Discipleship and the Crucified Christ (Luke 14:25-35)
The death of Christ has a surprising connection to the call to discipleship, a point illustrated by studying two of the Lord’s parables in Luke (Luke 14:28-30, 31-32): Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them, “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife […]
Gym Fees: A Parable
Free or Not? One day, a young mother wanted to get fit. She heard about a wealthy benefactor who founded several gyms and endowed them with enough money so they could be free and open to all. However, when she visited the gyms and asked about joining, she found they had changed their policies. The […]
Use It Wisely (Luke 16:8-13)
Jesus taught us how to use money without being corrupted by it, in the Parable of the Unjust Steward in Luke 16. The passage in question is: So the master commended the unjust steward because he had dealt shrewdly. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of […]
Kindness
Introduction When we were still living in New Jersey, I read an article in our local newspaper that announced, “New York group struggles to add a little sweetness to the crabby Apple.” It was all about a “courtesy” advertising campaign that was being directed by a group called “New York Pride.” Their message was short […]
Seven Helpful Evangelistic Questions
By John Goodding Have you ever shared the gospel with someone and felt they really understood what you were saying, and even believed it, but later on you found out they were thinking something different than what you said? This is an all too common occurrence. People will nod their heads and agree with everything […]
John: The Evangelistic Book
The Purpose of John’s Gospel Why did John write his Gospel? John explains, “these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.” (John 20:30-31, emphasis added). In the KJV, the phrase “eternal life” is used in 30 verses […]
Can I Really Do All Things Through Christ Who Strengthens Me? (Philippians 4:10-23)
By Bob Wilkin Introduction Philippians 4:13 is a favorite verse for many people: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Tim Tebow put Phil 4:13 under his eye before football games. Jon Jones, the former UFC light heavyweight champion, has it tattooed on his chest. While many people love this verse, most […]
Stephen’s Indictment of Israel (Acts 7:1-29)
Typology in Stephen’s Speech Stephen the table waiter of chapter 6 now becomes an angel of God (cf. 6:15), that is, a messenger of the Lord. The theme of Stephen’s sermon is Israel’s resistance to the Holy Spirit throughout its history (see Acts 7:51-53, especially v 51). But behind this theme is the typological lesson […]
Is Evangelizing Children Daunting?
By Bill Lee The Next Generation According to John MacArthur’s Grace Community Church, evangelizing children can be a daunting task. But the truth is, it should not be any more difficult a task than it is for any other age group. In fact, we should expect it to be easier. Jesus Christ even suggested children […]
Living in the “TOC” of the Lord
Recently I spent some time looking at a beautiful Psalm written by David. This Psalm, Psalm 15, reminded me of certain events during my career in the army. I also realized that this short Psalm has a direct application for Christians today. The Lord’s Tent Lord, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell […]