A Bad Example (Jeremiah 34)
The OT is full of examples to follow and examples to avoid. Paul says that we can learn from those examples (1 Cor 10:6). In a recent study on Jeremiah, I found that the book gives a bad example in one chapter, followed by a good example in the next. In this blog, I will […]
This Gospel Shall Be Preached to the Whole World (Matthew 24:14)
“And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14). The other day a friend asked if I thought that this verse shows that the Rapture is very soon. He said that studies show that every people […]
When Bad News Is Good (Jeremiah 30–33)
When you read commentaries on the book of Jeremiah, chapters 30–33 are often called the Book of Consolation. This is because those chapters contain really good news for the Jews. They talk about when Christ will return, set up His kingdom, give them a new covenant, and gather them from all the nations of the […]
“What Would Be Good News to These People?”
The September 2022 issue of Christianity Today (CT) has an interview with an author, Justin Ariel Bailey, who wrote a book about engaging with theology and culture. The title of the interview, which is also the title of this blog, was drawn from Bailey’s answer to the question, “How can a deeper understanding of culture […]
Taking Part in a Circular Firing Squad (Acts 23:6-9)
The phrase a circular firing squad can be used in a humorous way. It describes a situation where people are attacking a common target, but wind up attacking themselves. When they miss the target in the middle of the circle, they are shooting each other. But the phrase can also be a warning. A person […]
Clarifying the View That Catholics, Orthodox, and Works Salvation People Are ALL Saved According to Some in Free Grace Circles
In a recent blog I wrote that some in FG circles “suggest that Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, and works salvation Protestants are all born again” (see here). Two speakers in a podcast jumped on the word all in that sentence. They thought that I was saying that some in FG circles teach that 100% of […]
Do Not Abide in the Darkness
In 1875, a beautiful, young woman named Blanche Monnier from Poitiers, France, was engaged to be married. She was from a wealthy family, but her fiancé was not. Her mother did not approve of the man she chose to be her future husband. All of a sudden, she went missing. Her fiancé did not know […]
Hananiah Bites the Dust (Jeremiah 28:13, 17)
[The Lord told Jeremiah], “Go and tell Hananiah, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD: “You have broken the yokes of wood, but you have made in their place yokes of iron”’”…So Hananiah the prophet died the same year in the seventh month (Jer 28:13, 17). We live in a day when many believers do not think […]
What Is the Free Grace View of Saving Faith?
Faith is just that. Faith. In fact, that is the title of the second chapter of Zane Hodges’s book, Absolutely Free: “Faith Means Just That—Faith.” Believing in Jesus for everlasting life is not some special kind of faith. It is simply being persuaded that He guarantees everlasting life to all who believe in Him for […]
Six Hundred Years of Fear (John 4:14)
Recently GES held a regional conference in Tallahassee, FL. The audience was made up of primarily Spanish speaking people, although most were bilingual. One of the speakers was a local Spanish speaking pastor, Dr. Marino Martinez. He spoke about the history of Christianity in Spanish speaking, primarily Latin American, countries. He gave a good overview […]