God gives us three views of Church truth, as we shall see in our study of the seven church letters. First, they were seven literal churches at the time when John wrote. Second, they show us conditions that exist at any point in history. Third, the word “mystery” would lead us to see the main […]
From the silence to Smyrna, just one word, one gleam of light, is given: “But thou art rich.” It is as though He bent over them and whispered the great truth. Smyrna counts thee poor. I count thee rich. The blasphemy of the Jews and the persecution of pagans have robbed thee of everything, but […]
A spiritual disease of Latitudinarianism prevails among the saints today, even among those who in the past have maintained the truth of God. This name emerged in the 17th and 18th Centuries within the Church of England, when certain religious leaders tended to minimize Christian doctrines. Its continuance to the l9th Century produced a liberal […]
If for no other reason than that he was a close friend to so many outstanding Christians, we should want to meet a man like William Hake (1795-1890). Hake certainly never flourished in a steady beam of limelight. His self-effacing manner has deflected the attention from him, so that he appeared as a wallflower alongside […]
In the prophetic outline of church history given us in chapters 2 and 3 of the Revelation, we see that after the Protestant apostasy depicted in the message to Sardis, it was said to Philadelphia: “Behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it.” In the nineteenth century many […]
The epistle to the Laodiceans is not pure reproof. Against the backdrop of dismal decline the Lord proffers two superlative promises to individuals. Laodicea was about 15 miles north by northwest of Colosse, and the two churches received and interchanged Paul’s letters. Colossians contains the apex of the apostle’s teaching on the Person of Christ, […]
The young groom fidgets nervously in the anteroom, supported by his best man. Butterflies practice aerobatics in his stomach and a trip hammer works overtime in his ears. He thinks he can hardly stand another minute of this heart palpitation, this perspiration running in rivulets down his back, when the door opens: “It’s time,” says […]
Faithfulness produces both blessing and suffering. We all like blessing but tend to avoid suffering. Yet we cannot have one without the other. Proverbs 28:20 says, “A faithful man shall abound with blessings.” A good example of this is Abraham who was blessed by God and was in turn made a blessing to the world. […]
There were some groups conspicuous by their absence from the list of creditors, and others embarrassingly included. When the “double your money in six months” Foundation for New Era Philanthropy filed for bankruptcy on May 15, they listed $551 million in liabilities and $80 million in assets. Much of the money came from well-meaning donors […]