fisher of men

A Prayer for Christian Boldness By Alistair Begg “Therefore, although in Christ I could be bold and order you to do what you ought to do” – Philemon 1:8 Heavenly Lord, as we start this New Year, please give us the boldness to follow you in all things. Let your spirit lead us into the future. The Christian will be sure to make enemies. It will be one of his objects to make none; but if doing what is right and believing what is true should cause him to lose every earthly friend, he will regard it as a small loss, since his great Friend in heaven will be even more friendly and will reveal Himself to him more graciously than ever. You who have taken up His cross, don’t you know what your Master said? “I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against he...

Thomas Jefferson penned the Declaration of Independence, served as the third American president, and is widely considered one of the most influential Founding Fathers of the United States of America. However, many do not know that Thomas Jefferson also created his own version of the Bible. Taking a penknife, he pored over the biblical text in Greek, Latin, French, and English and cut and pasted passages to create what we call The Jefferson Bible. So what exactly is Jefferson’s Bible? And is it, in fact, a Bible at all? Thomas Jefferson in the Age of Enlightenment Thomas Jefferson was firmly rooted in Enlightenment thought. The Age of Enlightenment, which lasted through most of the 17th and 18th centuries, centered around human reason as the measure of all things. The Enlightenment brought ...

On Wednesday Chris Fabry interviewed me on the topic, What is saving faith?  We need this because there is a difference between believing facts and trusting Christ. The picture shows Charles Blondin carrying someone across Niagara Falls in a wheelbarrow. What does that have to do with saving faith? Listen and find out! PS Click here sign up for the free email sermons.

Child-Like Trust in the Lord  by Shawn McEvoy O Lord, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes haughty;Nor do I involve myself in great matters, or in things too difficult for me.Surely I have composed and quieted my soul;Like a weaned child rests against his mother, My soul is like a weaned child within me.Psalm 131:1-2, NAS This song, like many of the Psalms, was written by David – the man who would be Israel’s greatest king. Is David who comes to mind when you think of someone “not involved in great matters” (kingdom conflicts, maybe)? Or unbothered by “things too difficult” (slaying a giant, anyone)? No, to me, this doesn’t really sound like David. Doesn’t really sound like me most of the time either.  Let’s take a quick lo...

Probably every American school child old enough to study history has heard the little rhyme: “In October, 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue.” The story has often been told of Columbus’ dream of finding the East or Asia by sailing west. He is often held up as an example of someone who set goals for himself and would not give up when obstacles to achieving those goals came his way. He waited at the Spanish court six years before King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella agreed to sponsor his voyage. He persuaded his men to continue their westward voyage even when they threatened mutiny because they had not yet reached the expected islands of the Orient. Certainly Columbus is a model of determination and courage. Yet, the man was much more complex than the stories often reveal. W...

A Prayer to Press On By Sharon Jaynes “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses.” – Joshua 1:2-3 It is that sentence “I will give you every place where you set your foot,” that stops me in my tracks every time. God had given the Israelites the land, but they still had to take it. They had to put their foot down. They had to take hold of the promise. I just love miracles. Don’t you? I love reading about times when God mysteriously and supernaturally intervenes in someone’s life—times when what was impossible with man became a reality with God. But almost every time, God performed a miracle...

Coming from the Greek meaning “chief angel,” these angels seem to be at the top of the angelic hierarchy in terms of power. Created by God, these types of angels have a number of purposes they fill, lining the Old and New Testament of Scripture. Who are the archangels we encounter in Scripture and outside of it? What purposes do they serve? What are some other angels in the hierarchy below them? This article will explore all of these questions. Archangels in the Bible The Bible only attributes the rank of archangel to one angel: Michael. Although some wonder if we have a second angel, Gabriel, from the Bible, Scripture never labels him as an archangel. We encounter Michael a number of times in the Old and New Testament. He makes an appearance twice in the book of Daniel. Gabriel mentions M...

NASA’s chief scientist recently made headlines by saying, “We’re close to finding and announcing alien life on Mars… but is the world ready?” The statement from Dr. Jim Green was in relation to the sending of two rovers from NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) next summer “to drill horizontally into rocks and deep into the surface, in the hope of finding evidence of living organisms.” The question “Are we alone in the universe?” is one that haunts all of us, but none more than the scientific community. Why won’t we be ready for the answer? “It will be revolutionary,” offers Green. “It’s like when Copernicus stated, ‘No, we go around the sun.’ Completely revolutionary. It will start a whole new line of thinking. I don’t think we’re prepared for the results. We’re not… I’ve been worried...

How to Live United in Peace with Your SpouseBy: Amanda Idleman Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. – Ephesians 4:3 Isn’t the case that before you get married, you seem to think you and your fiancé have so much in common; but, after a few years in you realize you couldn’t be more different! Every person has unique strengths and weaknesses, making unity something we have to work at. Over time it can become easy for the differences to glare at us and the commonalities to become overlooked. My husband and I met as teenagers and we fell in love fast. At the time we met, I truly believed we were just alike. I saw my fiancé, at the time, as a sweet and easy-going guy. It wasn’t until years later I found out he is also a ver...

Few women from the Bible receive as much press and intrigue from both Christians and non-Christians alike than Mary Magdalene. From Broadway hits such as Jesus Christ Superstar to Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code have read more and said more about her past than Scripture has indicated. In this article, we’ll discuss the true identity one of the most notorious women who followed Jesus during his ministry, and we’ll expel popular, false ideas that have arisen about her throughout history. What does the Bible say about her? We only have one hint at Mary Magdalene’s life before she followed Jesus. When He casts seven (or possibly more) demons out of her, as Luke 8:1-3 says, Mary Magdalene does a complete turnaround and follows Jesus for the rest of His ministry. Here’s what else we know about her: Ma...

A Crown without Jewels by Ryan Duncan Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. – Hebrews 4:16  Like most kids who grew up in the church, I was enrolled in Awana the moment I had the ability to memorize John 3:16. Not that I’m complaining, I enjoyed the evenings of games and Bible stories. However, like every Bible club for small children, Awana had its share of speed bumps. One such bump appeared during a lesson where a young woman was sharing her testimony. She had just finished telling everyone the story of how her grandfather accepted Christ on his deathbed when a hand shot up in the back of the audience. “Does this mean we can do whatever we want as long as we say...

A definition of ecumenical is: “of or referring to or representing the whole of a body of churches or trending toward worldwide Christian unity or cooperation,” according to Merriam-Webster. Ecumenism, or the Ecumenical Movement, aims to, “recover the apostolic sense of the early church for unity in diversity,” as Britannica said, by dealing with the “frustrations, difficulties, and ironies of the modern pluralistic world. It is a lively reassessment of the historical [church] and destiny of what followers perceive to be the one, holy, and apostolic church of Jesus Christ.” Another interpretation of the modern Ecumenical Movement seeks to promote a type of unity Christian unity, as described in the Bible, with those of other non-Christian faiths. This ecumenism propounds the idea of univer...