Old Testament Anachronisms
Sometimes the Old Testament seems to tell us things that look out of order or duplicated. Pastor Mike answers a question about Old Testament writers.
Bible Answers
Open Doors and God’s Will
Bible Answers with Pastor Mike - "Open Doors and God's Will"
Calm in the Chaos
The world is in chaos. We are in the midst of a storm like we have never seen in our lifetime. How do we find calm in this chaos? How…
Devotionals
Freedom
The New Testament Gospel is a message of “freedom,” not from an expectation to keep the rules, but from the just and deserved penalty of our sin. All too often Christians bandy
Self Examination
The Bible often reminds us to not forget. It tells us to hang on to what we’ve learned and to build on the gains that we’ve made in the Christian life. The goal is not to be nostalgic, but to be sure to “live up to what we have already attained” (Phil.3:16) “remembering what we’ve received and heard” so that we can “obey it” (Rev.3:3). This requires purposeful...
Communion
The Bible tells us that we need to take a good, long look at what is going on in our hearts when we partake in the Lord’s Supper. “Let a person examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup...
Open Door of Mercy
I remember reading of an old-time preacher who wrote of God’s “open door of mercy” in his appeal to his readers. It may sound like an antiquated phrase, but I hope it is a perspective that will never be lost for those of us who seek to talk to our friends and coworkers about Christ. So often these days...
Suffering and Openness
When we encounter tough times we tend to want to isolate ourselves. Because of the pain, fear of embarrassment, or doubts regarding others’ understanding, we often choose to...
Christianity Attacked
It seems that almost daily we Christians have to endure a new barrage of attacks against the Christian faith. Tirades on websites, new books pitted against the Bible and angry dissenters continually grabbing microphones and keyboards to unleash their latest arguments against the Christian God.
While their presentations are delivered in intellectual terms...
While their presentations are delivered in intellectual terms...
Passing It On
The Bible has much to say about our responsibility to pass on our spiritual gains to those who will be here when we are gone. This is more than a parent’s responsibility to teach their kids the Bible. It is much broader and much deeper than simply communicating biblical data to children. In Scripture, the call...
Self Apologetics
The Apostle Paul actively engaged the people of his generation, logically and persuasively “destroying arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and taking every thought captive to obey Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). Such is the work of apologetics, evangelism, and discipleship. But this is not only the work we should seek to do in the minds and hearts of others, it is a job that starts
The Right Thing
Obedience to Christ often comes down to whose reputation you care about the most. When God calls us to stand up for what is right, speak up for what is important, or be counted with his children the price will usually be debited from our reputation. On the other hand...
Prayer & Evangelism
Prayer and evangelism go hand in hand. Many of us hope that our lives will be used by God to lead people to the place of repentance and faith in Christ. But if we learn anything from the example of the evangelists in the New Testament, we learn that this is not likely to ever happen unless
Receiving Correction
God’s word describes the wise person as one who is “open to reason” (Jms.3:17). The one Greek New Testament word that translates this phrase speaks to the attribute of a person who is willing to change his mind or behavior when presented with...
Exclusivity
Many take offense at our call to trust Christ for the forgiveness of their sins because it is so exclusive. They stumble over the words of Jesus when he said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (Jn.14:6). They despise the tone of our evangelism when it echoes...
Persistent Prayer
Most Christians are quickly stirred to guilt whenever the topic of prayer is raised. We all know we need to pray more often. And so we should. But as we increase our time in prayer, let us also remember to apply the words of Christ when he told us that we...
Forgiveness and Happiness
Knowing that we are truly forgiven should naturally give rise to real joy and genuine happiness. When forgiveness is real, having been secured by those contrite sinners who have thrown themselves on the grace and mercy of our forgiving God (who has paid the ultimate price in...
God’s Ownership
Living the Christian life as we ought requires that we periodically ponder the significance of the biblical statement: “You are not your own; you were bought with a price” (1Cor.6:19-20). When we recognize that God not only gives us...
Christmas Forgiveness
In this season of giving and receiving gifts, let us never lose our focus on the incomparable grace that was bestowed on us when God decided to give us everything that was needed to free us from the consequences of our sins through the life and death of Jesus Christ. It would seem only right...
Juicy Morsels
There is little debate that “there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins” (Ecclesiastes 7:20). Even the most godly Christians are quick to concede that “we all stumble in many ways” (James 3:2). Thankfully, when it comes to imperfect people engaging in imperfect fellowship the Bible tells us “love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8). Unfortunately though
Compartmentalization
It is easy to compartmentalize our lives. While sitting in church we can approvingly nod at the biblical lessons that call Christ’s followers to sacrifice, deny themselves, and leave behind earthly pleasures to store up treasure in heaven. But come Monday morning...
Easy Answers?
We all like easy answers. Yet the Bible tells us that “It is the glory of God to conceal things” (Proverbs 25:2). That may appear to be a cruel portrayal of God, who is lauded for stealthily hiding important matters from his creatures. But think for a moment about how loving parents routinely and strategically choose to refrain from simply handing over the answers to their children’s homework questions. Parents and teachers alike intuitively recognize
Historic Truth
Some chide us for “checking our brains in at the door” when we come to a place of trusting in Christ for forgiveness and new life. But that is not how Christianity is presented to us in Scripture. The New Testament evangelists never asked anyone to stop thinking, stop inquiring or stop analyzing the claims of Christ and the Apostles. No one was asked to just...
Doubt
It’s not just Thomas; every Christian has moments and even seasons of doubt. But the best prescription when doubts arise is to go back to Christ’s credentials and the reliability of the biblical documents. Consider the fact that our confidence...
Old Testament Law
Reading through all the laws of the Old Testament can be confusing. When you do, it is important to remember that when God's people left Egypt they left the legal system of the Egyptians and the jurisdiction of any
Grace
God’s grace is the theme of the New Testament and yet with all this scriptural emphasis it seems we are still slow to rightly understand it. We either tend to think that it is some kind of extra credit that adds to our goodness, thus making us acceptable to God. Or we secretly tend to believe it is a “get out of jail free” card that allows us to dabble in sin without consequences. Both are obviously a...
Bible Reading
When God is at the center of our theology and Christ is at the head of our lives we begin to understand the Bible as it was intended to be understood. Approaching Scripture as God’s self-disclosure instead of our tool for self-improvement will undoubtedly open up an entirely new experience of Bible study. It is not hard to see the extreme difference
Bible Study
Second Timothy 2:15 records God’s call to “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” This well-needed reminder shows us that...
Pain
Having a daughter with paralysis, I understand the blessing of pain. Without the ability to feel pain, both physical and emotional, we would run headlong into destructive situations. The pain of guilt is a classic example. We usually feel that something is wrong, because something is wrong. We often feel
Prayer Requests
Be careful what you repeatedly ask of God. You can’t always judge a prayer by its answer. While it’s true that many times in his kindness God withholds granting what we foolishly or selfishly request...