Young man Murphy applied for an engineering position at a firm based in Dublin, Ireland. An American applied for the same job, and since both applicants had the same qualifications, the department manager asked them to take a test to determine who would get the job. They were left alone in a room together, seated […]
Are They Lost?
There are many things that interfere with our ability to reach the lost for Jesus Christ. Sometimes it is fear or because our heart is not in the right place. However, what may be even more dangerous is a quiet acceptance of the lost. This means that at some point, we have come to rationalize […]
Never Go Back
We can learn much from the life of Abraham. One event in his life that instructs us is his search for a wife for his son Isaac (Genesis 24). After the death of his wife Sarah, Abraham called his chief servant and charged him with finding Isaac a wife. Abraham makes his servant promise that […]
Bible Study
Let’s discuss a topic we all have struggled with. How many times a day do we eat? Some start out with breakfast or coffee, second is lunch and third is dinner with a snack later. Food is energy that keeps our bodies working properly, but how many times a day do we feed our spiritual […]
Unexpected Visitors
For as long as I have been preaching, when it is around holiday time, I will hear some tell me that the reason they weren’t at church services was because they had “unexpected visitors.” This explanation is usually offered without any shame or embarrassment, indicating that in their way of thinking, their behavior was totally […]
If I Could Start Again as a Father
“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth” (3 John 4). Contextually, John is most likely referring to Gaius (and others whom John knew) and his faithful obedience and devotion to God. As a father of three grown children (along with their spouses), I can understand the joy of […]
If I Could Start Again as a Husband
Regret has been a perpetual refrain for humanity since our beginning; I have no doubt Adam and Eve must have thought, “If only we could go back to the garden, we’d never touch that fruit again!” I sometimes wonder if Nicodemus’ words in John 3:4 held a wistful tinge of “If only I really could […]
If I Could Start Again as a Christian
Have you ever considered your life and thought, “If I could start all over again, I would …”? I believe we all do that at some point or another, perhaps quite often. It is natural to allow retrospect to dictate what might have been if given the chance. Usually, we apply this thought to something […]
The Wisdom of Listening and Learning
On the whole, American culture displays a tragic lack of wisdom. One could likely identify a number of reasons why such is the case but perhaps the greatest reason is actually quite simple–people refuse to listen and learn. Wisdom desires to be heard. She “calls aloud outside; she raises her voice in the open […]
Cliquishness
A common criticism leveled against congregations by visitors, new members, or even those who have become dissatisfied with their identification with a particular local church is the charge that it practices “cliquishness.” A clique is “a small, exclusive group of friends or associates” (American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language). The reason the charge of “cliquishness” is […]