Matthew 7:21-23: 21) “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord’, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22) “Many will say to Me on that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform may miracles?’ 23) And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you, DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’                 Matthew 7:21 is one of my favorite verses. It should remind us that we don’t do things ..read more

Luke 16:19-24: 19) “Now there was a rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, joyously living in splendor everyday. 20) “And a poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores, 21) and longing to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man’s table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores. 22) “Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried. 23) “In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom. 24) “ And h ..read more

Restoring an old piece of furniture to its original glory is a beautiful thing. However, there is a huge difference between restoring and repurposing. People can be quite creative in repurposing an old piece of furniture. Since circumstances change, some relics of the past no longer serve a useful purpose today. While repurposing an item to give it a more useful life, repurposing has no place in restoring the pattern of New Testament Christianity. Repurposing the church betrays a belief that the original is no longer adequate to meet present needs. Yet, the words of Christ are forever relevant ..read more

On the night of Jesus’ last Passover, betrayal and arrest, Jesus prayed an emotional prayer to the Father for His apostles and disciples. That prayer is found in John chapter 17. Note the emphasis that Jesus has on the word of God throughout this chapter.   John 17:1-5: Jesus knows that “the hour has come” and says a prayer. And in this prayer, Jesus reveals His loyalty and devotion to the Father. Jesus willed to do the will of the Father and thereby to glorify Him.   John 17:6-19: Jesus prayed for the apostles that God had given Him. The one strong desire he expressed for them was t ..read more

In Philippians 2:20-22 Paul says of Timothy; 20) “For I have no one like-minded, who will sincerely care for your state. 21) For all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus. 22) But you know his proven character, that as a son with his father he served with me in the gospel. This is high praise for an individual to receive. And if we look back at the life of Timothy, we see that it wasn't easy for him to earn this praise. One way he led by example is that he overcame great difficulties. While his mother and grandmother were believers, his father was a Greek and was not a belie ..read more

11 And he said, “There was a man who had two sons. 12 And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them. 13 Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. 14 And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. 16 And he was longi ..read more

15 “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. 18 Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed] in heaven. 19 Again I ..read more

YOUNG MAN, WHAT WILL YOU DO WITH YOUR LIFE? The Good Work Of A Bishop Young man, what, indeed, are you now doing with your life? May I humbly make a suggestion to you (and your wife or potential wife)? Here it is: “This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work” (I Timothy 3:1). Other translations clarify that for us: “This saying is trustworthy: ‘If anyone aspires to be an overseer, he desires a noble work” (CSB). “… it is a fine work he desires to do” (NASB). “… he desires an honorable position” (NLT). I think you get the picture. The news of the ..read more

A joyful heart makes a cheerful face, but when the heart is sad, the spirit is broken. (Proverbs 15:13 NASB) A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken heart spirit dries up the bones. (Proverbs 17:22 NASB) Several years ago, my good friend Kenny put me onto The Dun Cow by Walter Wangerin. I enjoyed the book so much that I’ve read a number of things from Wangerin’s pen since. One of his better essays, found in his book Ragman, is entitled "Fights Unfought, Forgiveness Forgone”. In it, Wangerin describes the passive/aggressive tactics used by him and his wife against each other in the early ..read more

How important is the Bible? Well, I believe it to be, literally, the word of God. If it is the word of God, consider the following. “God said, ‘Let there be light; and there was light” (Genesis 1:3). Each part of the creation of this universe was accomplished by His word. When God speaks, His word carries authority and power. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:1, 14). The Son of God came to reveal ..read more