The heroes of faith listed in Hebrews 11 are referred to as a “great… cloud of witnesses” in the next chapter. These men and women now in heaven are not watching us as we run the race, like people seated in a stadium; the word witnesses does not mean “spectators.”...
For centuries Greek and Roman philosophers used the term “fishers of men” to describe the work of the man who seeks to “catch” others by teaching and persuasion. Jesus had four, possibly seven men in the band of disciples who were professional fishermen; it was logical for Jesus to talk...
Sexual impurity begins in the desires of the heart. Jesus did not say that lustful desires are identical to lustful deeds, so that a person might just as well go ahead and commit adultery. The desire and the deed are not identical, but spiritually speaking, they are equivalent. The “look”...
As Christians, we must live for eternity and not just for the present. In fact, walking by faith and not by sight makes our Christian lives meaningful today. This brings to mind the story of two farmers, one a believer and the other an atheist. When harvest season came,...
Why do we have a joyful attitude as we face trials? Because we love God, and He loves us, and He will not harm us. Why do we have an understanding mind? Because He loves us and has shared His truth with us, and we love Him in return. Why...
Each Christian must know what his spiritual gifts are and what ministry (or ministries) he is to have in the local church. It is not wrong for a Christian to recognize gifts in his own life and in the lives of others. What is wrong is the tendency to have...
In the Bible the concept of hope does not involve a self-produced feeling of encouragement that is imaginary. Nor is it “wishful thinking” of the “hope-so” variety. A Christian’s hope is built on the solid foundation of the character of God and the Word of God. It is this term...
The Christian is simply a “jar of clay”; it is the treasure within the vessel that gives the vessel its value. God has made us the way we are so that we can do the work He wants us to do. God said of Paul, “He is a chosen vessel...
Swearing is not the sin of “cursing,” but the sin of using oaths to affirm that what is said is true. The Pharisees used all kinds of tricks to sidestep the truth, and oaths were among them. They would avoid using the holy name of God, but would come close...
Every Christian who lives a godly life experiences a certain amount of persecution. On the job, in school, in the neighborhood, perhaps even in the family, there are people who resist the truth and oppose the Gospel of Christ. No matter what a believer says or does, these people find...