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Apologetics is defending the faith and giving reasons for believing what we believe. It breaks my heart that many criticize apologetics as not being applicable to a post-modern culture. They assert that apologetics mattered for the modernists who valued intellect, reason, and the mind, but they argue that apologetics is no longer useful today in this post-modern, post-Christian culture. Yet apologetics has a Biblical basis. Apologetics exists to defend the faith and make it credible publicly and, more importantly, to give ammunition and assurances to the Christian. Personally, I am…  ( Click for more )

Proverbs 23:4 says, "Do not toil to acquire wealth; be discerning enough to desist." The principle here is not that it is wrong to have money or even a lot of it. The principle is that there are those who live their entire lives ruled by and driven by the notion of having more money so that they can one day be rich in their own opinion and perhaps also in the opinions of others. There is a clear lack of contentment, whereas the Bible teaches that godliness with contentment is great gain (1 Timothy 6:6). To spend an entire lifetime toiling after finally striking it…  ( Click for more )

Psalm 37:4 gives a promise that can often strike us as too good to be true when it says, "Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart." But it is Scripture, it is given by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and it is God’s personal promise to each of His children. One of Satan’s greatest and most frequently used lies to believers and unbelievers alike is that God is a cosmic killjoy. That is, God does not want to give us what we want, and by implication, He will not give us what we want. Therefore, in order for us to get what…  ( Click for more )

Of all the shortcomings of the church in America, this one gives me the greatest concern. A lack of prayer does not make us completely vulnerable to destruction or assimilation. A lack of knowledge does. Of course, if we desire true revival, all of the elements must be at work. It is no mystery in the New Testament that there will be many false teachers who will infiltrate the circles of the church. It is no mystery that Satan will disguise himself as an angel of light to deceive the church. It is no mystery that we are to test the spirits to see if they are of the Lord. Knowledge,…  ( Click for more )

Debt has been an increasingly relevant issue on the world stage, particularly in this country. With foreclosures rising out of control and major banks nearly shutting down, there is a great need to heed the Biblical commands surrounding debt. Now it is not straightforward from the Scripture to automatically conclude that all debt is bad. Debt was a normal part of life and business in the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 15:1). However, it was not appropriate to charge one another interest, and debts would be wiped clean after seven years (Deuteronomy 15:1, Nehemiah 5:7, Proverbs 28:8).…  ( Click for more )

The call and ministry of every Christian is to be an evangelist. Not to witness is sin because we know we ought to be doing it (James 4:17). We can’t solely rely upon our pastor or church to do it because we are the church. It is our call and our responsibility. We are ministers of reconciliation, and we will be judged for our faithfulness in that ministry (2 Corinthians 5:18-19).

The ministry starts with a burden for seeing the lost come to Christ. If that doesn’t exist, we must pray for it to become a reality in our hearts. I pray that God would break our…  ( Click for more )

The first Christians were described as feeling a sense of awe (Acts 2:42-47). In Acts, it seems that there was an excitement to assemble together, even on days besides Sunday. It has been only on rare occasions in my Christian life that I have felt a sense of awe among the community of faith. In each and every occasion when this did happen, it was clearly a work of God and devoid of any manmade manufacturing. Every time it was when a group of Christians were gathered together who, more than anything else, wanted to know God, serve Him, and love Him more. We all arrived with an attitude…  ( Click for more )

Daniel 8:12 speaks of the antichrist flinging truth to the ground such that this diabolical leader’s intentions can be accomplished. This verse seems to imply that in order for Satan to work through the antichrist so powerfully and so deceitfully that it is imperative that truth must first be cast to the ground. Then, once the idea of truth is destroyed and stomped upon, then this evil ruler can prosper, at least for a time.

Those who truly love Christ must have come to Him with an understanding that He is the only hope of salvation. Indeed, He says of Himself in John…  ( Click for more )

Creation versus evolution is a debate that rages on, though it shouldn’t have to. The evidence against evolution is so overwhelming, yet some still choose to believe in it. As we will see, the facts clearly point to the reliability of the creation account and even more conclusively to the irresponsibility of the theory of evolution. And it is only that, a theory.

Here is an overview of the theory of evolution. Billions of years ago a super-compacted ball of matter existed. The ball of matter spontaneously exploded for an unknown reason, and as gravitational and electromagnetic…  ( Click for more )

The Scriptures give us many places where we can go to study about men of character. In the Old Testament, there is often a one sentence commentary about a king. Either he followed God, or he did not. The central issue for him was the state of his heart before God. It is no different for the man of God today. In order for a young lady to know whether she should even consider pursuing a relationship with a particular Christian man, she must be able to identify whether or not he is a person of character.

It is all about integrity, the idea of being above reproach. This means that…  ( Click for more )

"I have listened and heard, they have spoken what is not right; no man repented of his wickedness, saying, ‘What have I done?’ Everyone turned to his course, like a horse charging into the battle." - Jeremiah 8:6

To humble oneself is a great challenge considering our desire to be self-made and self-deserving. To pray is an act of boldness and courage for it requires us to believe that it all depends upon God. To seek God’s face is a step in the right direction as we seek truth to apply. But to repent is the culminating issue. All has been for naught…  ( Click for more )

In Jeremiah 32, Jeremiah receives instruction from the Lord to go and buy land within the boundaries of the what had been the nation of Israel. Israel had been taken captive by Assyria, and now Judah was going to be absorbed into the Babylonian conquest. As the city of Jerusalem was being put under siege by Nebuchadnezzer, king of Babylon, Jeremiah was in prison in the king’s house. Doom for the nation was soon to be realized, but the fact that God told Jeremiah to buy land in the conquered land of Israel was a sign of great hope. It meant that God would bring them back to…  ( Click for more )

Waiting is a tough task, yet patience (i.e. longsuffering) is a desired fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). So, in other words, God’s purpose is to allow situations to come about in our lives which will require us to wait. As we walk by faith and by the Spirit, He will enable us to have patience and thereby glorify Him in our waiting. This, of course, is easier said than done. We don’t always get what we desire right away. God is not a fast food operator; He is honored when we persist in prayer and keep believing even when we have not yet received what we have asked.…  ( Click for more )

We can make a difference, but we must do it God’s way. Something changes inside when we are born again (2 Corinthians 5:17). We become children of God, called by His name (John 1:12). What was old passes away, and a new creation comes to be. This inward change is of the utmost importance, but what is not so often emphasized in Christian circles is the reality that our outward behavior ought also to change in response to our decision to follow Christ. There ought to be fruit bringing evidence of a change, for it is by our fruit that we are known (Matthew 7:20).

It…  ( Click for more )

God says in Proverbs 12:4, "An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who shames him is like rottenness in his bones." In other words, a wife can bring the greatest joy to her husband or the greatest misery. The excellent wife is the crown of her husband, the best thing he has in life. He is proud to be seen with her and to call her his own. Proverbs 19:14 says, "House and wealth are an inheritance from fathers, but a prudent wife is from the LORD." In other words, all you need to do to be given wealth and a large inheritance is to be born into…  ( Click for more )

False belief #5

Man is the center of attention and the architect of his success.

God is horribly dishonored by teaching that says that God died for us because we were valuable. The truth is that we had no worth and have no worth apart from the love of God in grace and mercy reaching out toward us. It was while we were yet sinners at enmity with God that He died for us (Romans 5:8,10). The gospel is a self-help and self-esteem killer. We are to die to our old selves and be made new creations in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17) whose identity we are to literally take on…  ( Click for more )

There are many dangers of the church growth movement which are already being felt and some of which will be felt more by succeeding generations. This article hopes to analyze the underlying philosophies of the church growth movement and then show how these beliefs are in direct contradiction to Scripture. It will become readily apparent as to how great a deception this movement is and how dangerous its effects have really become.

False belief #1

Success is defined by numerical growth.

Pragmatism is the underlying premise of all that church growth proponents do…  ( Click for more )

God created humans male and female, not male and male or female and female. Thus, homosexuality is a perversion of the divine order.

Genesis 1:27 says, “God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” God blessed the man and the woman which he had created from man (Genesis 2:21-22). God describes the woman as a suitable helper for man (Genesis 2:18). God did not create two men, the second to be the companion for the first. Rather, He created a female from the man and for the man.

The natural way is for a…  ( Click for more )

Isaiah 66:2 says, "But to this one I will look, to him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word." The promise of revival in 2 Chronicles 7:14 is available only to those who are humble, broken of spirit, and who bow their spirits before the authority of the Word of God. It is time to fall on our faces and cry out that Christ is worthy and that we are not, that He is capable and that we are not, and that He is strong and we are weak. Revival is a work of the Spirit in which we surrender to the authority and grace of God to move and operate in…  ( Click for more )

Contemplative prayer is based in spiritual formation, it teaches the use of spiritual directors, and it teaches that we need to center ourselves in prayer. These terms and phrases are found nowhere in the Bible, nor do they have any Biblical basis. Some who advocate the use of contemplative prayer use Psalm 46:10 where it speaks of being still before God to justify this practice. In context, the command to be still has nothing to do with letting go of our thoughts and feelings for the sake of some mystical experience with God. It speaks of trusting God even when the difficulties…  ( Click for more )

Suicide is a heavy topic but a very real issue. Life can come at us so quickly and furiously that hopelessness can invade our hearts. Life can also get just downright boring and depressing and give us time to turn our focus upon ourselves such that we find it not worth it to live any longer. Anger at others, at God, at the world, at family, at friends, at coworkers, or just about anybody can make us try to send a message by doing the ultimate selfish act of suicide. The reality is that suicide rarely, if ever, accomplishes the purpose for which the person who commits the act intends.…  ( Click for more )

Problem #1:

Culture (i.e. postmodernism) is allowed to dictate church practice (i.e. methodology).

This is seen in the fact that the emerging church relies upon incense, art, images, and experiences to draw near to God and to worship Him. God says to worship Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:24), but the emerging church finds ways other than what is described in the Bible to worship God. Worship consists of praising God through words and phrases that form coherent thoughts and propositions. It is not an emptying of the mind or any kind of mysticism.…  ( Click for more )

As societies come and go, as nations rise and fall, and as morality does the same, one of the biggest issues that cultures and nations face is the value of human life. Though these issues pertain to the elderly, the weak, the sick, and those with various disabilities as well, in this article my focus will be on the right to life of the unborn. What society believes to be acceptable can in no way be a guide for humanity because man is prone to deception and going his own way. Even America, a country which prides itself on equal rights for all, has treated slaves as less than human…  ( Click for more )

There are a lot of discouraged pray-ers out there. I know, for I have been there too. So that we are not defeated before we even start, we would do well to take note of these five elements that the Bible says are essential to having God both hear and answer our prayers. If we do these things we can be sure that our prayers will be answered. That is not to say that we can use these principles as spiritual "magic charms" to make God accomplish our will on earth. The whole point is to accomplish His will on earth as it is in heaven. Thus, central to praying properly is the…  ( Click for more )