Blog Posts - Focal Point Ministries

Deliverance and Gratitude

It is easy to simplistically assume that if we trust in Christ and are considered by God to be his favored and adopted children then all should go relatively well for us—but of course that is not what the Bible teaches. Throughout the Bible we are reminded of the wide variety of reasons God chooses to providentially lead

Fear of God

Here is one of the most simple, yet most serious warnings found in the Bible: “God is opposed to the proud” (James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5). The last thing we as God’s children should want is to dabble in the archetypal sin that was the initial cause of all the rebellion and corruption in the universe (Ezekiel 28:14-17). We are shown in God’s word that pride’s antithesis and remedy is the fear of the Lord (Romans 11:20; Jeremiah 44:10; Proverbs 8:13). For those who have repented of their sins

Tree of Life

Proverbs 13:12 says that “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.” While that principle holds true for all varieties of hopes and desires, the ultimate hope of the Christian life is bound up in the arrival of Christ and his kingdom (Titus 2:13). That is one reason the “tree of life” finds a prominent place in the descriptions of our eternal home in the Book of Revelation (Revelation 2:7; 22:2, 14, 19). So then, if our supreme hopes

The God Who Is

God, by definition, is “Almighty.” In our desire to “humanize” God and relate to the softer and gentler side of Deity we often lose sight of the fact that the God who actually exists is a God who possesses all authority, all power, and all dominion. He is a Being who is unchallenged in his rank, sovereignty, and supremacy. He speaks things into existence, and at will chooses things to come to an end. There are times in life when we sense the profundity of

Love Like Jesus

Having spent years walking through Israel with Jesus, having listened to him teach, and having seen him heal the sick and even raise the dead, the Apostle John distilled Christ’s love into this intriguing statement: “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us” (1 John 3:16a). Without reference to any warm feelings or emotions, John elevates the painful sacrifice

Life’s Detours

We all experience life’s detours—those unexpected twists and turns which disappoint and frustrate us because they’ve disrupted our well-laid plans. When the next one comes our way, let’s be careful how we respond. If the disappointment turns into anger and bitterness, then we know we’ve clearly lost sight of one of the central tenets of biblical Christianity—namely, that God is sovereign. Of course this is not some kind of fatalism that gives us license to

Free Gospel Gift Pack

This Easter we have a special gift for you: The Focal Point Gospel Pack. This free resource is filled with…

Bible Truth

As C. S. Lewis said about Jesus’ claims (i.e. he is either a lunatic, a liar or Lord), something similar could be said about the choices we face when we consider the book in which those claims are recorded. Either the Bible is a collection of error-laced letters penned by delusional authors...

Three Kinds of Prayer

There are three primary settings for biblical prayer which should have priority in our lives. The first is a focused type of scheduled prayer (Mt.6:6). This is the kind where, like Daniel’s three times a day or Jesus’ predawn appointments, we plan

A Remedy for Fear & Anxiety

The coronavirus pandemic has shut down countries, restricted people from gathering in large groups and incited panic and fear around…

Patience

It should not come as a surprise to those of us who make it our practice to ponder timeless biblical principles and worship an eternal God, that many aspects of the Christian life are going to require a lot more waiting...

Christ’s Return

The Bible warns that many will ridicule us for our confidence in the second coming of Christ. “Where is he?” they will scoff, “It seems to be taking him a long time” (cf. 2 Peter 3:3-4). While we may respond defensively...

Does Prayer Change God’s Mind?

The Bible tells us that God is sovereign and that nothing happens unless he decrees it (Lam. 3:37; Prov. 16:33; Amos 3:6), and yet we are told to pray (1 Thess.5:17; Lk. 18:1). How do we reconcile these two seemingly incongruous concepts? Pastor Mike takes a biblical look at prayer and does it change God's mind?

Giver of All Good

The Bible tells us that “every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father” (James 1:17). God is certainly benevolent and generous to us. He gives a variety of good things, from the gift of life in a newborn baby, to the satisfying experience of a good meal after a long day’s work. No matter how profound or how seemingly mundane

Bearing Real Fruit

Jesus said, “You will recognize them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:16). That kind of straightforward evaluation should not only be applied to “them,” but also to us. In the upper room, not long before his crucifixion, Jesus told his twelve apostles, “By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples” (John 15:8). At that time, you’ll remember, one of the Twelve was secretly conspiring to betray Christ, cashing in his association with the Messiah for thirty pieces of silver. Judas wasn’t intent

Wait Patiently

Sometimes the way we read the Bible becomes a disservice to our Christian life. When a tension is presented in the plot of a biblical narrative we naturally “can’t wait” to see how it will be resolved; so we rush on to see how God works it all out. And after we’ve become familiar

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

Future Good

Because mature Christians have learned that all good things in this life come from God’s generous hand, they are usually careful to give thanks to him whenever they experience them. And so we should (James 1:17; Ephesians 5:20). But the Bible also calls us to learn to give thanks for the good things we’ve yet to receive – the ones we will experience in the next life! Colossians 1:12 says you ought to be “giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints.” The “inheritance” Paul has in mind

Biblical Standard

Christians are often accused of defying logic and reason to become superstitious mystics when we run to quote our Bibles as the authority on what is true and how we should live. The problem with this accusation is that thoughtful Christians contend (perhaps not loudly or cogently enough) that it is supremely logical and reasonable to understand the Bible as God’s authoritative voice on life and reality. Christians are not asserting

Pain and Sickness

The Bible promises us that this life will be punctuated with sickness and pain. For some it will be more chronic than others, but unfortunately for all of us there will be certain seasons of severe and almost unbearable discomfort. While we’d wish that God’s children were exempt, we must remember that for now, Christ has not granted us any such immunity. When sin entered the world

Subtle Lies

It is not difficult for Christians to admit that deception is morally wrong, and that because he is a God of truth, “lying lips are an abomination to the Lord” (Proverbs 12:22). But unfortunately we are not always quick to recognize all the subtle forms lying takes in our everyday conversations. Consider the way we can toss around insincere compliments and words of praise, which, if pressed

Weightless Words

The Bible states, “Do not take to heart all the things that people say [about you]” (Ecclesiastes 7:21). And these days, with everybody saying all kinds of things about everyone else on social media, this timeless principle may be more important than ever before. The biblical context of this verse clearly has in view the typical opinionated chitchat and conversational commentary that has gone on between...