The Word x 2 The Lord Jesus used both water and seed as illustrations of the germinating and life-giving power of the Word. How do these work together? “As the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and returns not thither, but waters the earth, and makes it bring forth and bud, that it […]
Earth shall keep her Jubilee! Scripture generally refers to David as the king who exhibits most clearly the ideal features of that office. He was the shepherd king. God’s ideal was that, like a shepherd, the king in Israel should lead, feed, and protect the people, God’s flock. This triple role is seen perfectly in […]
Secret possessions of the New Testament church Up until a few years ago, if you had been invited to the home of the Carlisle family, you might have unwittingly held in your hands a fortune in the form of a small porcelain bowl. The Carlisles—descendents of the founders of the Pony Express—regularly used the bowl […]
Pastors were God’s idea. but we must understand what a biblical pastor does. Anyone who fellowships in a New Testament church with a plurality of elders will face this question sooner or later, often from a well-meaning fellow Christian, “Who is your Pastor?” Part of the equipping of the saints referred to in Ephesians 4:12 […]
The church, like the tabernacle of old, may make a poor impression–until you enter in. Recently, I toured the Canadian headquarters of a company that a friend of mine works for. The complex was impressive, inside and out—intentionally so. The company had spent several million dollars on the lobby alone. Overall, a tremendous amount of […]
Restoration and revival As previously noted, Zerubbabel was primarily concerned with laying the foundations. There were certain priorities that were critical to re-establishing the nation before God, and Zerubbabel concentrated on the altar and the temple. Spiritual revival under Zerubbabel The altar All spiritual revival must begin at the altar. We are a holy priesthood […]
There are relationships based on God’s abounding grace. These words should be very precious to us for they expose the depths of His love for those whom He redeemed with His own blood, and they expound the great blessing into which He has brought us. Notice how He addresses His own. We are, He says, […]
How can we help? A few months ago, I e-mailed several missionaries asking for their ideas about assembly support of missionaries. Their ages ranged from missionaries in their first year of service to one sister in her 90’s. I received 47 pieces of e-mail in response. This is a summary of some of their suggestions. […]
An act of love? Who are we to judge? Isn’t love the prevailing rule of the day? It may surprise some that, in the Bible, church discipline was commanded by Christ (Mt. 18:15-18), demonstrated by apostolic practice (1 Tim. 1:20), and revealed as an inspired precept in God’s Word (1 Cor. 5:11). Levels of discipline […]