fisher of men

Defeating the Devil’s Strategies John 21:15-19 All of us make tracks through the valley of failure. Then the key question is, What we will do next? Sadly, many believers who stumble give up a vibrant kingdom-serving life for a defeated existence. But failure can also be a chance for a new beginning of living in Christ‘s strength. In pride, Peter thought his faith was the strongest of all the disciples’ and swore that even if the others left Jesus, he never would (Mark 14:29). Yet when the time of testing came, he denied even knowing Christ–and did so three times (Matt. 26:69-75). Satan hoped the disciple would be so wounded by his own disloyalty that his faith would be undermined by shame, condemnation, and despair. Likewise, when the Enemy sifts believers toda...

“The poor you will always have with you . . .” (Matthew 26:11a). Poverty is like a black hole in the space of humanity. This enigmatic darkness of poverty among us, around us, has a gravitational pull on one side. We are thus drawn by poverty’s own forces to help those in its chains by the power of self-interest. The black hole of poverty simultaneously exudes a magnetized repulsion on another side. We are revolted by its potential to uncover our own pretense. So, we bounce off the gravitational field with relief. Still, the prolific darkness of poverty expands like cancerous cells. What do we do? Mary Anointing Jesus: An Act of Lavish Love or Wasted Relief of the Poor? In John 12:1-8, the betrayer, Judas Iscariot, the treasurer to the disciples, scolded Mary for anointing Jesus’ feet...

August 1, 2019Some Encouragement Just For YouGwen Smith Today’s Truth “Long ago the Lord said to Israel: ‘I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself.’” (Jeremiah 31:3, NLT) Friend to Friend When our kids were younger, we had gathered as a family around the pull up bar in the upstairs hall to see our oldest son, Preston, display his thirteen year old man-cub strength. Like a chimpanzee, he pulled his lanky frame up and down with ease, impressing us all. When he tired to exhaustion, Preston dropped down and met our enthusiastic applause with a satisfied grin. As the clapping and praise died down, my then nine-year old daughter, Kennedy, decided to give the pull up bar a try. Lifted to the high metal pole by her strong daddy, she...

Many skeptics today will say the Bible is not reliable. In most cases when skeptics use the term reliable, they mean trustworthy or accurate. They wonder: Is the Bible historically accurate? Do we have the correct books in the Bible today? Hasn’t the Bible been changed by men over time? As Christians, we believe the ultimate authority is the word of God. The Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit will lead us in all truth (John 16:13). It also affirms that God will preserve his Word, meaning his Word will supernaturally be kept pure (Psalm 12:6-7). There are many things Christians can research, both in God’s word and externally, to build a good case for the reliability of the Bible. Namely, canonization of the Bible, historical accuracy of the Bible, Messianic prophecies, and New ...

Meaning of Missio Dei The English word “mission” comes from the Latin, “missio.” The missio Dei is, thus, the “mission of God.” For many years, Christians understood the mission of the Church to reflect the mission of God in the world, summarily, by the Great Commission of Jesus at His ascension (Matthew 28:18-20). Most properly, the word “missional” is an adjective to describe the Church’s foremost enterprise of pursuing the missio Dei in the world. Meaning of a Missional Church As in many other examples, “missional” can be “hijacked” and “repurposed” for a particular theological or sociological agenda. So, acknowledging that the term “missional” may be interpreted by others in the Church in several other ways, we believe that the phrase has merit when understood in traditiona...

The idea of a grim reaper has not only pervaded popular culture, such as in books like The Book Thief and Scythe, but it has also taken a featured spot in many religions. Judaism, for instance, attributes this role to Azrael, an angel of destruction. Islam has a name for this figure, “Malak Almawt,” as do other religions such as Hinduism. Does Christianity have a similar figure by a different name? Does a sole Angel of Death exist, realizing the idea of the Grim Reaper? Some say the Archangel Michael plays some role in the process from passing from this world to the next, but no Bible verse or passage supports this notion. In Scripture, Michael appears to fight spiritual battles and carry out the commands of God, none of which seem to indicate a grim reaper role. The name Azrael never appe...

Check out this very cool, three-minute video from Week 5 on Word of Life Island. I make a cameo appearance, but mostly you’ll catch the spirit of this very special place. The video explains why thousands of teens come to the Island every summer. Awesome! Click here sign up for the free email sermons.

John Crowe Ransom once observed how winter could be a season of the heart as much as a season of the year. Author and historian Martin Marty agreed. During and then after the death of his wife, Elsa, after a long illness, he experienced a “cry of absence.” The Divine was distant, the sense of the sacred was remote. An emptiness invaded his soul, for God felt removed and aloof. The bright warmth of summer spirituality became lost in the long nights of winter’s wasteland. We have all experienced the winter of the soul—the felt distance of God. It does not matter who you are or where you stand in relation to spiritual development. Consider a young woman, attempting to follow God in obedience, who walked the streets of the city she had just come to serve. She felt rejected by God, helpless and...

Would you do better being poor than being rich? JULY 29 “Two things have I required of Thee; deny me them not before I die: Remove far from me vanity [falsehood] and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient [needful] for me: Lest I be full, and deny Thee, and say, Who is the Lord? Or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.” Proverbs 30: 7-9 To pass the test of life, one test you may have to pass is the test of poverty. If so, the Lord has some advice for you. See your poverty in the proper perspective. Because in the Lord Jesus Christ you are highly exalted, no matter how poor you are. Having Christ, you are richer than the richest man on earth without the Lord Jesus Christ. As a Christian, you have gone from rags to riches. Did you kno...

“Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the LORD has helped us.”(1 Samuel 7:12) Ebenezer is only mentioned three times in the Bible. By definition Ebenezer means “stone of help.” The background of its meaning and significance begins in 1 Samuel 4 with Israel and the Philistines. 1. A Place of Defeat Israel set up camp beside Ebenezer in preparation for battle against the Philistines. During this period of time, Israel was infected with the worship of idols, practiced rituals, and neglected offerings to the Lord. In 1 Samuel 2:24, we are told, “[n]ay, my sons; for it is no good report that I hear: ye make the Lord’s people to transgress.” While in this sinful state, the elders of Israel felt if they fetched the Ark of the Cove...

DEALING WITH THE THIEF “The thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy; I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly.”  John 10:10 What would you do if a man came to your door one Saturday afternoon with the sole intention of stealing all your stuff? He wants your big screen TV, your computer, your phone, your furniture, and any spare cash you have around. Keep in mind that he has no weapon and no authority—although he sounds very authoritative. Furthermore, while he looks mean and menacing, he is really no tougher than Don Knotts (aka Barney Fife from yesteryear). In actuality, he couldn’t whip your ten year old in a fist fight. How would you respond to this thief? Would you let him have his way and rob you blind? Would you ...

“Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.” (1 Corinthians 13:6) Do you sometimes wonder why Jesus loves you? I mean, of course, we all know that God does love us because—insert classic children’s melody here!—“the Bible tells me so-oo.” (See John 3:16 and Romans 5:5 if you need proof.) And we know that God’s love for us is great—see Romans 8:38-39 for a beautiful reminder of that. But seriously, don’t you sometimes feel like King David when he wrote the lyrics of Psalm 8:3-4 (NLT)? “When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—the moon and the stars you set in place—what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them?” God Loves Me We certainly don’t deserve God’s love, and He’s not obligated to love either. ...