Peter used two different words for love: Philadelphia, which is "brotherly love,” and agape (1 Peter 1:22), which is Godlike sacrificial love. It is important that we share both kinds of love. We share brotherly love because we have the common ground of being brothers and sisters in Christ; we...
“Let us draw near … Let us hold fast … Let us consider one another.” This threefold invitation from Hebrews 10:19-25 hinges on our boldness to enter into the holiest. And this boldness (“freedom of speech”) rests on the finished work of the Saviour. On the Day of Atonement, the...
When congregations at Christmastime sing “Peace on earth and mercy mild,” they are expressing only one aspect of the Christmas story. Our Lord’s birth at Bethlehem involved war as well as peace. It was part of an agelong conflict between God and Satan, a war that was declared in Genesis...
In a Christian home, we must minister to each other. A Christian husband must minister to his wife and help “beautify her” in the Lord. A Christian wife must encourage her husband and help him grow strong in the Lord. Spouses must take time to be with each other. Christian...
Death is a fact of life, an appointment. The only way we can escape death is to be alive when the Lord Jesus Christ returns. I once saw a quaint inscription on a gravestone in an old British cemetery not far from Windsor Castle. It read: Pause, my friend, as...
I realize that godly men differ in their interpretations of prophecy, particularly the matter of the church escaping or entering the time of Tribulation. My own position is that the church will be taken to heaven before the Tribulation, and then will return to the earth with the Lord to...
The official Spanish name for the site is the Isle of the Pelicans,but nobody knows it by that name. It is best known as Alcatraz, one of the most escape-proof prisons in the world. From 1933 to 1963 it served as a federal prison, and during that time twenty- six...
Like the Pharisees of old, we Christians have a way of majoring in the minors—dividing over matters insignificant to vital Christian faith. I have heard of churches splitting over such petty matters as the location of the piano and the serving of meals on Sundays. What must be first in...
The Jews wanted Jesus to give them a sign to prove He was the Messiah. Jesus answered (Matthew 12:38-41) that they would be given only the sign of Jonah—that He would spend three days and nights in the grave as Jonah had in the great fish. Jesus is far greater...
Athletes used to wear training weights to help them prepare for contests. One modem example is a baseball player who swings a bat that has a heavy metal collar before he steps to the plate. No athlete would actually participate wearing the weights, however, because they would slow him down....