Seeking the greatest blessing We all know the joy a gift can bring. Children sometimes make gift lists (one of our sons once helpfully divided his list into “reasonable” and “unreasonable”) in the hopes of things to come. As we grow, our idea of the perfect gift grows with us. At some point, however, we […]
“… when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away.” In the early stages of church history, as recorded in the Acts, the ministry of the apostles was accredited by accompanying supernatural demonstrations of power—the dispensing of healing, speaking in tongues, etc.—as the Holy Spirit continued the work that the Lord Jesus had begun […]
Sense out of confusion The gift of tongues is one of the most controversial and misunderstood gifts found in the New Testament. We are first introduced to this gift in Acts 2, where it says, “And they [the disciples] were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the […]
What are spiritual gifts? They are not: • natural talents • secular skills • evidences of spirituality but they are: • the God-given ability to serve Him in a particular way – Rom. 12; 1 Cor. 12 • manifestations of Christ’s character • the permanent gifts all reflect various aspects of the normal Christian life […]
What does perfection look like? In Mark 7:37, the multitude praised the Lord Jesus with these words: “He hath done all things well,” and they were right. But I wonder if we spend much time thinking about what those words mean. Our Lord never did anything half-heartedly or second rate. He is the master worker, […]
Unintelligent design? Is it possible to make life from scratch using just its raw materials? After all, living and non-living things are made from the same atoms and elements— they differ only in the quantities and arrangements of those atoms. A recent History Channel (THC) program called “How Life Began” leaves the impression that life […]
Four words and four principles. There are in the New Testament four words that describe the gifts God has given to the church. First of all, they are called “spiritual gifts,” reminding us that they are given by the Spirit of God and can only be used rightly in the spiritual realm. They are called […]
Whose gift is it anyway? “Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night stays these courageous couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.” Though Herodotus wrote these familiar words some 2500 years ago, it wasn’t until 1912—when they were inscribed above the entrance to the New York City General Post Office—that […]
Finding a focus Once upon a time, two friends were building their houses on adjacent lots. One house made good progress, but the other seemed to struggle. Concerned for his friend, the man whose house was now getting its roof put on made a visit next door. When he asked how things were going, […]