CHRIST the AUTHOR of ETERNAL SALVATION (Heb 5:9): General William Booth (1829-1912), founder of the Salvation Army, looked into the future and warned what he saw as the dangers ahead: “1. Christianity without Christ; 2. Religion without the Holy Spirit; 3. Forgiveness without Regeneration; 4. Morality without God; and 5. preaching Heaven without Hell.” What […]
“Establish Your word to Your servant, who is devoted to fearing You” (Ps 119:38). Or to put it another way, “Lord, fulfill the promises You have made to me.” The other side of the equation, of course, is that I have devoted myself to taking the Lord seriously. There is no question on His part […]
No one can calculate the suffering and death that swept through Angola during its 27-year civil war, as forces from around the world battled for control of that country’s natural resources. It is estimated that 1.5 million died, many of them believers. Church elders were systematically killed to destabilize the communities. One missionary who returned […]
CHRIST our PLACE PREPARER: “I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (Jn 14:2-3). Archie Naismith tells the story of a faithful witness who was on a […]
“Praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word” (Col 4:3). Ever feel like your attempts at speaking to others about the Lord are like banging your head against the wall? I think I can almost hear the Master saying, “Would you be interested in knowing where the door […]
George Goodman writes: An appeal should only be made when the Spirit has evidently been convicting the hearers, and then in such sober and wise terms as will leave no doubt as to the step to be taken. We are not without precedent in Scripture. Perhaps the appeal par excellence is, “Now then, we are […]
Imagine a Canadian, living in the U.S., but visiting in Northern Ireland. There he is invited by a stranger into his home in a city across the border in the Republic of Ireland, to speak to a roomful of people whose hearts are also open to hear God’s Word. How does this happen? Who opened […]
The antagonists talked down to the workers. The workers talked up to God—then kept on working. What are the entryways into God’s blessing? 1. Salvation at the Sheep Gate. 2. Testimony at the Fish Gate. 3. Obedience at the Old Gate. 4. Humility at the Valley Gate. 5. Confession at the Refuse Gate. 6. Filling […]
CHRIST the BEGINNING: In John 1:1, the Lord Jesus is spoken of as “In the beginning.” This chapter declares Him as the Eternal God, for before any created thing—all of which He made (v 3)—He existed. In 1 John 1:1, He is “from the beginning.” Go back as far as the mind can conceive. Beyond […]