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Who was drawn to Jesus? If you had only about three years of ministry to bring about the salvation of men’s souls, with whom would you spend your days? Amazingly, Jesus spent time with young and old, rich and poor, those of His nation and those from outside, and everyone in between. If we would really follow the example of Jesus (1 Peter 2:21) and truly fix our eyes on the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:1-2), we…

A lot has already been said about it. It’s been mentioned many times in both public and private prayers. Westside’s Vacation Bible School is July 11-14! There will be special Bible classes for all age groups ranging from infants to adults. I’m really excited about the opportunities VBS affords. Here’s a few of those opportunities – (1) VBS is a special opportunity for us to honor God. “Whatever you do, in word or deed, do all to the glory of…

Was Jesus cold or indifferent to the man? Some falsely assert that He was indeed too harsh, at best, and unloving or uncaring, at worst. Further examination and study, though, shows the deeper lesson being taught by our loving Savior. The account to examine briefly is found in Luke 9:57-62. In short, Jesus takes advantage of the situation where three different individuals are presented the opportunity to follow Him. When told by the first individual, “Lord, I will follow You…

The best way to truly move forward spiritually is to properly go back to the Bible! There is an old statement about Christianity that constantly rings true: “If it is new, it is not true and if it is true, it is not new.” In last week’s article we noted how important it is to seek to be undenominational. We are complete in Christ (Colossians 2:10), and in His inspired word we find everything we need for knowing what’s right…

The title of this article is not intended to sound vague. Nor is it intended to sound arrogant or like I have all the answers. If I know my heart, it reflects a sincere desire to honor our God and Savior and to respect His holy, authoritative word. It’s a belief I think many people in our world share. If some are unwilling to subject religious beliefs and practices to the scrutiny of God’s will, what does that ultimately say…

From the start of the gospel account of the life of Jesus, John wants all to see Jesus as the light that came into a world of darkness. With his first words, “In the beginning,” he takes us back to the very start of time in the world as we know it in Genesis 1:1. As the world then was described as being “without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep…” (Genesis 1:2), so the…

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15) As exalted, holy and glorious as Jesus is, it would be a great mistake to think that our High Priest is remote from the realities of our lives. There ought to be no question of any incapacity on His part to relate to us in the matter…

“And He said unto him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 22:37-40). Little to no regard for human life, hatred, mistreatment and abuse have become the “new normal” for a nation that once…

The difference between good Bible students and great ones really boils down to this – the ability to ask and to biblically answer questions of the text in order to better know, love and obey God. Note that there are two distinct but interrelated aspects. 1. “The ability to ask and to biblically answer questions of the text” can be called the “digging phase.” Think excavation and foundation. It deals with digging for God’s gold and unearthing His treasure. It…

In this well-known psalm of repentance, David comes clean before God concerning his sin with Bathsheba and his having Uriah killed (read 2 Samuel 11 & 12). The words of David are especially appropriate from another occasion: “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18). Few passages anywhere in the Bible resonate with such truth and emotion regarding confession of sin. This psalm deals with 12 words that will change anyone’s life. Psalm…

The Bible is a book made up of words – as almost all books are. We read the words and we know the general meaning of them as we read, but it really is fascinating to think that God chose specific words to allow us to know something of His nature, His mind, and His will for our lives. Consider for a moment the word ‘incline.’ It is a word found a number of times in our English translations and…

In the very early morning hours on Friday, the day that Jesus would die for the sins of the world, Jesus was asked bluntly, “Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” Jesus would answer with a short sentence begun with the words, “I Am,” (Mark 14:61-62). Of interest, it wasn’t only the Lord who would declare who He was, but others with nothing to gain would reach the same conclusion before the day was over. Judas Iscariot –…