To many Bible readers Balaam the son of Beor is an enigma. Nothing is known of him except for a brief though highly significant encounter with Israel, but that encounter reveals a disturbing and seemingly contradictory character. Is Balaam a fearless servant of the Lord, defying Balak to bless Israel? Or is he a conniving…
I believe in Christian Camps, especially for teens. God changed the course of my life at camp and I have seen Him do it for countless others also. Camp is more important now than ever. Kids addicted to phones and social media need to get away from all of that and focus on God…
These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly. But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thy self in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of truth (I Timothy 3:15). Our text refers to the…
The Late Show is hardly a bellwether for the state of America’s philosophizing or the condition of its soul. Except when it is. Several cultural commentators have observed that in the last two elections, some of the most blunt, honest discussions of our national situation came, sadly enough, through comedians. We expect them to break…
My tradition as a local church pastor is to emphasize Bible Reading as a Christian discipline. Each year around the New Year, I preach on the topic and hand out various Bible reading schedules. Lately, I’ve provided these schedules here on P&D as well. You will find links for our schedules at the end of…
Some years ago, I began an epic journey. I started reading through the Bible every year. During my senior year in college, reading through the Bible once per year had become a requirement for Bible majors. I was a church music major, so that requirement didn’t apply to me, but it did catch my attention.…
If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloak for their sin. John 15:22 The verb had come is aorist tense referring to a definite event. The incarnation was a definite event in the history of our world. Jesus is stating that if he…
Every year I select a theme for a series of messages in December, centered in some way around the Incarnation of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Over the years, these messages served to deepen my love for our Saviour. Someone (who unfortunately came to hold that we shouldn’t celebrate Christmas) once charged me with…
O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant, Come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem; Come and behold Him, born the King of angels; Chorus: O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, Christ, the Lord. Sing, choirs of angels, sing in exultation, Sing all…
Who Has Believed Our Report? Who would have believed it? Can we start with the words, “No way!”? “Not a chance!” “It isn’t going to happen!” (Or as some say, “Never happen, captain!) “There’s no path to success!” “Finished before He could even get started!” “You can’t get there from here!” So let’s start there.…