A Review of “Mom, I’m a Girl”
By Kathryn Wright Mom, I’m a Girl1 tells the story and lessons learned by a mother who lost her son to suicide at the age of 19. The son struggled with what is called transgenderism, though his counselors questioned that diagnosis. Glenney and her husband have been involved in Christian ministry their entire adult lives, […]
Purple Water Is Not Good
By Ken Yates INTRODUCTION Many years ago, I attended a summer camp for Boy Scouts near an Army post. It had a large swimming pool. The Army provided soldiers as lifeguards. These soldiers warned us about what would happen if we misused the pool water. They told us that the Army had put a chemical […]
Voice from the Past: Man’s Role in Conversion
By Zane Hodges* *This article originally appeared in the September-October 1993 issue of what was then the Grace in Focus newsletter. The answer to the jailer’s classic question, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” is still the same: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:30-31, italics added). […]
Are We Grateful?
By Ken Yates INTRODUCTION For nine days in August, I had the opportunity to conduct a pastors’ conference in Kenya. On the weekends, I was able to speak in three different churches. On one Saturday, I led a Bible study in which various smaller studies came together to discuss the parables of Christ. As you […]
What Would Jesus Say? The Seven Churches of Revelation: The Letter to Smyrna (Rev 2:8-11)
By Philippe Sterling PERSECUTED AND POOR, BUT RICH Have you ever been persecuted for your faith? Have you ever been put at a disadvantage because of your faith? Have others ever hated or shunned you because you were a believer? The example of the church at Smyrna alerts us to the possibility of being persecuted […]
Believers Need to Dress Well Because the King Is Coming Soon
By Lucas Kitchen I was in ministry in West Texas several years ago. We were about to begin a night worship service called Paradigm for college students when a man, probably homeless, walked into the church and sat down on the back pew. That was not that uncommon; what was uncommon was his attire… or […]
Uneducated and Untrained Men (Acts 4:13)
By Bob Wilkin Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus. –Acts 4:3 Education in the first century was far different from what it is today. Children of the rich were taught how […]
We are His Masterpiece (Ephesians 2:10)
By John H. Niemelä For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them (Eph 2:10). Perseverance theology has treated this verse as a prooftext for Calvin’s infamous 1547 dictum: “It is therefore faith alone which justifies [cf. Eph 2:8-9], and yet the […]
Every Naomi Needs a Ruth
By Marcia Hornok “And how are you?” said Winnie-thePooh. Eeyore shook his head from side to side. “Not very how,” he said, “I don’t seem to have felt at all how for a long time.”1 WHEN DREAMS DIE One Bible person with an Eeyore outlook was Naomi. A famine uprooted her family, and they moved […]
The Bible Is Reliable, Part 1
By Dix Winston To defend the Bible, you must answer two questions. Is the Bible good history, and secondly, is it true history? Let me explain and illustrate. If someone told you his great-great-grandfather said he was Napoleon Bonaparte, it would be good history if the man actually said he was Napoleon Bonaparte. That is, […]