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Rejoicing in an Evil Report
by Matthew W. Bassford The other day, a Facebook friend of mine posted the following quotation from C.S. Lewis’s Mere Christianity, something she apparently does annually. “Suppose one reads a story of filthy atrocities in the paper. Then suppose that something turns up suggesting that the story might not be quite true, or not quite…
Read MoreOur Allegiance
by Doy Moyer Arrogance and haughtiness do not appeal to God’s people. Rather, humility and love do, for this is what characterizes our Lord; this is the way of the cross. We must not applaud the conceit and selfish ambition of those in powerful positions lest we find ourselves bowing to the idols that are…
Read MoreReclaiming John 10:28
by Matthew W. Bassford It is sad but true that often, the most emphatic refutation of doctrinal error is another error. Consider, for instance, Martin Luther’s reaction to the Renaissance Catholic practice of selling indulgences. He objected, and rightly so, to the notion that we could purchase our salvation, whether with money or with righteous…
Read MoreHe Restrained Them Not (Iverson)
by John Iverson Do you think juvenile delinquency is an evil that is peculiar to our day? If so, then you would do well to read your Bible, particularly such passages as are found in the book of First Samuel. I Samuel 2:1 Bible Illustrations by Sweet Media Eli was a judge in Israel and…
Read MoreThe Problem with a Comprehensible God
by Matthew W. Bassford In my time as a preacher, I’ve had my share of conversations with people who thought they had a moral or philosophical justification for their agnosticism/atheism. They found something in the Bible they didn’t like. Maybe it was God commanding the slaughter of the Canaanite children. Maybe it was God condemning…
Read MoreA Tribute to Miss Bernice
by Royce Bell I’m so deeply saddened, yet rejoice in the victory, in mentioning the passing of Bernice Boyes, of Lake Elsinore CA, at 105 years. She was the single best evangelist with whom I’ve been associated in my near 50 years of preaching. Berry Kercheville worked with sister Boyes as a young preacher, and…
Read MoreBlack Lives Matter Statement
by Jefferson David Tant There is much turmoil and violence taking place in our nation over the racial problems that have become prominent in recent months. The “Black Lives Matter” movement has taken a leading role in discussions, demonstrations, and even violence in many places, including the murder of a woman who said “All lives…
Read MoreWays to Find the Lost
by Whit Sasser The following are some of the ways an individual can find those who are disposed of heart to become Christians; with the hope that once they hear the gospel, they will obey it, to the saving of their souls. Some of the ways require much money; some are practically cost-free. Some involve…
Read MoreExpressing an Opinion
by Doy Moyer Image by Tumisu from Pixabay Being able to recognize one’s own opinion and the effect that the stated opinion might have is important for discernment and growth in Christ. Many times I have failed and wish I could pull back on how I’ve stated some opinions. In an environment of strife, here…
Read MoreTolerance
by Ken Weliever via The Preacher’s Word Thomas Donelan, a Florida minister, offered this description of tolerance. To tolerate means I can disagree with you while still respecting you. One person is a Republican, another Democrat. We put aside our differences and get along. One person is a (Florida) Gator, another a (Florida Seminole University)…
Read MoreBeing Right and Wrong at the Same Time
by Matthew W. Bassford I am quite sure that God frequently shakes His head in amazement at my foolishness. However, I hope that year by year, decade by decade, I manage to get a little bit wiser. One such hard-won nugget of wisdom has to do with being right and wrong at the same time.…
Read MoreOne in Christ
by Doy Moyer Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash If all Christians are committed to be united in Christ, then the racial and ethnic boundaries that exist in culture will dissolve as all strive to live out the culture of the Kingdom of God. Our citizenship is in heaven, and this runs counter to ideas…
Read MoreWhat to Do When the Country Is Falling Apart?
by Gardner Hall The prophet Habakkuk was overwhelmed with anxiety about two things: The injustice in his country (Habakkuk 1:1-4) and the resulting destruction at the hands of the Babylonians (Habakkuk 1:5-2:1). However, when the prophet turned to the Lord in prayer, his confidence grew to the point that he could rejoice in the…
Read MoreForgiveness and Consequence
by Doy Moyer One of the fallouts of what is being called “cancel culture” is a marked lack of mercy and forgiveness. If you’ve ever said or done something that culture considers anathema, then you are done. Canceled. From this point on, you will have zero credibility with little to zero chance of redeeming yourself.…
Read MoreRacism Is Wrong
by Doy Moyer Racism is wrong. Do you know why? If you say that it is wrong, but do not ultimately know why, then all you are doing is expressing either your own personal preferences or mirroring the preferences of others. That is not acceptable, for preferences are subjective expressions, not objective moral statements to…
Read MoreJust a Drop in a Bucket
by Doy Moyer I find it interesting that in the midst of a passage intended to provide comfort for God’s people, and in declaring God’s greatness, we find this (Isaiah 40:15, 17, 23): “Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are accounted as the dust on the scales…” “All the nations…
Read MoreSkin Color Is Temporary
by Jonathan Perz One of the great spiritual ironies of “race” (as it relates to the color of a person’s skin) is the fact that at some point, we will all be changed. Consider the words of the apostle Paul” “All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one kind of flesh of…
Read MoreA Confession for Internet Writers
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton I Repent of pretending to know more than I do, of speaking without listening, of correcting without caring, of passing judgment without understanding, of talking at people instead of with people, of using words that hurt and do not heal, of writing without grace, charity, love, and kindness, of writing with…
Read MoreThe Old Testament Points Us to Christ
by Tommy Peeler The Old Testament is valuable because it points us to Christ. Jesus emphasized that the Old Testament pointed to Him Jesus said, “You search in the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that bear witness of Me” (John 5:39). When the audience failed to…
Read MoreOvercome Evil with Good
by Eric M. Hamilton “Do not be overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21). This is one of those profound statements in the Bible, that when it hit me, it hit me hard. On the surface, it seems a no brainer: Duh! Of course, you overcome evil with good! Photo by Andrea…
Read MoreA Gender-Neutral God in Hymns
by Matthew W. Bassford The other day, I found myself going through some hymns of hope and comfort that a hymn blogger has been posting daily through the coronavirus pandemic. The style (organ plus choir) isn’t my thing; from my perspective, you’ve got a nasty instrument drowning out the good parts. However, the hymns themselves…
Read MoreConfusing Mercy with Justice
by Matthew W. Bassford The other Sunday, I was approached by one of the younger sisters at church. She had a couple of questions. They involved hypotheticals that many of us have encountered before. What about the tribesman in the Amazon jungle who never gets to hear about the gospel? What about the man who…
Read MoreDemanding a Sign
by Matthew W. Bassford Matthew 16:1-4 is one of the more off-putting passages in the gospels. Some Pharisees and Sadducees come to Jesus asking for a sign. A reasonable request, right? Don’t you have the right to ask a self-proclaimed prophet to show that he’s really from God before you believe in Him? However, Jesus…
Read MoreWhat About This Man?
by Doy Moyer This isn’t a parable, but it is a principle to be understood with multiple applications. After Jesus resurrected and met with His disciples, He specifically talked with Peter. Three times (probably mirroring the three times Peter denied Him), Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him. Three times Peter said he did, and…
Read MoreDoctrinal Matters
by Doy Moyer When we think of “doctrinal” issues, we tend to think of matters like marriage and divorce, the work of the church, baptism, etc. We work hard to try to get these right, and there are often sharp disagreements over the nature of these “doctrinal” matters. “Doctrine” means teaching, and anything we teach…
Read MoreBooks “Missing” from the Bible?
by Ethan L. Longhenry In recent times we have seen an explosion of material alleging that the Bible that we have is not complete. Many theories have been advanced that speak of all kinds of other books that were “banned” from the Bible, “taken out” of the Bible, and other such ideas, and that such…
Read MoreListening to the Hard Sayings
by Matthew W. Bassford The law of Christ is not as I would have written it. There are actions that don’t bother me very much that God labels as sins, and there are things that chap my hide but are not condemned by Him. I think pineapple on pizza ought to be classed as an…
Read MoreThe Heavens Declare the Glory of God (Psalms 19)
by Mike Johnson Psalm 19 is beautifully written and has been revered by many people over the years. From it, many conclude that there is a God who created the universe, and He has revealed Himself to mankind through the Scriptures. From Psalms 19:12-14, the awesomeness of these concepts should cause introspection on the part…
Read MoreBut He Didn’t Have to be Circumcised!
by Edwin Crozier Didn’t we just have a whole debate in Jerusalem that discovered Christians didn’t have to be circumcised? In fact, in Paul’s letter to the Galatians, he will brag that no one made Titus get circumcised during that meeting (Galatians 2:1-3). Yet, Paul circumcised Timothy. What’s up with that? Acts of the Apostles…
Read MoreThe Failure of Moral Relativism
by Doy Moyer (By “moral relativism,” I mean in this context the idea that morals are merely human conventions and are relative, non-absolute, and changing according to our own personal or societal situation and desires. Morals are subjective, with no ultimate line or standard by which moral behavior is to be judged other than what…
Read MoreThere’s a Lesson in That …
by Patrick Andrews Two weeks ago, at the request of a friend, I wrote a poem about Beulah Land. Someone commented on that poem recently and after I finished reading the comment, I listened again to the song that I had copied to my post. This song was written over a hundred years ago. The…
Read MoreDie on the Mountain
by Terry Wane Benton Text: Deuteronomy 32:48-50 Photo by Alex Meier on Unsplash God commanded Moses to take one last journey to the tops of Mount Nebo, from there take a look over into the Promised Land, and die on that mountain. It is sad that he got so close, could see it, but not…
Read MoreThe Wonder of Touch
by Whit Sasser God’s design of the sense of touch is truly a most wondrous thing. Pain can save us from danger. Caressing can make us feel love and convey love to another. Determining the feelings of various things can be so helpful. Is it smooth or rough? Is it cold or hot? Is it…
Read MoreIf Your Right Hand Causes You to Sin
by Terry Wane Benton Jesus talked about “causing” ourselves or others to sin, and in making His point cut deep, He showed that retaining sin is far more serious than cutting off a hand or plucking out an eye (Matthew 5:27-30). You can go to heaven without a hand or an eye, but you cannot…
Read MoreRolling with the Punches
by Doy Moyer One thing about Christians in Scripture (ideally speaking) — they learned to roll with the punches no matter what was going on. If the government opposed them, they went with it and continued to glorify God. If things were going smoothly, they enjoyed the peace and they kept glorifying God. If they…
Read MoreStacking the Deck Against Jesus
by Matthew W. Bassford If there is anything we should take away from reading through the gospels this year, it is a deeper understanding of the skill with which the Evangelists crafted their narratives. Nothing in any of the gospels is there just because Jesus did it. As John observes in John 21:25, all four…
Read MoreFrom Saul to David, From David to Jesus
by Edwin Crozier Paul makes a subtle but profoundly powerful argument in his sermon at Antioch of Pisidia (Acts 13:16-41). The people, Paul explains, asked for a king (Acts 13:21). So God gave them Saul the son of Kish. As far as the worldly-minded would be concerned, Saul was a pretty good king. The Benjamites…
Read MoreThe Wonder of Smell
by Whit Sasser God’s design of the sense of smell is a wonder to experience and ponder. Who hasn’t experienced the sheer joy of smelling honeysuckle, freshly cut grass, brewing coffee, and hundreds of others similar? Some folks like the smell of gasoline, a new car interior, cigarettes (if a smoker), and such like. And…
Read MoreHard Sell Evangelism
by Ethan R. Longhenry For good reason, people prove skeptical about salespeople in general. We know they get paid to sell us things, and many of them will make a lot of promises, apply a lot of pressure, and engage in all kinds of manipulative practices to get us to sign on the dotted line.…
Read MoreThe Root of Bitterness (Bassford)
by Matthew W. Bassford Most of us have had an experience, invariably bad, with bitter people. Something has happened to them that they have continued to resent for years or decades, and they often take out their resentment on those who are closest to them. Frequently, we turn to Hebrews 12:15 for a Biblical condemnation…
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