It is not our responsibility to decide the requirements for Christian fellowship in a church; only the Lord can do this. To set up man-made restrictions on the basis of personal prejudices (or even convictions) is to go beyond the Word of God. Because God has received us, we must...
In my pastoral work I often found that suffering people can become very self-centered; they think they are the only ones going through the furnace. Everyone goes through normal human suffering such as sickness, pain, and bereavement. But what about the suffering we endure because we are Christians? Perhaps your...
I went out and sinned,” a student told his campus chaplain, “be-cause 1 knew I could come back and ask God to forgive me.” “On what basis can God forgive you?” the chaplain asked,pointing to 1 John 1:9. “God is faithful and just,” the boy replied. “Those two words should...
As the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ died for the sheep. As the Great Shepherd, He lives for the sheep in heaven today, working on their behalf. As the Chief Shepherd, He will come for the sheep at His return. Our Shepherd cares for His own in the past, present, and...
A friend of mine once heard a preacher criticize him over the radio and tell things that were not only unkind, but also untrue. My friend became very angry and was planning to fight back, when a godly preacher said, “Don’t do it. If you defend yourself, then the Lord...
Many believers today do not realize how deeply the church is involved in spiritual warfare. Those who do understand the seriousness of the battle do not always know how to fight the enemy. They try to use human methods to defeat demonic forces, but these methods are doomed to fail....
The only way to enter God’s spiritual family is by a spiritual birth, through faith in Jesus Christ. Just as there are two parents in physical birth, so there are two parents in spiritual birth: the Spirit of God and the Word of God. The new birth gives to us...
The Apostle Paul labored in prayer to the point of exhaustion for the Christians at Colosse. So much of our praying is calm and comfortable, yet Paul exerted his spiritual muscles the way a Greek runner would exert himself in the Olympic games. This does not mean that our prayers...
When he was a Jewish rabbi, Paul Was separated as a Pharisee to the laws and traditions of the Jews. But when he yielded to Christ, he was separated to the Gospel and its ministry. Gospel means “the Good News.” It is the message that Christ died for our sins,...
The truly humble person helps build others up, not tear them down. He is a stepping-stone, not a stumbling block. Therefore, anything that makes me stumble must be removed from my life; if it is not, I cause others to stumble. Paul used the eye, hand, and foot to illustrate...