Some denominations today teach a doctrine rooted in Calvinism, which holds that the Holy Spirit grants the gift of faith, enabling people to believe in the Gospel. This perspective suggests that faith is passive; it is not something we can achieve but rather something God does for us. However, the problem with this claim is […]
Author: bumchecks
Heard Any Good Sermons?
In 1994, Ian Gregory launched a magazine called Pulpit. It was a publication designed to keep alive Britain’s tradition of great sermons and to act as a benchmark for where to hear good ones. The magazine would review the abilities of some of England’s 50,000 preachers, giving points to their pulpit performances calculated by anonymous […]
Stronger Together
Two are better than one, Because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, For he has no one to help him up. Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; But how […]
Religious Titles in the Church?
In Matthew 23:8-10 Jesus taught his disciples not to wear religious titles. Such titles were coveted by the Scribes and Pharisees, who wanted the praise of men. However, Jesus said that his disciples should not wear such titles of distinction, for they were “all brethren.” This is why we do not address our preachers with […]
“The Doomsday Clock”
In 1947 the world was introduced to “the Doomsday Clock”. It’s not an actual clock, but a vision of how close humanity is to “doomsday”. The end could come, according to the clock’s inventors (a group of atomic scientists), because of nuclear war, natural disasters, or pandemics. In 1947 the clock was set for 7 […]
Six things that the Lord hates
On April 14th, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln was shot by John Wilkes Booth at Ford’s Theater in Washington. It was a conspiracy by a group of men to kill President Lincoln, Vice-President Johnson, and Secretary of State Stewart. Booth was tracked down and killed eleven days later. Eight conspirators were convicted of their crimes. Four […]
Connection By Christian Frans
Over time, we have found that people require many things to survive and thrive. The bare necessities – food, shelter, and water, are easy to see and understand. Yet I would then add a fourth thing: connection to other people and, more importantly, our God, our Creator. God created man in His image, which I […]
Evangelism in Large Churches
How do you implement congregational evangelism in a larger church? Turning a large ship takes more time, so how do we do it? Integrate with existing ministries rather than trying to compete with them. Large churches often have established, long-running programs such as L2L, VBS, youth activities, and education. Many dedicated volunteers are already serving in […]
The author is …. God
The Bible is a book unique among all the books ever written. First of all it claims to be the word of God in such verses as 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21; John 17:7-8, 17-18 and many more. Most “sacred books” never make such a claim. More than 2,000 times the Bible says “the […]
The Preacher’s Wife
Through the years, many students have arrived at preaching school whose wives have been a bit concerned about whether they could meet the expectations of being a “Preacher’s Wife. Since I’ve been pretty close to a “preacher’s wife” for the past 40 years, I thought I would risk presumption and weigh with on this issue. […]