January 12, 2026
HIS OUTSTRETCHED ARMS
Doug Redford traces Scripture’s imagery of God’s “mighty hand” and “outstretched arm,” then points to Jesus’ outstretched arms on the cross. At Communion, believers remember Isaiah 53 fulfilled and are welcomed
January 12, 2026
Doug Redford traces Scripture’s imagery of God’s “mighty hand” and “outstretched arm,” then points to Jesus’ outstretched arms on the cross. At Communion, believers remember Isaiah 53 fulfilled and are welcomed
December 8, 2025
The focal point during this sacred time of remembrance is the death of our Lord on the cross. As we meet around his table we are in essence commemorating two deaths: Jesus dying for our sins and we, as believers, dying to our sins.
December 2, 2025
Be assured of this: Even if old age or dementia steals away your ability to remember, the Lord will never forget you.
November 4, 2025
Your search for significance will never be completely realized here on earth unless it is realized in Jesus Christ. You can never earn what God wants to give you.
November 4, 2025
This is the fifth in a series of weekly articles based on Christ’s letters to the seven churches in the book of Revelation. This week’s church is Sardis.
November 4, 2025
As we drink from the cup, may it speak of his blood, shed in the face of overwhelming darkness, securing our eternal rescue and freedom.
September 29, 2025
At the cross, God used bloodshed and a gruesome instrument of death to further his holy purposes and provide salvation for lost humanity.
September 26, 2022
By Doug Redford If the Israelites of the Old Testament had the books that we have in our Old Testament, arranged into chapters as ours is, Leviticus 16 would have drawn their attention as the Day of Atonement neared much as Luke 2 gets our attention during the Christmas season. There we see outlined the proper procedure for observing that sacred day, which came to be known as Yom Kippur, literally the “day of covering.” The Jewish people will observe it this year on October 4 and 5. The final verse of Leviticus 16 captures the day’s significance: “Atonement is
July 4, 2022
Authors, artists, composers, architects, and car restorers are all creators who develop attachments to their work. Have you ever heard someone refer to something they’ve created as their “baby”? God feels that way about us.
January 31, 2022
As the Justifier, how can God stay true to his character and punish sin (that is, how can he be “just”), and at the same time release the offender (i.e., the sinner) from punishment? Grace is the answer.
January 10, 2022
At Calvary, Martin Luther King Jr. contended, "Jesus Christ . . . was an extremist for love, truth and goodness, and thereby rose above his environment."
November 22, 2021
We often ponder the impact of our sinful choices on our lives and spirits, but do we consider the impact of our sin on God?
September 13, 2021
When Jesus was done, he sat down at the right hand of God. These days, people sit down to work. By contrast, in the ancient world when someone sat down, it meant their work was finished (John 19:30)
January 18, 2021
By Randy Ballinger During the pandemic, blood donation centers have sought out individuals who have recovered from COVID-19. Apparently, the antibody-rich blood plasma these individuals donate possibly can save the lives of those critically ill with the virus. The lone purpose for blood is to sustain life. Donating blood brings healing. There is power in the blood. God personified blood in rebuking Cain after Abel’s murder: “Your brother’s blood cries out to me” (Genesis 4:10). After the flood, God instructed Noah, “Only you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood” (Genesis 9:4, New American Standard Bible,
January 4, 2021
By Stuart Powell In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, humanity began a quest for a one-word treasure: vaccine. The entire world sought an antidote that would trigger each human body to build a defense against the ravages of the novel coronavirus. The journey has involved dozens of pharmaceutical companies plowing through billions of dollars to fund untold hours of research by thousands of scientists. The search for a vaccine was fueled by the desire to destroy the curse of this virus and restore life to relationships severed by the virus’s spread. We know life is not meant to
November 4, 2019
Dr. Mark Scott wrote this treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson. Scott teaches preaching and New Testament at Ozark Christian College, Joplin, Missouri. This lesson treatment is published in issue no. 12 (weeks 45-48; November 10—December 1, 2019) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ________ Lesson Aim: Say “Yes” to the Lord. ________ By Mark Scott John Piper tells an engaging ministry story in The Supremacy of God in Preaching. He preached a sermon on Isaiah 6 without one word of application. He wondered if the majesty, power, and glory of God was enough to retain
October 29, 2019
By Stuart Powell After Peter’s confession that Jesus was the Messiah the Jews had long anticipated (Matthew 16:16), Jesus began explaining God’s plans for this long-promised deliverer: From that time on Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests, and experts in the law, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. So Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him: “God forbid, Lord! This must not happen to you!” (Matthew 16:21, 22, New English Translation). Matthew didn’t record all of
October 1, 2019
By Jon Wren Beginning this Tuesday evening [October 8, 2019], over a period of the next 24-plus hours, Jews around the world will observe Yom Kippur. The holiday has its origins in Leviticus, where God instructed the Israelites to observe a “day of atonement,” which served to remind the people that sin separates them from God, and they cannot atone for it on their own. Over many centuries, the Jewish people have developed traditions and customs for observing Yom Kippur, and many of them come directly from Leviticus 16. One custom came from the instructions God gave the high priest
By John Caldwell The first song I ever learned was “Jesus Loves Me.” The first Bible verse I memorized was John 3:16. I preached my first sermon on that same text; it lasted 10 minutes. When I began my ministry with the infant Kingsway Christian Church, my first sermon was simply entitled “Jesus.” When I retired from that ministry 36 years later, my sermon was “It’s Still Jesus.” If you call me a “Jesus freak,” I’ll consider it a badge of honor. But who is this Jesus? The answer to that question is more important than anything else. Jesus raised
April 9, 2019
By Stuart Powell Is there anything more difficult than hearing someone you love say goodbye? We typically react with sadness. That feeling is amplified when the goodbye comes at the threshold of death. Jesus’ disciples experienced that situation on the night of his betrayal. Jesus warned his disciples what was about to happen: I tell you the solemn truth, you will weep and wail, but the world will rejoice; you will be sad, but your sadness will turn into joy. When a woman gives birth, she has distress because her time has come, but when her child is born, she