Isaac Watts was seven years old when he wrote a poem, an acrostic based upon the letters of his name. I am a vile polluted lump of earth; So I’ve continued ever since my birth; Although Jehovah grace does daily give me, As sure as this monster Satan will deceive me. Come therefore, Lord, from Satan’s…
Jeremiah 20:7-13 The Confessions of Jeremiah, part 4 I can imagine someone in Jeremiah’s day thinking, “Jeremiah has lost his emotional stability and sanity. He needs crisis counseling, so let’s have a talk with him and tell him it is time for him to quit and pack it in.” They could have said things like…
Fellowship is a big word in the Christian vocabulary. The underlying Greek word in the New Testament only occurs 19 times, but the concept looms large in our thinking about the spiritual relationship Christians have with one another and with God. Even though we use the word a lot, it seems we do not fully…
Unsurprisingly, politics regularly brings abortion back into the public discourse. Brazen politicians today publicly defend partial birth abortion and worse. Some even disgustingly advocate so-called “after birth abortion”. Of course, “killing unborn children” is hardly the way most Americans would prefer to describe it. It’s more persuasive to focus on the really vexing examples—the stories…
Music is powerful. Artistic words carried to the ear by tear-jerking melody, driving beats, or care-free tunes make their way to the deepest parts of the soul and stay there. Music can evoke feelings and emotions in a way that the spoken word never can. Have you ever thought about why music is so powerful…
I had the great privilege on Sunday morning at preaching for the 50th Anniversary of Tri-City Baptist Church (Chandler, AZ) and for the installation of its new pastor, Ken Endean. It was a unique situation for me. Fifty years ago, I was in attendance (along with my family) at Tri-City’s very first service. I was…
What is a Baptist? What is it about our “faith and practice” that distinguishes us from believers in other denominations? Chester Tulga served in years past as the research secretary for the Fundamental Baptist Fellowship. This outstanding Baptist thinker and spokesman affirmed the principle with which we rightly begin our discussion. He said, “The basic…
The Confessions of Jeremiah, part 3 Jeremiah 17:12-18 In this world of woe and war, we need a victorious vision. As Moses saw Him who was invisible (Hebrews 11:27), Isaiah saw the Lord high and lifted up sitting on His throne (Isaiah 6:1), the Apostle John saw Jesus glorified (Revelation 1:12-18), so Jeremiah sees the…
I currently live in Detroit, Michigan, which has a significant Arab population. The cities of Dearborn and Hamtramck especially have substantial Arab communities, but even in my small town of Melvindale, it’s common to see women walk down the street in burkas or supermarket signs written in Arabic. It’s an incredible mission field for the…
We are in a study of Baptist history in our church. Our study lasted just over a year, but we are down to the last lesson or two. The folks in our church tell me they enjoyed it, I certainly enjoyed teaching it. (But then, I would!!) Near the end of our study, I came…