Little Rita’s Prayer
by Arthur L. Farstad, originally published in the July 1990 edition of Grace in Focus In order to be effective a prayer needn’t be long or flowery. In fact, if it’s a public prayer it had better not be long–you might bore your human audience. It better not be too flowery either–you will turn […]
The Revelation of God
by Ken Yates God has revealed Himself to mankind in different ways. We know from Romans 2 that one way God has done that is through the conscience. Men and women in all cultures know that certain things are right and certain things are wrong. They know these things even if they often do not […]
What’s Your First Sentence in Evangelism?
by Bob Wilkin, Originally published in the September/October 2008 edition of Grace in Focus The First Thing You Say Is Vital Journalists are trained to put the heart of their story in the first paragraph. That initial paragraph is called the lead and it is considered vital that it draw the reader in and tell […]
Confession and Fellowship with God
Confession of sins is a vital element in the Christian’s walk with God. And no verse is more important in this regard than 1 John 1:9. In the following article excerpted from his commentary on 1-3 John, Zane has given us a wonderful explanation of this key verse. Editor. by Zane Hodges If we confess […]
Adopted into God’s Family: Romans 8:15-16
I remember when I was 12 years old and living in South Korea. At that time, Korea was a developing country and very poor. One day, a Christian missionary brought a boy my age to visit us. He was an orphan who lived in a cardboard box in the city of Teague. He ate dinner […]
Eternal Salvation in the Old Testament—The Salvation of Saul
by Zane C. Hodges, originally published in the May/June 1994 edition of Grace in Focus Paul stated a timeless truth when he wrote: Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.—Rom 3:20 Even under the law in the OT, […]
A Vast Difference: M. R. DeHaan on Salvation and Discipleship
By Shawn Lazar The vast majority of Christians believe you must be a disciple in order to be saved. They have it exactly backwards. You have to be saved in order to be a disciple. The problem with saying you must be a disciple in order to be saved is that it makes salvation depend […]
Undeserved Everlasting Life for Sinners and Undeserved Rejection for Jesus
by Brad Bell Different meanings of Dōrean Dōrean is an important NT word with two basic meanings: Freely Without cause These meanings are tied together in their basic sense. That which is “freely” given is given “without cause” in the recipient. It is thus free to the receiver of the gift. The related noun [dōrea]—gift […]
Suffering for Christ Leads to Glory
I have a pastor friend who has tattoos on each wrist. On one wrist he has the Greek word pathēma, which means suffering. On his other wrist he has the Greek word doxa, which means glory. I asked him about those tattoos. He told me they remind him that the degree to which he will […]
Reactive vs. Proactive
By Shawn Lazar A few months ago I was contemplating advertising in Charisma, the flagship magazine for the Pentecostal and Charismatic movement. Usually, that wouldn’t be the first venue to come to mind. But in this case, I thought it was appropriate. Bob had just published A Gospel of Doubt: The Legacy of John MacArthur’s […]