There are people in our day who say that Jesus never existed. However, there are references to Jesus in first century writings by both Jewish scholars and Roman officials. No one from that era ever denied that Jesus was a real person. The gospels are eye witness accounts and the authenticity of their accounts on … Continue reading How can we be sure that Christ arose?
Faith and life
Unstable as water
My wife and I once took a whale watch cruise from a little town in Massachusetts. To find the whales we had to go out on the Atlantic until even the skyline of Boston disappeared from view. There was no wind that day, the ocean was as smooth and flat as a prairie field, only … Continue reading Unstable as water
Triumph in the cross
Jesus entered enemy territory when He came to earth, and He knew it. Satan and He had been adversaries since the Garden of Eden when Satan tempted Eve to eat the forbidden fruit, asking her, “Did God really say you shouldn’t eat it? You must have misunderstood, it’s good for you.” Since that time, Satan … Continue reading Triumph in the cross
Where is Paradise?
The first paradise was the Garden of Eden. In the Septuagint “garden” in Genesis 2:8 appears as “paradise,” the paradise of Eden. The Hebrew word in the original refers to a walled garden of pleasure and delight, where sin cannot enter. It appears that all peoples of the earth have in their traditions a memory … Continue reading Where is Paradise?
Did Jesus descend into hell?
The Apostles’ Creed says: “He descended into hell.” Or does it? This short little confession of the essentials of the faith is thought to have begun as questions that were asked of applicants for baptism: “Do you believe . . . ?” It was soon compiled into the form we have today - except for … Continue reading Did Jesus descend into hell?
By faith, not by sight
"To be honest, I believe part of the desire to 'know God's will for my life' is based on fear and results in paralysis. We are scared to make mistakes, so we fret over figuring out God's will. We wonder what living according to His will would actually look and feel like, and we are … Continue reading By faith, not by sight
The Lonely Ache of Popularity
Bill was tall, fair, handsome, sensitive. He was also the Eighth Grade football hero ‒ the one who scored the goals and carried the home team to victory. Girls in the top two grades were openly–or secretly–nuts about him. Like Grace, the girl who lived down the street from him. She was a nobody, shy … Continue reading The Lonely Ache of Popularity
Who were the “sons of God” in Genesis 6?
There are three lines of thought on this: 1. They were angels who took human wives. 2. They were kings exercising the “right of the first night” with any woman who was being given in marriage. 3. They were men from the godly lineage of Seth who took wives from the ungodly lineage of Cain. … Continue reading Who were the “sons of God” in Genesis 6?
Obeying the Great Commission in a time of persecution
This is my only joy and the desire of my heart, that I may extend the borders of the kingdom of God, make known the truth, reprove sin, teach righteousness, feed the hungry souls with the word of the Lord, lead the stray sheep to the right path, and win many souls for the Lord … Continue reading Obeying the Great Commission in a time of persecution
Out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water
Geswende Bamogo was already an old man when the Christian Service International workers came to his village in 1977 to drill a well. The well was dry, but the old papa saw something in these men that became a spring of living water in his life. He visited often, learning all he could about their … Continue reading Out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water
