These are incredibly difficult times for pastors. Many of you are facing real health threats (which in some cases are heightened through your faithful ministry to people) as well as tough decisions, congregational divisiveness, an atmosphere of hostility, and many other challenges. And of course, being isolated from our congregations (our church brothers and sisters) […]
I had a friend many years ago when I lived in another city who used a word that almost never came out of my mouth. He would very frequently describe something he was talking about as “TREMENDOUS!” I have also known many people who could be counted on to use a phrase such as, “I’m […]
One of the things that stunned John was that it was his cousin!! Matthew 3:14 tells us that JOHN WAS INSISTENTLY FORBIDDING Jesus from being baptized by him. That’s what this unique Greek word (διεκώλυεν) means. It’s never used anywhere else in either the New Testament or in the Septuagint. It means that John was […]
Imagine for a moment that you were in Wuhan, China, on the very day that COVID-19 migrated into the first person and began its invisible attack on the human race. What would you have seen exactly? Not much. Perhaps you would have seen someone bent over a cooking fire to prepare an evening meal, just […]
How should churches handle the coronavirus? That’s the question congregations around the country are grappling with since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic. I surveyed a cross-section of pastors in my “tribe” regarding the steps they are taking. Following is a summary of the most common best practices that emerged from their feedback as well […]
1. Our first duty as leaders will be to display the majestic calm that characterizes those who have submitted their lives into the hands of Jesus. We have the peace that surpasses understanding. We know that all of our days were numbered in the Lord’s book before even the first one came to be. We […]
In Matthew 12, Jesus encountered a growing storm of controversy. The crowds around Him were swelling to thousands and tens of thousands in size, and at the same time there was a plot in motion to kill Him because He kept healing people and increasing in popularity. Jesus did not stop healing people. In fact, […]
A CERTAIN WOMAN, A CERTAIN TIME. Her beauty couldn’t protect her from the gossip. If the men fell silent when she walked into town (and followed her with their eyes until she was out of sight), it would only have caused their wives to be more vicious behind her back. How many times did they […]
One of the most popular “discoveries” in Scripture of all time has been the prayer that Jabez prayed in the fourth chapter of the Old Testament book of I Chronicles. His prayer request was obviously noteworthy, or the Holy Spirit would not have included it in the Old Testament. But for what reason was it […]
This message is for those of you who wonder if you have what it takes to do God’s work or to lead God’s people. Because the Bible is literally God’s Word to us, the careful reader will find intriguing insights scattered throughout the scriptures. One of these is found in I Samuel 10:6-7 and I […]