An older brother, a minister, once suggested to me that I should write about one portion of this chapter. He didn’t tell me what I should write, but appeared to have confidence that I would be able to cut through the misinterpretations of the apostle Paul’s words that are often repeated in our day and … Continue reading An exposition of First Corinthians chapter three
Faith and life
Fifty years ago
It is 50 years since the Jesus people movement began in California. It followed close on the heels of the Summer of Love, that brief period in time when disillusioned young people believed they had found the solution to all the world’s problems. “All you need is love” by the Beatles was their theme. They … Continue reading Fifty years ago
The threefold purpose of the church
As I read the New Testament, the evidence accumulates that there is a threefold purpose for the existence of the church. Each of these purposes is connected to, and dependent upon, the other two. Perhaps we could call this a three-legged stool and whenever one of the legs is shorter than the others it creates … Continue reading The threefold purpose of the church
Built upon the rock
THE ROCK “Upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” There need be no mystery or speculation about what rock Jesus meant in this verse, He was simply referring to Isaiah 28:16, “Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a … Continue reading Built upon the rock
25 Flavours of Mennonites
When we lived in Ontario it would happen from time to time that someone I had just met would ask me what kind of Mennonite I was. “Does your church allow cars? electricity? telephones?” I knew these questions arose because there were at least 25 flavours of Mennonites within a 100 km radius of where … Continue reading 25 Flavours of Mennonites
How can killing make the world better?
It's in all the news media today. A man in Pittsburgh believed the world would be a better place without Jews and this morning he did his part to make it happen. This seems to be a time-honoured tradition; if you can't handle your own problems then blame them on somebody else and try to … Continue reading How can killing make the world better?
Four kinds of Christians?
In musing over the many directions taken by Christians I have encountered over my lifetime, it seems that they fall into four basic categories: ritualists; activists; survivalists and disciples. I don't pretend that this is the nec plus ultra of analyses, but it is something that has helped me sort things out in my own … Continue reading Four kinds of Christians?
The 1260 days in prophecy
A number of vivid prophecies were given to Daniel, containing references to the abomination that maketh desolate and a period of three and one half years. The prophecies give details about the beginning and ending of this time period and the symbolic language contains clear information about the persons and nations involved. The conquests of … Continue reading The 1260 days in prophecy
The following reasons are therefore the cause of our separation.
May it be known to everyone that the cause of our separation has been such; for the essential truth of faith, and the interior knowledge of a true God in three persons in a unity of essence, a knowledge that neither flesh nor blood gives; the proper worship due to God alone, the love which … Continue reading The following reasons are therefore the cause of our separation.
Duty of separation of the Christian
That the Christian is commanded to separate himself from the Antichrist, is said and proved by the Old and the New Testament: For the Lord says, Isaiah fifty-two: Depart ye, depart ye; get out of here, do not touch anything unclean, get out of it; purify yourself, you who carry the vessels of the Lord. … Continue reading Duty of separation of the Christian
Flatlander Faith 