Baptism and Indwelling
New Covenant believers must be careful not to look with disdain on what God did with His people in ages past. In fact, Yahweh proved Himself blindingly gracious under the Old Covenant…
CHRISTIAN LIVING
The Great Enabler
Throughout the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit is seen acting dramatically in the lives of people to enable those individuals to do that which, left to themselves, they could not do.
Faith Before the Flood Hebrews 11:4–7
n Hebrews 11 a gallery of portraits is paraded before us, painted by the hand of God. Each portrait presents the unique faith of individuals who performed great exploits. These men and women…
The Love of God Part Four
The previous article focused on the world as an object of God’s love and explained the distinction between agapao and phileo, the two key Greek words associated with God’s love…
Reasons to Pray
All was quiet except for the windshield wipers swishing vainly back and forth as heavy snow reduced visibility to zero. It was a good time to pray—for many reasons
Worship Prayer
Worship should be an essential element of prayer. The modern-day word worship comes from the old English word weorthscipe.1 It referred to “worthiness, respect, reverence paid to a divine being.”2 These meanings indicate…
When God Seems Silent
Imagine crying out to God but receiving no response. He’s always there, of course, but sometimes it doesn’t seem that way. Here’s what to do when God seems silent.
Service of the Heart
It was to be a day of trouble, rebuke, and blasphemy (2 Ki. 19:3). Assyria, the most powerful military force on Earth, invaded Judah. King Sennacherib demanded Jerusalem’s surrender, all the while mocking…
For Roses and for Thorns
It’s easy to thank God when things go right. But what about when things go wrong? Scripture has lots to say on the subject of thanksgiving.
Jesus’ Prayer for You
Did you ever wish you could speak with Jesus face to face? Many times I’ve longed to see His face, hear His voice, look into His eyes, and simply share what…
Elliott and Intercessory Prayer
How often do you go to the throne of grace on behalf of others? This excellent article explains why doing so may be one of your most important ministries.
Teaching Teens to Pray
Some sat on the floor, others in camp chairs, and a few reclined on the stairs. The students, ages 14 to 22, listened curiously as I posed five simple survey questions.
The Bedrock of Faith Hebrews 11:1–3
The author of Hebrews revealed in chapter 10 that salvation is established on the bedrock of Christ’s sacrifice and not through the Levitical system. Christ’s death for sin and His abiding priesthood…
The Love of God Part Three
God’s love is one of the great themes of the Bible. The previous articles on this theme focused attention on His love in the Old Testament. Now let’s begin to examine His love…
Words of Warning Hebrews 10:26–39
This section of the book of Hebrews comes on the heels of a strong warning in 10:25 that believers not abandon assembling together, as some were doing. In fact, Christians in every generation…
The Love of God Part Two
The previous article began to focus on God’s love in the Old Testament. God’s love involves a confirmed, inner, favorable disposition toward the objects of His love and a high, passionate degree…
A Lifestyle of Faith Hebrews 10:19–25
To this point, the book of Hebrews has been doctrinal in nature. Using comparison, the author has shown Christ’s superiority over angels, Moses, and the Levitical priesthood. He has also shown…
Fishers of Men
It may surprise you how much work goes into maintaining a fisherman’s net . . . regardless of what you’re fishing for.
The Man Who Got Things From God
One morning the plates and cups and bowls on the table were empty. There was no food in the larder, and no money to buy food. The children were standing waiting…
When God Opens a Door…
After the Communists released Richard Wurmbrand from prison in 1965, an American heard him preach in Norway and encouraged him to tell his dramatic story in the United States. According…
A Martyr for Messiah
In every generation God raises up men who are faithful to Him in even the most difficult circumstances. One such man was Pastor Isaac Feinstein, a Jewish believer in Jesus who befriended…
An Old Man Wept
Due to the prayers of an old German carpenter named Christian Wolfkes, Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand, founders of The Voice of the Martyrs, came to faith in 1938. Soon they led Jews…
Let the Little Children Come
A little girl in one of George Mueller’s orphanages told Mueller she wanted God to answer her prayers as He answered his. Mueller assured her God would answer her prayers…
The Story of Richard Wurmbrand
He endured imprisonment by the Nazis and torture by the Communists to become one of the 20th century’s most inspiring men of faith.
God Changed the Wind
In the prematurely cold weather of November 1857, the boiler that heated one of George Mueller’s orphanage buildings in Bristol, England, developed a serious leak. Because the boiler was encased in brick…
God’s Call for the Directionally Challenged
Is it really possible to receive a clear directive from God? If you’re wondering whether God is calling you to missions, this article may help.
A Missionary First, Last, and All the Time
How much impact can a person make for Christ if he dies at the young age of 26? An enormous one, as Bill Borden showed the world.
Making God Known
If you were to ask people to define the term missionary, they probably would tell you it means someone who goes to a faraway land to teach about Jesus. And they’d…
Christ’s Sufficient Sacrifice Hebrews 10:1–18
Hebrews 10 culminates the central exposition on Christ’s eternal priesthood. In his closing argument, the author contrasted the imperfect, insufficient, and ineffective Levitical sacrificial system with Christ’s once-for-all, perfect, and sufficient…
Specific Reasons for God’s Anger and Wrath Conclusion
Our three previous articles presented specific reasons for God’s wrath against Israel and other nations. Now we will focus on specific reasons for God’s anger and wrath against mankind in general…
Zvi Sep/Oct 2010
I recently had a big surprise. From time to time I go to the ultra-Orthodox synagogues where I have long, involved discussions about faith in the Lord. You cannot go…
Who Writes the Last Chapter?
Just when some of the “leading lights” of the international diplomatic community thought progress might be brewing in the quest to tame the Iranian mullocracy through UN sanctions, the lid…
Christ’s Heavenly Ministry Hebrews 9:23–28
Under the Levitical system, animal blood could only cover sin, never remove it. However, Christ’s blood was sufficient and efficacious to redeem mankind and remove sin. The remaining verses of Hebrews 9…
Specific Reasons for God’s Anger and Wrath Part Three
The two previous articles presented specific reasons for God’s wrath against Israel. Now we will focus on specific reasons for God’s wrath against other nations. Because all nations fail to acknowledge…
Christ’s Superior Ministry Hebrews 9:11-22
Hebrews 9 begins with a description of the earthly Tabernacle and its ministry through the Levitical priesthood under the first (Mosaic) covenant. Both the Tabernacle and its services were temporary…
Specific Reasons for God’s Anger and Wrath Part Two
Previously we examined the ultimate reason for God’s anger and wrath and several specific reasons for His wrath against Israel. Now we will observe additional specific reasons. “The Lᴏʀᴅ did not turn…
Learning the Hard Way
Most ordinary people laugh off as silliness much of what has become known as political correctness. But in the aftermath of Maj. Nidal Hasan’s brutal attack on military personnel at Fort…
The Cross in the Desert
Thousands of Americans are buried overseas where they died fighting for their country. Now the ACLU wants to remove a cross that signifies the last measure of their devotion.
Army of Angels
God created angels with different degrees of ability, established them in ranks based on these differences, and organized them much the way armies are organized. The Hebrew word translated “hosts” in the phrase…
Erica’s Angels
It was bizarre to see myself lying on the floor of my allergist’s office. I lay at a slight angle in the narrow hallway, flanked on all sides by the clinic…
Christ’s Perfect Priesthood Hebrews 7:11–28
Many first-century Hebrew Christians struggled to understand the priesthood of Jesus Christ. Growing up under the Levitical system of animal sacrifices, they had centered their faith in the Aaronic priesthood…
Looking Back to See the Future
The mantra of the moment embraces the idea that we should never look back because all hope and promise are found in looking to the future. Or, to quote Satchel Paige…
Reading a Premature Obituary
To hear the secular news media tell it, Christianity in America is one small wheeze away from death. Well, that isn’t exactly accurate. Here’s the rest of the story.
Facing the Furnaces of Life
Why do bad things happen to good people? Many have tried to deal with that question. Here is an answer from the book of Daniel that may both surprise and comfort you.
A Sure Hope Hebrews 6:9–20
In the previous eight verses of this chapter, the author encouraged new believers to leave Judaism and press on toward maturity in Christ. Failure to do so, he warned, would disastrously…
Maturing in Christ
Hebrews 6:1-8: Maturing in Christ is a process; it doesn’t happen overnight. Unfortunately, some people never get there. They regress rather than progress. Hebrews 6 warns believers in Jesus to forsake practices…
God Is Jealous Part Two
Previously we studied God’s jealous response to Jerusalem’s unfaithfulness to Him. Like an unfaithful wife, Israel’s capital city had committed spiritual adultery by worshiping false gods and entering into forbidden…
A Promise Kept
The passing of old friends often brings a mixture of sadness and relief to those of us left behind. Such was the case in the recent homegoing of a friend of more than half…
10 Good Reasons to Keep Looking Up
Discouraged? Feeling depressed because of personal or world events? Perhaps it’s time to take a little spiritual inventory. If you have truly been born again through faith in Jesus Christ…
What If There Had Been No Easter?
As Christians, we rejoice because Christ arose. But what if He had not? The world would be a different place indeed. And it’s not a pretty picture.
Actual or Absurd?
Cynical journalist H. L. Mencken (1880–1956) once said, “What I got in Sunday school…was simply a firm conviction that the Christian faith was full of palpable absurdities.” No doubt many today…
Victory in Jesus
For a king to rule forever, He has to live forever. Faith in Messiah’s resurrection and future reign did not originate with Christianity.
The Resurrection Wrangle
As Jesus taught in the Temple in Jerusalem, representatives from various religious sects came to hear Him. Their intent was to find fault with His responses to their questions. For one…
Bible Portrait of the Messiah
Here are two effective ways to obtain a basic biblical understanding of the redemptive ministry of the Messiah. One comes from the New Testament, particularly as compacted in the book…
Christ Is Superior to Aaron
Hebrews 5:1–14: The tribes of Israel revered the Aaronic high priest. With the exception of Moses, he enjoyed greater access to and fellowship with God than any other Israelite. Although God bestowed…
God Is Jealous Part One
At least 29 biblical passages indicate that the God of the Bible is a jealous God. Of those passages, 28 are in the Old Testament. Only one is in the New…
Who Holds the Future?
The conversation was between a militant, Russian Communist and a reserved, elderly Christian in the days before the collapse of the Soviet Union. A disciple of Marx and Lenin, the Communist…
His Word Is Truth
Have you ever had trouble explaining inspiration, inerrancy, and infallibility to someone who doesn’t believe in them? Here’s a little help.
Jesus the God-Man
Soliciting is common in our neighborhood, especially on weekends. Answering the doorbell recently, I greeted a couple standing on our front porch. Their clothes and literature in hand identified them immediately…
Invest in the Future
It seemed set in stone. Any family celebration that took place in my family took place at Mom’s house. For 50 years she directed every facet of every event, decided…
Jesus Is Coming Again!
Heaven is indeed a wonderful place. But I think that when Christians think of the future, they focus overmuch on heaven. Their longing is to be with Jesus in paradise…
The Rest God Gives
Hebrews 4:1–13: Chapter 3 of Hebrews presents two types of rest: that of entering Canaan (the rest offered to Israel) and that which comes from a life of faith in Christ. All the Israelites 20 and older…
Wiser is Better
Heeding the voice of wisdom and experi- ence can prevent many a heartache. Solomon’s son Rehoboam learned that fact the hard way, but this article explains why you don’t have to.
Uzziah’s ‘Deadly’ Sin
History and literature often speak of the “seven deadly sins”: lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy, and pride. The Bible also lists seven sins and calls them “an abomination” to God: “a proud look…
The Inner Peril
Often it seems that the good kings of Judah had bad sons, and the bad kings had good sons. Most noteworthy of this perplexing phenomenon were good King Hezekiah—undeniably one of the most spiritually virile…
From Sin to Mount Moriah
God’s purposes are not thwarted by our sin. God used Jacob’s stubbornness to raise up the 12 tribes of Israel. He used Israel’s failure under the theocracy in the time of the judges to bring…
Avoiding the Sinkhole
Well begun is half done,” says the old adage. But we should be dedicated to finishing strong. The apostle Paul ran the race of life in order to win the prize (1 Cor. 9:24).
Jehoshaphat’s Big Mistake
Jehoshaphat played the fool by trying to travel two roads at the same time. And the admonishment God gave him back then still applies to us today.
Christ is Superior to Moses
Hebrews 3:1–19: Moses is a dominant figure in Israel’s history. Of all the Old Testament leaders, there is none greater. He is described as “the man of God” and “the servant of the Lᴏʀᴅ” (Dt. 33:1; 34:5).
A Time to Blow the Shofar
Modern Judaism calls the fifth of seven observances recorded in Leviticus 23 Rosh Hashanah. The words mean “head of the year.” And the holiday—which begins at sundown on September 29—is considered a New Year…
God’s Precious Promises
God has always kept His promises. And the prima facie evidence of His faithful- ness is the experience of His ancient cove- nant people, Israel.
The Superiority of Christ
Hebrews 2:1–18: In the midst of showing Christ’s superiority to angels, the author of Hebrews paused to apply what he had presented previously. He then warned and exhorted Jewish believers in Jesus—the recipients of this letter…
Extraordinary People
Sometimes special people cross our paths, showing us the best of what Christianity is all about. Let us introduce you to a few of these saints who have made a difference in life on this earth.
So Great Salvation 1 Peter 1:1–21
Christ did for us at Calvary. The blessings that accrue to us are manifold, and so are the responsibilities.
Security in Salvation
Just as you must have a plan to achieve your goals in life, so also God has a plan. From the world’s foundation, God’s goal to glorify Himself included a plan to redeem lost humanity.
Highway to Holiness 1 Peter 1:22–2:10
What does it take to live a holy life? If you can faithfully master three important points, you’re well on your way.
Submission Seems to Be the Hardest Word 1 Peter 2:11–3:12
The world today ignores many traditional beliefs, values, and mores. But none has endured as much erosion as the concept of submission. Years ago most people respected and submitted to the authority over them.
The Blessing of Suffering 1 Peter 3:13–4:19
world are bound to encounter opposition. And though suffering for one’s faith may be difficult, it produces some undeniable and sometimes surprising benefits.
The Bottom Line
The apostles Peter and Paul had much to say regarding submission to governmental authority, employers, and spouses. But the underlying point—the bottom line—is that all people, particularly believers, should willingly and readily submit to God.
Our God Cares 1 Peter 5:1–11
The Lord of the universe knows everything about you, including your needs. This excellent article explains how you can depend on Him because He is the perfect CARE-giver.
The Incomparable Christ
Hebrews 1:1–3: Hebrews is without question one of the greatest and most important books in the New Testament. In it the writer presented an in-depth study of both the deity and humanity of Jesus the Messiah…
Why I Love Israel
And your eyes need to be there as well because the Jews are God’s people, and Israel is the land of destiny. Israel is God’s measuring rod and blueprint for what He is…
Making Melody in Your Heart
Being a believer in Jesus is not always easy. In fact, more often than not it brings persecution, trials of all kinds, and many deep valleys through which the child of God must walk.
Jonah’s Rancor
Jonah 4:1–11: If we were writing the book of Jonah, how would we end the story? We’d probably have Jonah rejoicing over being restored from disobedience, rescued from the belly of a fish…
God Is Moral Part Fourteen
In two previous articles concerning morality, we observed biblical descriptions of various types of eyes that reflect the moral condition of a heart. After examining one more type, we will consider two…
Israel’s True Tikvah
They looked for Him throughout all their agonies and heartaches, through centuries of oppression and persecution. The Hebrew Scriptures clearly told of His coming. So what happened?
Tidings of Comfort and Joy
At this Christmas season, do you have joy? True joy comes from something you might not associate with it. But once found, it lasts forever.
Strength for the Journey
Jesus is, indeed, knowable. And He can bring us through the toughest times, give us peace like a river, and be an anchor for our souls—as this article demonstrates.
Nineveh’s National Revival
Jonah 3:1–10: The Bible abounds with accounts of God’s judgment. In His righteousness and holiness, He destroys both individuals and nations that are saturated with sin. But He also tells us plainly, “I have no pleasure…
God Is Moral Part Thirteen
In our previous article we noted that biblical descriptions of various types of eyes indicate that eyes reflect the moral condition of a heart. The first type we observed was the “evil eye,” which reflects…
The Emerging Church: What Is It?
Candles, incense, mood music. Can this be church? A revolution is taking place in worship, and it’s causing many people to look around with wonder and ask, “What’s going on?”
Jonah’s Prayer and Promise
Jonah 1:7—2:10: In February 1891, the crew of the whaling ship Star of the East harpooned a sperm whale. In its death throes, the whale swallowed a man by the name of James Bartley. A day…
God Is Moral Part Twelve
The Bible reveals that our eyes have great moral significance and, therefore, are of concern to God. They are the primary organs by which we receive knowledge and…
El Shaddai: The Angel of the Lord
We have seen that El Shaddai is the person of the Godhead whom people can see and still live. In Genesis 18 He came to Abraham, looking like an ordinary…
Facing the ‘Lion’
The lions of Tsavo devoured men. Fierce and stealthy, they showed complete contempt for people, except as food. We, too, face a vicious adversary. And here are our keys to victory.
Dealing With the Devil
Most Americans don’t think in terms of demon possession. We think in terms of disease. If we see a young man beating his head into the ground or throwing himself into a fire…
David and the Adversary
Many believers are unaware of the magnitude of the spiritual war that goes on all around us. Satan and the forces of darkness are waging a vicious battle against God, the Jewish…
Running From God
Jonah 1:4–17: God chose Jonah the prophet to deliver a divine message of impending judgment to the city of Nineveh. Upon receiving this call, however…
God’s Glorious Grace
God’s grace comes to us in many forms. Each has a special purpose, and each provides a particular blessing.
Road to Righteousness
Why can’t good deeds and the Law get you to heaven? If you think you don’t need Jesus, this article is especially for you.