Articles
Leaving the Work Undone
One of the saddest notes in biblical history is found in the book of Joshua. The children of Israel were coming into the land that had been promised to them after 40 years of wandering in the wilderness. God had set everything up. He put dread into the heart of the people in the land, His usual pre-war tactic. He provided an able leader, Joshua. And He promised, and God’s promise is always enough. It was as good as done.…
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…
Power Implies Authority; Authority Demands Obedience (by Rod McDonald)
Jesus demonstrated unusual power. It astonished people. It was evident in his making the blind see, raising the dead, healing the lame, and so much more. Multitudes came to him from great distances, and he sometimes healed them all. Dismiss the Bible as the Word of God and regard it merely as a historical record, and the fact cannot be denied: Jesus performed miracles. Some who witnessed this power were merely entertained. Others sought to get something from Jesus. But…
After Camp, or the Conference, or the Retreat, is Over
There is a spiritual “high” that is often experienced toward the end of a church camp, retreat, or conference. A few days of solid Bible teaching, intentional fellowship, and extended personal time with the Lord has a way of making a believer’s heart full. “I wish I felt like this all of the time!” the Christian might say. But you won’t. You’re soon back home experiencing life as it was before you left. Work. House maintenance. Parenting. Appointments. Practices. Bills.…
In the Dining Area
There was a man I met Friday at a grocery store dining area. It was breakfast time. I was meeting my friend there instead of Chik-fil-A where we usually meet on Fridays because his car was being inspected close by. This man strangely sat down right next to us where he could hear everything we would say as we talked through a Bible passage. That seemed strange to me since every other seat in the place was available to him.…
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…
Worth A Lot of Sparrows
Are not five sparrows sold for two cents? And yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear; you are worth more than many sparrows. Luke 12:6-7 At two cents per five sparrows, one dollar’s worth would buy two hundred and fifty of them. Imagine that! I once saw a stack of chicken heads in a Bolivian marketplace numbering about that many, all staring one way, eyes…
The Body: Important to God
What an alarming statement from God to Adam is found in Genesis 3: “You are dust and to dust you shall return.” That was for Adam, yes, but also you, his progeny, for it is affirmed throughout Scripture, and with ample imperative data. This is a succinct statement, arresting and unambiguous. You are not going to escape this fact. Your body is an arrangement of dust particles that will disassemble into dust again, and further, into whatever components that dust…
Jacob Saw Him
Jacob, on his flight to Paddam-Aram, had a dream of a ladder leading to heaven with the Lord at the top and angels descending and ascending. This took place at what he would call Bethel, or “house of God.” “And behold, the Lord stood above it and said…” is a phrase which indicates that he was actually speaking with the preincaranate Christ. That it was the preincarnate Christ that Jacob saw that night is made clear later when Jesus met…
Instantly Better Meetings for Small (and All) Churches
When my parents were first married, they started looking for a church to attend. They told me about an experience they had at a particular church “in town.” It was a smaller congregation (perhaps 30-40 people). Upon arrival, nobody greeted them. They then sat through the uninspiring service. If I’m remembering correctly, they were mostly alone on a pew. Perhaps there was an older couple way down at the end. People were quiet throughout the meeting. Everyone was then very…
The Past Symbology and the Present Glory
“Those twelve stones which they had taken from the Jordan, Joshua set up at Gilgal. “He said to the sons of Israel, ‘When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, “What are these stones?” then you shall inform your children, saying, “Israel crossed this Jordan on dry ground. For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed, just as the Lord your God had done to the Red…
Understanding God – "Basic Truth" series, #2
How does the Bible describe God? God is Perfect We might describe our mother as “a good person.” We might say that an honest judge is “a just man.” But only God is perfectly good and perfectly just. All human beings, even those we admire and trust, are, by nature, imperfect, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). But “As for God,” David writes in Psalm 18:30, “His way is perfect.” God is…
SBC Recovery
The SBC must recover a high view of the meaning of conversion and membership, and must bring back or expel non-attenders through a loving and thoughtful process. We must pursue the doctrinal understanding and biblical practices necessary to overcome the remaining membership bloat, and the ongoing increase of unregenerate membership. We have much to be thankful for—for instance, the quality and training of young leaders is the best I remember it. Yet, we must address unregenerate membership—or we die. It’s…
Rational Forgiveness
According to the ESV calculation for a talent (“a monetary unit worth about 20 years wages for a laborer”), the master in Jesus Mt 18 parable forgave a debt of ten thousand talents equal to 200,000 years of labor, which is equal to 73,000,000 days of labor. The forgiven man however would not forgive a debt owed him worth 100 days of labor (100 denarii) which is 730,000 times less that he was forgiven. Jesus intends for his listeners to…
The Whining Christian Schooled by Paul
Amazingly, the Apostle Paul seemed never to have worn the mantle of victimhood as a redeemed man, regardless of the physical suffering or social condemnation he experienced. It was antithetical to his “in Christ” perspective. He would not be put to shame as a person for whom Christ had died, risen, and ascended. He had it all! He could enumerate his insults and beatings to instruct, sure, but he wore them like a badge of honor. To suffer for Christ…
Closing With Christ: Rethinking What Has Become Sacrosanct
[This is an article written many years ago now, but still useful for many of us. My tone was fairly strong because of the urgency I felt. I still hope it stirs us up. Thank you for reading it.] When modern evangelical churches seek to bring the unregenerate to Christ (and they should do so with passion), they often fall prey to a formula which produces disappointing results. The pattern runs something like this: Extending a public altar call Praying…