Right now, as we gather without fear to celebrate the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, many are suffering for their faith in Christ. They may be deprived, tortured, and may face execution for Christ’s sake. Historians record that during the Dark Ages (A.D. 400-1600) about 50 million Christians died for their faith in Christ. […]
Dale Carnegie [an American writer] visited Yellowstone Park where he saw a grizzly bear. The huge animal was in the center of a clearing, feeding on some discarded camp food. For several minutes he feasted alone—no other creature dared draw near. After a few moments a skunk walked through the meadow toward the food and […]
In the business world, people advertise seeking to create need, have sales, use visual and audible appeal, and even stoop to deception to motivate people to buy their goods. Obviously, not all motivation is good. In the book of Philemon, the Apostle Paul sought to motivate Philemon to reconcile with his runaway slave Onesimus. Whether […]
The epistle of Philemon is the shortest of Paul’s fourteen letters. Though his letters to Timothy were a bit personal, they instructed him in the ministry. Philemon, on the other hand, is a very personal letter, written to Paul’s friend Philemon. Paul wrote this epistle while a prisoner in Rome, likely about 62 A.D. Several […]
Read 1 Peter 5:1-9. Peter addressed this section particularly to elders or pastors. Pastors are to be shepherds, protecting their flock from danger. However, verses 5-9 also have a personal application for every Christian. In verses 8-9, Peter gives commands concerning our enemy, the devil. He and his countless demons are constantly trying to defeat […]
Many Charismatic churches seem to overemphasise the Holy Spirit. In contrast, most Independent Baptist churches underemphasize the Holy Spirit. He is rarely mentioned other than in doctrinal lessons. Perhaps that is the reason I was attracted to the phrase “praying in the Holy Ghost” as I read the book of Jude several weeks ago. It […]
The year was 34 A.D. Philip, one of the deacons of the new church in Jerusalem, fled to Samaria during the persecution led by Saul of Tarsus. There he preached the Gospel and God gave them a great revival. However, in the midst of that revival, the angel of the Lord sent Philip to a […]
For years, David fled from King Saul. Saul was jealous of him and desired to kill David. David fled from one hiding place in the mountains to another, in constant danger as people reported his presence to the king. On one occasion, David made an unwise decision to flee to Achish, the king of the […]
There are many things in this life that we are unable to do. We just do not have the ability. We cannot flap our arms and fly. We cannot jump like a kangaroo. We cannot be in two places at once. We cannot defy gravity. We cannot even solve all our problems. None of this […]
Adoption is a wonderful thing. It allows a parentless or unwanted child to become the legal child of a couple. Adoption does not take place without a sincere desire on the part of the new parents. Read Ephesians 1:5. God has adopted believers into His family. As special as physical adoption is to an abandoned […]