“God is the God of Peace”
God told Moses to tell the priests how to bless God’s people in Numbers 6:23-27. The blessing we know, “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; The Lord lift His countenance upon you, and give you peace.” The Jewish commentary says that the priests performed this blessing daily in the temple. The blessing was the priest performing it (v. 23), but it was God who was…
Slow to Hear, Quick to Speak, & Quick to Wrath
This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to wrath. – James 1:19 It is amazing how many people get this verse so wrong. Stephen, often regarded as the first Christian to die for his faith concluded his sermon about the hardness of hearts of the Jews. Just before they stoned him, the Bible says they “cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with…
Philippines Mission Letter: June 2023
Click to download the letter. Dear Brethren, May the Lord’s love, protection, and grace always safeguard and bless each one of you. Despite the challenges we face, working in the Lord’s kingdom always brings deep satisfaction and fulfillment. With the courage, strength, and opportunities given by the Lord, we continue to share God’s message of salvation. We feel honored to share the Scriptures and their meaningful messages through the family development sessions and moral recovery program initiated by our government.…
Philippines Mission Letter: May 2023
Click to download the letter. Dear Brethren, May the Lord’s peace encompass you and may His grace overflow in your life. We keep on using God’s Word to communicate moral values and inspire change in the local government employees. The goal is to help those who work in public service understand how their lives can be fulfilling and productive when guided by strong faith-based principles. By emphasizing moral values during the flag ceremony and in their offices, employees are reminded…
Three Motivations for VBS
The amount of prayer, planning, and work that it takes to make a Vacation Bible School a success is tremendous. For many churches, though, VBS is just a “thing” they do because they have always done it. While it takes a lot of effort, it just kind of happens and then is forgotten until a few weeks or so before that usual time slot on the calendar starts drawing near the next year. But even then, there can be excitement…
There is Much to Do!
There is an old hymn (written in 1873) in our songbook titled “There is Much to Do” (#658). Known for its repeated: “Here am I, send me,” the song encourages the church to be ready for action and willing to “go” evangelize. This month in particular, that song rings a little different. This week, until the end of the month, the average noise level of the building will increase tenfold. I still look on with shock and awe at the…
Why I Love Camp
Lord willing, we’ll be on our way Sunday morning to this year’s session of Camp Bandina. I love going to a Christian camp. I don’t love it because the counselors there are perfect, but because they’re servants of the Perfect One. As counselors, we all bring our faults and flaws right along with us, but we get a chance to serve God by teaching His perfect love and His perfect ways to the campers. I don’t love it because it’s…
A Worker’s Reminder About Work
My advice for anyone old enough to understand the difference between idleness and work and can understand the printed word, get a copy of the Bible book, Proverbs and read about work over and over until the meaning of work is totally understood. The biblical theology on work is that work was designed by God as man’s earthly occupation. It is the means by which man sustains life. Proverbs was written by Solomon whom the bible says was the wisest…
Philippines Mission Letter: April 2023
Click to download the letter. Dear Brethren, May the Lord bless you with His grace and fill your heart and soul always with joy and hope. We thank and praise the Lord always for He has continually provided us with opportunities to reach people and share His life-transforming message. The continuing cooperation of our brothers and sisters in spreading the Word of God by referring seekers to us is advancing the Kingdom of God through evangelism. Our continued partnership with…
Six Reminders From Our Seminar
Our Encouragement – God’s faithful people have experienced and endured persecution for a long time. Remember Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:10-12: “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”…
Don’t Let Go of What’s Most Important
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…
Philippines Mission Letter: March 2023
Click to download the letter. Dear Brethren, May God keep you safe and be with you always. We are so glad and thankful to God for allowing us to visit and connect with our brothers and sisters last month, especially those who are going through difficult times. We understand the challenges and struggles that life can bring, and we want them to know that they are not alone. It is our joy to be able to share the love and…