianity. As the self-appointed spokesman for Jesus’ handpicked coterie, Peter says the right thing at the right time: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” But Peter cannot leave good enough alone. As Jesus goes on to explain for the first time that He will go to Jerusalem, suffer, die, and be raised again, Peter rebukes Him for such an outlandish notion. “Never! Not you! God forbid it, Lord!” Within moments…