The Background The Gospel of John wraps up the public ministry of Jesus in an unexpected way, by returning to the memory of John the Baptist. At the beginning of this gospel, we read about the message of John the Baptist (John 1:6-36). But after the introduction and baptism of Jesus, his followers followed Jesus…
Some questions have arisen as a result of Mark Ward’s presentation at our Annual Fellowship regarding the King James Version. I would just like to clarify a few things on this topic. As with all of our speakers in all of our General Sessions and Workshops, Mark was speaking “to” the FBFI not “for” it. …
Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain (Isaiah 40:4). When you drive through Colorado, you cannot help but be impressed as you approach a mountain 12,000 feet high. But as you get closer, you are suddenly…
It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to, than I have ever known. – Sydney Carton This famous line marks the end of the masterful novel, A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens. If you know…
Recently I had a conversation with another Christian and I was “challenged” (that may be too strong a word) to select more ‘modern’ hymns for Sunday worship than the hymns I had chosen. This actually was much more of an amicable discussion than you might think, but it left me thinking: “Am I more prone…
“All their life in this world and all their adventures had only been the cover and the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read: which goes on for ever: in which every chapter is better than the one before.” ― C.S.…
I have been getting requests to address rule book changes at BJU. Now that IS a can of worms because the requests are running both fer and agin. Some are saying we should defend BJU against the criticism and the other group is deeply concerned about BJU changing directions. So what I do know is…
Just a few days ago, I read an outstanding blog article on preaching by Michael Kruger, president of the Reformed Theological Seminary in Charlotte, NC. In Moving Beyond One-Dimensional Sermon Applications, Kruger outlines three categories of application for the sermon, the call to action, the appeal to the mind, and the application to the heart.…
I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes (Psalm101:3a). Recently, I went through the normal old age event called “cataract surgery.” It is difficult to describe what I now see, based on what I did not see before. I no longer need glasses except for reading and another side blessing is that all of…
Every sunrise welcomes a new day filled with choices you will make and circumstances you will encounter. For some, this daily adventure is exhilarating. For others, it is overwhelming. And for others (perhaps most), it is routine. In every case, there is one important fact to remember: God is carefully attending to every detail of…