Passion 4 Him

  by Randy White  June 26, 2014   For many years now I’ve been concerned with what appears to be a growing strategy of missions in difficult areas: praying for the Holy Spirit to reveal Christ in the lives of the unreached through dreams and visions. This is not a new strategy by any means. In 1997, the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention (then called the Foreign Mission Board) wrote about a particular wave of these revelations. The article [2] states that, “On that evening in 1983, villagers later testified, the Holy Spirit moved from house to house, revealing himself through dreams, visions and angelic visitations”  [emphasis mine]. In the same article, Randy Sprinkle of the Prayer Strategy Office of the FMB at that time argued that, “We can’t tell him [God] how he can and can’t do things…If he chooses to do it in what to our Western minds is an unusual or my...

  by Jesse Johnson   June 25, 2014   If you are new to watching televised soccer, you might not know what exactly it is you are supposed to be looking for. You understand that the goal is goals… but certainly there is more nuance than that, right? If the average game is 2-1, then you are spending a lot of time watching something other than scoring. What exactly is it, and how do you enjoy it? Here is the simplest explanation I can come up with, and if you understand this, then not only will you enjoy soccer, but you will be a better Christian as well—and yes, I meant to type that. At the World Cup level, soccer is essentially a balance between patient defense and strategic offense. Patient Defense When a team wins possession of the ball, they want to keep it, and be patient. They want to slowly build up their numbers, and make sure they don’t provide th...

McMahon, T.A. If I could go back and correct anything attitude-wise about my walk with the Lord for nearly four decades, it would be that early on I would like to have had more of an eternal perspective. I didn’t exactly buy the lie that “to be too heavenly minded is to be no earthly good,” but in some ways my thoughts and actions reflected that idea. I’m much older now, which has certainly increased the amount of time I spend thinking about Heaven. I’m sure that happens to all of us seniors who know and love the Lord. Wanting to be with Him for eternity is an exciting desire soon to be realized by us, unless—better yet—the Lord hastens the event by His imminent return for His saints. What then of those born-again young people starting out on life’s journey, looking ahead to college, careers, marriage, raising a family, and all the rest of the wonderful opportunities life can provide? For many, Heaven is a distant destination and a remote hope. Yes, it’s a n...

By Dr. Ed Hindson The New Testament clearly teaches that Jesus Christ will "come again" (John 14:3) and "appear the second time" (Hebrews 9:38). At least nine biblical terms are used in the New Testament to describe the return of Christ. [1] 1. Ho erchomenos. "The coming one," as in Hebrews 10:37, "For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come." 2. Erchomai. The act of coming. Used often of Christ's return. Cf. Matthew 24:30; John 14:3; 2 Thessalonians 1:10; Jude 14; Revelation 1:7; 22:20. 3. Katabaino. To "come down" or descend, as in 1 Thessalonians 4:16, "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout." 4. Heko. Result of one's coming, to have "arrived," as in Revelation 3:3, "I will come as a thief." 5. Parousia. Denotes arrival and presence (of a ruler), as in 1 Thessalonians 2:...

  by   Clint Archer June 17, 2014 In many cities of the Western world, selecting a church can be like shopping for clothes in the defect factory store. You know you need to wear clothes, but every item you try has some spot, snag, or run that catches you eye. You simply have to settle for the one that has the most bearable flaw. Please don’t take my candor for cynicism. I’ve loved all three local churches I’ve been a member of, but was not caught off-guard by discovering their inevitable imperfections. But what we need to realize is that some unpleasantness inherent to a healthy local church is NOT an imperfection, but a necessary attribute of faithfulness. In some pills it is the active ingredients that make it taste bitter. Here are four bitter pills that you may prefer to avoid swallowing, but should view as a sign that you’ve found a good church home. In fact if all four of these “unpleasantries” were  absent  it ...

Bobgan, Martin and Deidre Christ-centered ministry encourages spiritual growth and depends on the Lord to do the work in each individual through His Word and Spirit. Therefore, one can confidently assure believers that this ministry is more effective, long lasting, and spiritually rewarding than problem-centered counseling for those who are willing to go this way. For those who follow this Christ-centered ministry there will be spiritual growth, even if certain problems at hand are not resolved. Because Christ-centered ministry utilizes all that should already be available in every Bible-believing church where Christians are growing in the Lord, it avoids what we call the “onerous ones” that typify problem-centered counseling. We briefly touched on these onerous ones earlier. However, we will expand on them here to clarify some major differences between Christ-centered ministry and problem-centered counseling for the purpose of encouraging believers to take coura...

Question: I have heard it said that the prophecies in the Bible are worded in such a way that their alleged “fulfillment” could fit almost anything. Is this true? And if not, what is the purpose of prophecy? It seems to me that for the Bible even to be involved in prophecy puts it in the realm of speculation and detracts from its credibility and reliability and its excellent teaching on morals. Response: The Bible is about 30 percent prophecy, and for this reason alone it is absolutely unique. There are no prophecies in the Qur’an, in the Hindu Vedas or the Bhagavad-Gita, in the sayings of Buddha and Confucius, in the Book of Mormon, or anywhere except in the Bible. Nor are there any prophecies concerning the coming of Buddha, Krishna, Muhammad, Zoroaster, Confucius, or the founder or leader of any other of the world’s religions. The Jewish Messiah is absolutely unique in this respect. His coming was foretold in dozens of specific prophecies that were fulfilled in...