What God Has Prepared
“But as it is written: Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). While this might seem an excellent description of heaven, and some certainly hold this view, Paul is discussing something else in […]
You Lost Me
David Kinnaman, author of You Lost Me, makes several great observations about why young people give up their faith after leaving high school. He found that 59% of young people with a religious background dropped out of their church after attending regularly. One of the most helpful features of You Lost Me was the six […]
What Christ Can Do for You
In the 1850s Henry Wadsworth Longfellow could take a worthless piece of paper, write a poem on it, and instantly make it worth thousands of dollars. In the 1890s John D. Rockefeller could sign his name to a piece of paper and make it worth millions. In the 1950s Pablo Picasso could take a ten […]
Thinking About Faith
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). A few hundred years ago, the religious situation our forefathers faced was very different from our time. Before the Reformation, the common people did not have a vast selection of religious beliefs. Back then, religious beliefs were passed […]
A Waste of Faith
Reflecting on all the Titanic coverage over the last couple of weeks made me think of the hymn, “Love Lifted Me.” The first verse reads, “I was sinking deep in sin, far from the peaceful shore, very deeply stained within, sinking to rise no more; but the Master of the sea heard my despairing cry, […]
Looking for the Dead
Since the close of WWII, Japanese volunteers have been searching the island of Saipan for the bodies of soldiers killed there. Of the 40,000-50,000 Japanese soldiers and civilians believed to have died there 68 years ago, only about half have been found. The church, too, is looking for the dead — for those who are […]
What is Confession?
Christians know that hearing, faith, and repentance are essential to salvation (Romans 10:17; John 8:24; Acts 17:30-31). But they are not the only items essential to a man’s conversion; confession is also needed. “Confession” means “to speak the same thing as.” This is not a confession of sins, but a confession of Jesus Christ (Romans […]
Rahab the Harlot
When we think of faithful individuals mentioned in the New Testament, we would more than likely go to Hebrews 11 and find those of great faith like Noah, Abraham, and Moses. While these individuals are very well known for their faith and the great works they performed, there is one individual we may never have […]
The Gift-Giving Season
It is the gift-giving season, and all of us secretly (or overtly) enjoy receiving presents. No matter what kind they are, the spiritually-minded person realizes that the greatest gift is not physical, but is spiritual; namely, it is salvation. Salvation, like all other blessings, is a gift from God. James 1:17 says, “Every good gift […]
Ignorance About Salvation: A Good Excuse?
Have you ever heard someone ask the question, “What about those people in Africa or some other faraway country that have not read the Bible and cannot possibly know what to do to be saved? Could God be that cruel to condemn somebody forever and ever just because he didn’t know about the plan of […]