FrontLine
First Partaker: The Secret of Power (1)
Mark Minnick Lying here beside me is a small volume entitled The Crisis of Missions by A. T. Pierson. My copy was personally autographed by Pierson and presented to Dr. Alexander Maclaren during the World Missionary Conference held in London in May of 1888. I enjoy having it in my hands and thinking of these…
Read MoreHolidays and Old Testament Feasts
John Mincy Israel had nine appointed festival seasons, of which only three are technically called “feasts.” The Passover (Unleavened Bread), the Feast of Weeks (Harvest, Firstfruits, Pentecost), and Tabernacles (Ingathering) are the only three designated by the Hebrew word for feast. All the males of Israel were required to go up to Jerusalem for these…
Read MoreThe Desire of All Nations
Haggai 2:6-9 Introduction During this Christmas season, many Christians will listen to the music of Handel’s Messiah. We will join in singing Wesley’s beloved carol Hark! the Herald Angels Sing or his less well known Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus. In either case we will hear musical settings of God’s prophet when he said, “and the…
Read MoreThis is How We Know
Webster defines hermeneutics as “the science of interpretation; esp[ecially] the study of the principles of Biblical exegesis.” Nevertheless, a well-educated person may have no understanding of hermeneutics. In a conversation with a college professor from a well-known conservative (non-Christian) college, he challenged a clear interpretation of Scripture with the charge, “That’s your opinion.” When I…
Read MoreMinistering in Music or Just Singing a Song?
Bonnie Oberg When I was 11 years old, the pastor of our very small church asked me to sing a solo for the evening service. I’m not sure why he took that chance on an 11- year-old girl, but he did. I squeaked through the song and started to sit down, feeling totally embarrassed. He…
Read MoreJoseph: A Man of Faith
Bud Talbert Joseph, descendant of Abraham and David, was “the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ” (Matt. 1:16). This is how the earthly father of our Lord is introduced in the New Testament. Notice how careful and specific the wording is? Jesus was indeed born “of Mary” but not…
Read MoreThe Melting Pot of Mission Fields
Developing a Foreign Missions Mindset in United States Ministry Tim Richmond Our Default Is God’s Design A uniformed police officer stood outside of Dan Hyden’s home in Ivanovka, Russia, in February of 2003. Six other men came in from the Siberian cold to question the group of believers that had met to worship. Pastor Hyden…
Read MoreSeeing through Spiritually Sensitive Eyes
Jim Bickel Upon first stepping foot on the busy streets of Brooklyn years ago to evangelize, my initial impression was that I had entered a foreign mission field. The world has come to New York City like no other place. Research reveals it is the largest, most diverse cosmopolitan city on earth.[1] Because the City…
Read MoreBeginning Personal Bible Study
Linda Hull “Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart” (Psalm 119:34). I have learned that the most important aspect of Bible study is to get started! Too often we believers get bogged down in our efforts to read our Bibles by worrying about the…
Read MoreGlimpses into Giving
Bud Steadman Some Christians are apologetic when a speaker or writer addresses the issue of giving. However, giving needs no more apology than does praying. In the Scriptures 1539 passages refer to giving, while only 523 pertain to praying! Establishing a godly testimony in finances is critical to the work of our Lord Jesus Christ.…
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