Rewards, Rewards, Rewards
If you follow the ministry of GES, you know that we emphasize the importance of rewards in the world to come. Works have no part at all in receiving the gift of eternal life. That is given by faith in Christ alone. But our works will be rewarded when Christ comes. All believers will be […]
Sitting on the Front Row (Luke 6:17-19)
In Luke 6:20, the Lord begins the Sermon on the Plain, a message that deals with discipleship. It is not an evangelistic message. We might say that it instructs believers in how to be great in Christ’s kingdom. Those who are great in His kingdom will be closer to Him in that day. They are […]
Why We Should Tell Everybody about the Bema
I’ve been heading GES for nearly forty years. At our summer board meeting each year, the board evaluates me. To prepare for that judgment, I must do my job faithfully every day. If I lose sight of my evaluation, I will slacken in my efforts. That is human nature. But if I focus on my […]
Why Is There So Much Confusion about What It Means to Believe in Jesus Christ?
All Christian traditions share certain common beliefs, but there is tremendous disagreement regarding the most important issue: What does it mean to believe in Jesus Christ? There are many different ways various traditions understand what whoever believes in Him means. But they mostly come down to faith in Christ being some type of good works […]
If Your Country Isn’t Mentioned in the Bible, Does That Mean It Won’t Be in Jesus’ Kingdom?
I wrote a blog related to this question, which you can see here. I decided to follow up on it since more could be said. CARM (see here) lists thirty-three countries, but only sixteen are current. Those countries are Aram (Syria), Babylon and Mesopotamia (Iraq), Cappadocia (Turkey), Egypt, Ethiopia, Greece, India, Israel, Italy, Lebanon, Libya, […]
Putting on a Show
It was a photo that exuded love and devotion. It is easy to see why it won the Pulitzer Prize in 1973. Bob Stirm, an Air Force pilot, had returned to the US after five-and-a-half years as a POW in North Vietnam. Those years had been filled with torture and deprivation. The thought of being […]
The Red-Tailed Heresy
I was recently walking with my husband at our local state park when we heard an eagle cry out from the woods. My husband and his uncle, a zoologist, share a love for animals. This means I often get little nature lessons during our walks, and sure enough my husband proceeded to tell me a […]
Eschatological Rewards Are Everlasting, Not Merely Millennial
A little over thirty years ago, I heard Dr. Craig Blomberg present a paper at the national meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society. It was called “Degrees of Reward in the Kingdom of Heaven?” The paper was later published in the Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society. Dr. Blomberg argued that there won’t be degrees […]
Strange Bedfellows
During WWII, Hollywood did its part in helping the war effort. They produced movies that promoted patriotism and mocked the Japanese and Nazis. They also made pictures that extolled the greatness of our allies. One of the allies was the Soviet Union. Films that praised that communist country included Mission to Moscow, The North Star, […]
Do You Value the Lord’s Approval Above All Other?
“Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it…Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one […]