Understanding evil – a summary
For the Christian the only true understanding of evil must come from the New Testament. Evil is a spiritual problem properly understood in the context of a spiritual warfare worldview. Evil spiritual...
View ArticlePrayer as relationship
When we want to get to know someone better we often say that we want to get closer to that person. Getting closer to God, for instance, means we want a better relationship with God. Using the word...
View ArticleThe Pope and atheism
A few days ago the religious world was a bit shocked by the Pope’s address. According to the media’s interpretation he said even atheists will go to heaven. On further investigation I found that the...
View ArticleResults of revival (part 1)
Evangelistic ResultsPerhaps the greatest and most obvious sign that a revival is taking place is the great increase in the number of people committing their lives to Jesus Christ. If this is not...
View ArticleResults of revival (part 2)
MiraclesIn a revival there is an increase in healing miracles (physical, emotional, deliverance). These are more a byproduct of revival. They are not the focus. God uses the miraculous to accomplish...
View ArticleResults of revival (part 3)
Renewal Renewal movements happen across denominational lines. One church in renewal is not a renewal movement. In a revival churches are awakened to the power and love of God. The presence and power...
View ArticleGlory (part 1)
I was on a golf course in northeast Ohio recently with a friend. This time of year the trees are ablaze with autumn colors. Eventhough my friend has lived all his life in Ohio he is still in awe...
View ArticleGlory (part 2)
The glory of Jesus was hidden from humanity. But John and the disciples saw it (1:14). And on one special occasion three of the disciples saw it plainly. In his transfiguration the face of Jesus...
View ArticleGlory (part 3)
Jesus was our glorious Lord in heaven before his incarnation. His glory was hidden from humanity during his sojourn on earth. But there were a few who saw it in the natural realm. It is my belief,...
View ArticleGlory (part 4)
Glory (part 4)Jesus gives his glory to his followers. How does that happen? If the glory is in the presence then I see this happening in at least two different ways:The Holy Spirit in the Life of the...
View ArticleGlory (part 5a, Lordship)
When we consider the ways Jesus imparted his glory to his Church (through the Spirit in each believer’s life, and through the manifest presence of the Spirit in our worship gatherings), then the role...
View ArticleGlory (part 5b, Lordship)
In the Lordship decision the emphasis is on the action the believer takes, i.e. willful surrender to Jesus Christ as Lord in every area of his/her life. This should be accompanied by repentance and a...
View ArticlePrayer groups and fellowship
Perhaps you have experienced, as I have, one of those strange prayer times in a Church of the “frozen chosen” where the fellowship was so frigid you felt like you needed an Alaskan parka just to ward...
View ArticleBig questions
Christmas is a time of joy and happiness for many people. But for some the loneliness they harbor and hide throughout the year seems to surface into conscious suffering. Part of this pain, I believe,...
View ArticleThe before and after bucket list
When I saw the movie The Bucket List (starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman) I cried. Other cancer survivors know how I feel. But along with the awareness and feelings of finitude there is a...
View ArticleMind boggling immensity and mysteriously awesome meaning
Perhaps you’ve heard one of those talks on the immensity of the universe. I heard one recently by Lou Giglio. Kind of over-the-top but I got the point. I also have even given this kind...
View ArticleSelf-appointed critics in the church
I read recently about a pastor who was preaching during the chapel hour at a well-known Christian college. He shared that there was nothing wrong with his church that a couple of funerals couldn’t...
View ArticleJonah (part 1)
Bad Times for Good ProphetsIt was the early part of the eighth century B.C. There were two kingdoms in Israel. Jeroboam II was king in the north, in Israel; Uzziah was king in Judah. They were at...
View ArticleJonah (part 2)
The book of Jonah may well have had a long journey in Israel’s oral history before it was written down. The story has been honed and perfected, not a useless word in it. This is not to...
View ArticleJonah (part 3)
In his disobedience Jonah fled to the port at Joppa where he bought fare on a ship to Tarshish, a city at the western edge of the Mediterranean Sea, and the western edge of civilization. He set sail...
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