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
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
Loss of power
A few days ago, I reorganized our home office. When I turned my wife's desk a quarter turn, all the wires that were hidden behind it were now a mess in the open air. Not as bad as the illustration above, but seriously unsightly and possibly dangerous. I went about to put a little order … Continue reading Loss of power
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
Do “All Things” Really Work For Good?
Your post brought to my mind a memory from years ago. A brother and I were superintendents for Vacation Bible School. As we were choosing choruses for the children to sing, the brother pointed to the words following and said: "If these children remember nothing else from this week but the words of this chorus, … Continue reading Do “All Things” Really Work For Good?
Uncivil societies
Today the supreme court of Pakistan acquitted Asia Bibi of all the charges against her. Mrs. Bibi, who is Roman Catholic, was found guilty of blasphemy in 2010 and condemned to death. The incident allegedly took place during a dispute with several Muslims over a glass of water. Radical Islamist leaders in Pakistan consider this … Continue reading Uncivil societies
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?
Do you think wisdom comes with old age?
That was the question my barber asked me yesterday. My answer was that I don’t want to believe I have wasted all 76 years of my life. I hope I have learned something from the things I have experienced. BUT – If a man would spend his whole life trying to demonstrate that he is … Continue reading Do you think wisdom comes with old age?
