Posts by Andy Baker

There will always be a pull on Christians to compromise the truth of the gospel for what may be more pleasing to me (or men), for what may seem to be “wise,” or for what may be easy. Paul said in Galatians 1:10, “For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.” How important it is to hold onto the…

Hebrews reads to a people who have taken their eyes off of the prize. The writer threw them a lifeline with this book as an exhortation to remain faithful, to hang in there. The sum way they accomplish this is by keeping their eyes focused on Jesus, listening intently to His message from the Father (Heb. 1:1-4; 12:1-3). At the last chapter of the book, the writer gives some very practical commands for these people to keep their eyes on…

Mark Twain observes a truth through his character, Huck Finn: “human beings can be awfully cruel to one another!” to which I add a hearty, “amen.” Jesus bore the whole of man’s cruelty towards Him, when He above all others, was righteous and powerful to stop it in its tracks. Sadly, there was no distinction between the Gentile world which carried out the punishment, and the people of God who demanded punishment. Yet, Jesus carried the cross of pain cruelly…

“Buy the truth, and do not sell it, Also wisdom and instruction and understanding.” I have the choice to buy the truth. Buying and selling is as natural as breathing in our consumer-driven culture. Solomon says in Proverbs and throughout Ecclesiastes, “Buy the truth,” and accessorize it with “wisdom, instruction, and understanding” in order to enrich your life. It is the buyer’s choice to make the purchase. Solomon would classify this as the difference between being wise and being foolish…

We have assurance that the God of all comfort comforts us, and He will do so in the exact right way we need. However, in our efforts to bestow His comfort on others, we might unwittingly become miserable comforters to others. This often happens, I believe, with good intentions by well-meaning people when they try to assign a reason for what happens, when really it’s something only God knows. Thus, we become like Job’s friends: miserable comforters (Job 16:2). THINGS…

This true “Ask an Engineer” question appeared in 2013 on an MIT website and was also answered by a graduate student. This student deconstructs the poem, “’Twas the Night Before Christ -mas” to analyze the navigation, guidance system, and control of Santa ’s sleigh. It is a truly bizarre read, but nevertheless, with scholarly efficiency, this student shows the relationship between reindeer, Santa, and a sleigh as a controllable vehicle. By the way, the answer this student came to is…

In sending his disciples to go and minister, Jesus told them He was sending them as “sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore, be wise as serpents and harmless as doves” (Matt. 10:16). There has to be a great reason why our Lord uses four different animals in one verse to describe the relationship, qualities, and character of the people who would be speaking, and the ones to whom they would be speaking. A couple of prayers to consider as…

Think of an “outsider,” not a member of Christ ’s church, who walks into our assemblies or classes. What if an outsider becomes a guest at Graeber Road? We ’ve prayed, people do show up – God has answered. A powerful thought: God has said, “Yes” to our request for an open door. The question is: are we being good stewards of the blessings he is giving us? We do not want any visitors to slip through the cracks or…

So much of Jesus ’s public ministry and so many of His conversations with people happened around the dinner table. In fact, most of Luke (1/5 of this gospel account) has to do with Jesus either going to a meal, sitting down and eating a meal, or getting up and leaving from a meal. Jesus had great opportunity to help when He sat down at the table. Consider now this and see if there is any truth to it: YOUR…

One man said, “profanity is the language of the ignorant.” For someone who has no other expression than expletives to use when they ’re angry, excited, fearful, sad, or any other emotion, they really show a lack of understanding. Remember when Peter wanted to show his ignorance of Jesus, he began to curse and swear to show that he was not with the Lord (Matt. 26:74). While this is not an article about profanity, we would do well, parents, to…

VBS is almost here (6/27 -6/29)! It is truthfully one of my favorite times of year because there are some really creative and talented minds that really shine in making a great experience for our kids. It is an opportunity to really “think outside the box” and to make a lasting impression on these kids about the spirit and life of Jesus. Even if you are not directly involved in the teaching, decorating, feeding process, or anything else here is…

Nothing will motivate us more than becoming better at what we do. As we dedicate ourselves to having Jesus at the center of our thoughts, our actions, and our words, we will begin to be motivated by “Christ being formed in us” (Gal. 4:19). This does not happen by accident but it has EVERYTHING to do with the doing of daily following Jesus. The more we follow, the more we are motivated to follow more closely. The more we follow…