Standing Firm

By Fenter Northern

2Th 2:15 So, brothers and sisters, stand strong and continue to believe the teachings we gave you when we were there and by letter.

The text speaks to us concerning the identical critical issue that has remained constant since that day of Pentecost on which the Lord’s church was first established—“Save yourselves from this crooked generation. The same Lion that Peter warned the church about in his fist epistle is still on his hungry prowl. The antichrist that John warned about in his first two epistles is still anti-Christ today. He has just adapted the modern trappings that best suit his purposes to destroy or render ineffective the children of God in this generation age of electronic obsession.

Continue reading→

A Plea for My Christian Sisters

By Cary Gillis

With warmer months quickly approaching, I have a plea for my Christian sisters:

Though I am weak and imperfect, I strive for a pure and holy life, mind, and heart. But it is difficult. I struggle with lust. I know of no man, single or married, who does not struggle with this. It is more difficult for your Christian brothers than you could ever imagine. Our minds are totally different than yours when it comes to visual stimuli. I do not expect the world to care if my thoughts are pure. But I expect you to care. I expect you to cherish the faithfulness of your brothers. This is why it breaks my heart when I see Christian women wearing what the world deems appropriate, but what God deems immodest.

Continue reading→

10 Reasons Why I Long for Heaven

By Tyler King

1. That’s where God is (Rev. 21:3a) – I have experienced, first-hand, how God has treated me and cared for me on this earth. He spoils with abundant blessings despite being non-deserving of such treatment. On top of that, this world has been subjected to futility – there’s no logical reason why He should care for me the way He does, but He does. And I get to be with Him forever.

Continue reading→

What Being a Christian and Church Membership Is All About

By Fenter Northern

Can you identify with Paul where he said: “the good that I would, I do not.” and who would delivery me from this wretched body of sin and death? Is there any word from the Lord about that? It is the demand that is thrust upon the church in this hour? Are we measuring up to it?

It is critical that we do not lose our courage when everything about us seems to be coming loose at the seams, when those seeking to rule over us in politics seem to be fugitives from a mental asylum—and millions of voters would have it so.

Continue reading→

Exegesis Oversimplified

By Tyler King

“Don’t eat this. Don’t eat this. Don’t eat this.” Those were the words a classroom full of teens heard from me on a yawn-absorbed Sunday morning as I handed out Oreos.

Before the teens and I studied the book of Colossians together, I wanted to establish the basics of Bible study. However, if I said we were going to study exegetically, I would have been like a doctor as he watched the pulse of his patient gradually flatline. Odds are, “exegesis” (critical explanation or interpretation of a text, especially of scripture) is far removed from everyday vernacular. As a result, the practice of exegesis takes a back seat when reading through the text of God’s word.

Continue reading→

“Lord, To Whom Shall We Go?”

By Dan Jenkins

The sixth chapter of John records that day when the tide of popularity turned against our Lord. That first year of the public preaching of Jesus was characterized by multitudes following Him. John shows just how popular He had become, and early in this chapter we read that they were about to take Him by force and make Him their king.

Think about the motive many of them had for wanting a king like Jesus. He had just fed 5,000 men. This number did not include the women and children, so there likely were more than 10,000 fed that day. Who would not want a king who would feed you so that you would never have to work again? They wanted an earthly king. How did Jesus respond? John described the events of that day so vividly. “When Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone” (v. 15). He had no desire to be a king sitting on an earthly throne in Jerusalem.

Continue reading→

True Love is Rare

By Fenter Northern

Love that’s real is very rare,
Naught on earth can compare,
When you have this kind of love,
God smiles on you from up above.

God is love, it is His purity of character. Love is the most sought after thing in the world, even money when it is true love, yet it is extremely elusive. Many never find it. Why? Because it is not cheap. It comes with rigid self-discipline and respect for other human beings. True love is self-suffering to alleviate the suffering of others. It makes great demands on oneself that many are not willing to pay.

Continue reading→

The Christian Must Sacrifice Much

By Jim Mettenbrink

In order to be faithful to Jesus, the Christian must sacrifice much. To some, if not many or most, that is just too much. But Jesus gave His lifeblood for the forgiveness of the sins of each one of us. He was willing to die a cruel and unjust death because He loves each of us! A love which promises eternal life for the faithful Christians. In past articles we have considered the sacrifice necessary to put God first in our life, to truly love Him.

Continue reading→

Move Your Chair

Bret Petrillo via Daily Bread

The very accomplished architect, Frank Lloyd Wright, built a house for businessman Hibbard Johnson back in 1937. One rainy evening, Johnson was entertaining some very distinguished guests for dinner when the roof began to leak and drip directly on top of Johnson’s head. Furious and embarrassed, he called up Wright and complained about the roof leaking on top of his head. Frank Wright simply replied, “Well Hib, why don’t you move your chair?”

Continue reading→