Whatever Happened to “Whatever Happens?”
Paul writes this exhortation to the church at Philippi: “Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.” Philippians 1:27...
What is Worship From the Heart?
Several years after the sudden death of our sixteen-year-old son, Mark, God seared into our souls a vivid image of the privilege of corporate worship within our covenant community...
Ten Bad Reasons for Leaving Your Church
There are many good reasons why people decide to leave a church. But there are some very bad reasons as well that have the great potential for throwing a church family into a pit of...
Priorities That Build Strong Marriages
People of faith often forget that the first place to serve our God is in their marriages and homes. And when we forget that important principle, we endanger the godly legacy that it is...
Perseverance in Marriage
Knowing the right thing to do is fairly easy. Doing the right thing is much harder. Not long ago God convicted a good friend of ours, Ellen, about her hateful behavior toward her husband...
Longing for What Was
Think of a perfect moment in your past, the moment to which you wish you could return. Our moment is July 6, 1993, before 10:40 p.m. We were helping our daughter Heidi and her fiancé...
A Safe Place for Rahab
She’s called Rahab, the prostitute in the Hall of Faith (Hebrews 11). Her actions helped the Israelites win the battle of Jericho. She had heard stories of God’s power and presence...
A Secret of the Heart
Unbeknownst to many, we live in a nation where millions of women (and men) carry a ‘secret of the heart’…one that heart- wrenchingly goes directly to the soul where it looms daily…dark and ominous...
Unconditional Election, Part 1
Unconditional Election specifically deals with the biblical concept of election or choosing as it pertains to salvation...
Unconditional Election, Part 2
Stop for a moment and ask yourself this question. When does the Bible say your election took place? Before the foundation of the world. Right? Okay, does the Bible teach anywhere that...
Total Depravity, Part 1
There are certainly “spiritual seekers” who seek after a god they define for themselves. But this is simply another form of idolatry. You can read about people committing such idolatry in Acts 17:16 – 21...
Total Depravity, Part 2
The basic question here is – given man’s fall into sin, is there anything human beings can do in our own strength to remedy our spiritual condition?...
Total Depravity, Part 3
There are certainly “spiritual seekers” who seek after a god they define for themselves. But this is simply another form of idolatry. You can read about people committing such idolatry in Acts 17:16-21...
Salvation, Part 1
If you’ve correctly understood the previous four points in our study, then you’ll easily see how this last one logically blends with the others. You’ll also understand why Calvinists believe the T.U.L.I.P...
Salvation, Part 2
There are many Christians who wrestle with this same “apparent” dilemma. And too often, they arbitrarily choose one side of the coin while simply ignoring the other. The side they choose usually depends...
Reformation and TULIP
In 1517 a Roman Catholic monk, Martin Luther, nailed his 95 theses to a church door at Wittenberg University in Germany. This act wasn’t intended to ignite a movement that would eventually split the Roman Catholic Church...
Limited Atonement, Part 1
The doctrine of the atonement in Christian theology refers to the work performed by Christ on the cross. It teaches that on the cross Christ did “atone,” or made amends for man’s sin by bearing its punishment...
Limited Atonement, Part 2
Each day God withholds certain judgment from many individuals in this world. Many unbelievers are granted mercy from their final consignment to hell, where they’ll bear God’s wrath for their own sins. Every day God brings others to saving faith in Christ...
Irresistible Grace
Very simply put, the doctrine of irresistible grace means God overcomes all human resistance within those who are His chosen ones – His elect.”...
Can Dead Men Choose Christ?
Question: Since I have a free will, don’t I decide if I am going to become a Christian rather than being elected by God? Isn’t election an infringement on my free will? Answer: Yes and no...