God Bless Our Elders
A recent conversation got me thinking about how many elders I have worked with and under as a gospel preacher. After some memory jogging, the number I came up with was 67. A number of these men have gone to be with the Lord; still others are slowing down due to advancing years and health issues, but a fair number still are highly active and faithful in service to our Lord. As the faces of these men run through my…
It’s Just a Month Until PTP!
Last year over 5000 people attended. People came from 41 states in the U.S. and from 15 foreign countries. There was 1200 kids present between the ages of infant and 12. There were about 450 teens and 200 more college-age people who came. There were hundreds of elders, deacons, preachers and Bible Class teachers who attended. Thousands of Christians came together from all over the world for one purpose and goal: to glorify God and to focus on becoming more…
Settling the Score
Revenge, retaliation, to avenge, to get even – these are all synonyms for settling the score with someone who did us wrong. And pay-back can be sweet, can’t it? Often it’s not a matter of getting even when we’ve been hurt or mistreated, in our anger and pain we want to get ahead. One wonders how many marriages have been devastated, how many families have been divided and how many friendships have been broken because someone felt they had a…
The Nature of Marriage
“Let marriage be held in honor among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge” (Hebrews 13:4). God Himself instituted marriage – it should, therefore, be our desire to encourage a view of marriage that reflects His design and intent for it. After all, a high regard for marriage is an integral aspect of the pursuit of holiness among God’s people (cf. Hebrews 12:14; 1 Timothy 4:1-4). The Greek expression for “held in honor” means “to…
What Does It Really Mean to be Faithful?
Is a person “faithful” merely because they have been immersed, have a pulse and show up at services with some frequency? Or is “faithfulness” an expression that can only be used of those who seem so good that they must be practically sinless? The question certainly is an important one since Scripture says, “Be faithful unto death and I will give you a crown of life” (Revelation 2:10). Yet way too much confusion seems to exist concerning this question. The…
Wisdom defined in Four Little Creatures
May we never get to a place in life that we think we cannot learn. Learning is something you can do every day, no matter who you are. School might not be in session for the summer months, but learning never takes a break! Near the end of the book of Proverbs, four very small animals are listed with lessons to be learned. What can we learn from them and their life-styles? Examine Proverbs 30:24-28 for the answer. The ant:…
God-Centered Parenting
There is only one perfect parent – God, and the rest of us have an awful lot to learn, don’t we? Parenting often can be so humbling; its tests our communication skills, our heart, our wisdom, our energy, our ability to live without sleep and our patience! Yet few blessings can compare to the tremendous joys given by God to godly parents. We can literally say, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in…
How the Mighty Have Fallen!
These words were part of David’s lament for Saul and Jonathan (2 Samuel 1:19-20). Yes, the mighty CAN fall. It is a reality that happened with King Saul, and it’s something that can happen to any of us too. No one – not elders, deacons, preachers or teachers is completely above such a possibility (1 Cor. 10:12). However, an amazing thing about Saul is that he remained king of Israel for approximately 20 years AFTER God had rejected him (cf.…
Keeping God in Godliness
It is significant that 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus give special stress to godliness. As a matter of fact, the vast majority of the New Testament occurrences of the word is to be found in these books. The noun “godliness” is found ten times while the adverb “godly” occurs twice. “Godliness” has reference to a manner of life that reflects awesome respect and devotion to God. The fundamental message of 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus is that God’s…
10 Signs of a Growing Church
Growing churches have elders who are spiritual men of wisdom, knowledge and vision, and who are deeply interested in the souls they are shepherding (1Thess. 5:12-13: 1Tim. 3:1-7). Growing churches have deacons who believe in servanthood, and who rejoice for the privilege that is theirs to work in special ways to God’s glory (1Tim. 3:8-13). Such deacons “kick up” dust by hastening to serve; they don’t “collect” it by being still! Growing churches have preaching that exalts Jesus Christ and…
The Stone Rolled Away
Sometime after Jesus cried out His final words on a Friday afternoon, the lifeless body of Jesus was removed from the cross. His work in bringing about man’s salvation was complete, “It is finished,” was His cry. Once removed, it was a man named Joseph who would make the request to Pilate for the Savior’s body and have it granted. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses observed where it was laid (Mark 15:47) and it was these women…
When Love is Lacking
Scripture exhorts us to love out of a pure heart (1 Tim. 1:5). Christian love is to be without hypocrisy (Rom. 12:9); it is to love “even as” the Lord loves us (John 13:35). We are commanded to have a love that is fervent and sincere (1 Pet. 1:22), as well as one that is ever increasing (1 Thess. 3:12). True love is an attitude of the heart and will that must display itself in action. It is not lethargic…