Archive for May 2013
Olde World Baptists: Liviu Olah (1)
David Potter Transylvania would not seem to be the likeliest place to search for heroes, much less for Baptist heroes, but two outstanding servants of Christ sprang from that region nevertheless, born 90 years and 75 kilometers distant from each other. Their names were Mihály Kornya and Liviu Olah. I have already devoted a series…
Read MoreExamine Your Profession of Faith
Paul Downey One of the longest recorded sermons preached by the Lord Jesus is found in the fifth, sixth, and seventh chapters of Matthew. The immediate audience to whom Jesus spoke included the scribes and Pharisees—the scrupulously religious experts of the Law who assumed they were perfect in righteousness. Also present were many ordinary Jews…
Read MoreCulture is the Battleground
Don Johnson Is it just me, or are the issues we most argue about today in the separation debates largely focused on cultural questions? Whether the argument is over music, motion pictures, dress, the use of alcohol, or any other issue you care to name, the argumentation is largely a matter of “culture” and the…
Read MoreThe Helmet of Salvation
Andy Rupert During first-century battles, “the Roman soldier wore a bronze helmet equipped with cheek pieces. The helmet was a heavy decorative and expensive item which had an inside lining of felt or sponge which made the weight bearable. Nothing short of an axe or hammer could pierce a heavy helmet” (Reinecker and Rogers 542).…
Read More61 Percent Wrong
Doug Wright Winchester Star, May 24, 2013 – “The Boy Scouts of America threw open its ranks Thursday to gay Scouts but not gay Scout leaders . . . Of the roughly 1,400 voting members of the BSA’s National Council who cast ballots, 61 percent supported the proposal drafted by the governing Executive Committee.” Those…
Read MoreCrossroads Conference – June 17
Crossroads Conference Dr. Les Ollila Topics: A Good Legacy Does Not Guarantee a Good Future Avoiding Pragmatism Dear Friend – Pastor Rick Arrowood and I would like to invite you to a very special morning with Dr. Les Ollila on Monday, June 17, 2013 at Colonial Hills Baptist Church.
Read MoreHardly Any Poison at All
Frank Hall When I was a boy, I had a dog named Prince. He was a funny-looking critter. Half greyhound and half St. Bernard, he wasn’t just big—he was huge! He had one brown eye and one white eye; the epicanthic fold on his white eye was a brilliant pink. People who had never seen…
Read MoreSearching for the Perfect Sermon
Thomas Overmiller A preacher never should settle intentionally for an imperfect sermon. He is responsible to “rightly divide” – that is, exposit – the Word of God (2 Tim. 2:15). Yet, what preacher can say that he has ever delivered a perfect sermon? Mistaken exegesis, inaccurate illustrations, mispronounced or mistaken word choices, unrelated or neglected…
Read MoreBiblical Separation: Isolation or Insulation
Bud Steadman Biblical separation” is a phrase that often evokes a demonstrative response from the individual who hears it. Those who are opposed to the concept of a distinctive Christianity are prone to get their dander up when they hear the phrase. Believers who are committed to faithfulness to Christ and His Word rally around…
Read MoreSpiritual Leadership
Jim Oesterwind “One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren” (Matthew 23.9). It is interesting that the Pharisees seemed to be quite accurate in their teaching. Jesus told His disciples that they should observe and do what the Pharisees told them (23.3). It’s just that the works of the Pharisees did not…
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