Is Failing to Act in Faith the Same as Acting in Unbelief?
Robert asked in an email: “In your Blog on 5/19/23, you said Ishmael wasn’t acting out of faith towards Isaac. Do you mean he was acting in unbelief?” I like that question. A lot. It is possible to act in a manner inconsistent with what we believe. That is not the same as acting in […]
What About Micaiah? (1 Kgs 22:1-28)
In any venture, everybody knows the name of the star. For example, Michael Jordan is considered by most basketball experts to be the greatest basketball player who ever lived. He played for the Chicago Bulls and won six championships. In the fictional world, Batman is a star. On numerous occasions he saved Gotham City from […]
Do You Know What the Scriptures Mean When They Talk about Money?
I’m scheduled to speak to a group of kids, ages five to twelve, at VBS. I’m speaking on the feeding of the 5,000 in John 6. I plan to ask them, “When Jesus’ disciples said it would take at least ‘two hundred denarii worth of bread’ to feed this huge crowd, how much money were […]
Do You Ever Admire a Smart Aleck? (1 Kings 18:27-29)
All of us have probably been told, by our parents or a teacher, that “Nobody likes a smart aleck.” I looked up the term’s definition online, and the definition seems to confirm what we’ve been told. A smart aleck is “someone whose sarcastic, wisecracking or humorous manner is delivered in an offensive, obnoxious, or cocky […]
Do You Recognize Subtle Attacks on the Bible When You Hear Them?
Have you ever heard this saying: “We are to worship God, not the Bible”? Or how about, “Don’t love the Bible, love God”? We can’t worship God without doing so in spirit and in truth (John 4:23). Since truth is found in God’s Word, our worship of God must involve the Bible. Of course, we […]
Laying Down Your Life (Acts 21:13)
One of the most interesting men of World War II was a high-ranking German officer named Henning von Tresckow. He came from a well-respected family, was obviously successful, and had a bright future in Germany. The war, however, changed everything. Tresckow saw the atrocities committed by the Nazi regime and became a die-hard opponent of […]
Why Do Many Pastors and Theologians Avoid John’s Gospel?
There are 2.38 billion professing Christians today. Of those, only about 200 million, or 9% of professing Christians, believe in eternal security apart from perseverance. The Gospel of John reports Jesus’ evangelistic teaching. John shows that Jesus taught that whoever believes in Him is eternally secure at the moment of faith, apart from perseverance. It […]
The Gospel of the Judgments of Christ, Part 2: The Unnamed Judgments
In Part 1, I discussed three judgments that will take place when the Lord returns: The Great White Throne Judgment (Rev 20:11-15); The Judgment Seat of Christ (1 Cor 3:12-15; 2 Cor 5:10; Rom 14:10); and The Judgment of the Sheep and the Goats (Matt 25:31-46). These three judgments are the easiest to identify because […]
The Gospel of the Judgments of Christ, Part 1: The Named Judgments
The image of Saint Peter standing at the pearly gates testing people in order to determine whether or not they enter heaven is iconic in Western culture. For years it has been perpetuated through jokes, television shows, and even cartoons such as The Far Side. The depiction of a long line of people waiting in […]
King Asa: An Encouraging Example (1 Kgs 15:9-24)
In the books of 1 and 2 Kings, a major area of emphasis is God’s blessing His people if they obey Him and cursing them if they don’t. This is true for the various kings as well. There were around forty of them, and most “did evil in the eyes of the Lord.” Only eight […]