Article (Page 6)

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 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…

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…

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…

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.”…

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…

When God created the fish and birds He blessed them (Genesis 1:21-22). When God made the livestock, creeping things, and beasts of the earth, He saw that it was good (Genesis 1:24-25). God has always cared about all creatures, great and small. Noah is even commanded to bring animals into the ark to survive God’s wrath (Genesis 6). God not only cares for His creation, He uses His creatures to teach us about Him! Consider these few examples: God used…

First things first: I am not anti-electronic Bible. In fact, I know people who basically must use one if they are going to be able to read the text. A lot of older people with failing eyesight have been blessed by being able to blow up the font size on a tablet to very large sizes so they can continue to read God’s Word. I use an electronic Bible from time-totime. So this is not an article meant to say…

Change takes time. Peter’s life displays a man who developed spiritually over years with ups and downs. Yet time was not the only factor in Peter’s development. Left to time without proper careand nourishment, stagnation comes, and life that once was present will die out. Peter grew because his lifetime was spent cultivating his relationship with God. Foundational to that goal is seeking to understand who God has revealed Himself to be through His word. Peter affirms his belief in…

Some things never change! But without the passage of time, no things can change. Who we currently are is different than who we can become (Romans 12:1-2; 2 Corinthians 4:16-17). But this kind of growth is NOT a quick process. Peter’s life exemplifies this. Peter, after being with the Lord for about 3 years, still did not understand the kingdom of God that was “at hand” (Mt. 10:7). He was ready and willing to kill when the mob came to…

In order to be successful in battle, it is imperative that one knows his enemy. He must know the way the enemy thinks and acts. The more one understands the maneuvers of his foe the better equipped he will be to counter them. The adversary of every child of God is Satan. The Bible speaks of his wiles or schemes (Eph. 6:11). He sets snares or traps for men (1 Tim. 3:6). He hurls fiery darts with great fury and…

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…