October 5, 2023
"When I think of the moral decline on display in California today, the only word that comes to mind is 'avalanche,'" Dudley Rutherford wrote in 2014. He presciently warned, "I hope you get the idea, because it's coming to a town like yours" . . .
May 16, 2023
Rioters and roaming mobs in Northeastern India have killed dozens of Christians, destroyed scores of church buildings, and burned down hundreds of houses belonging to Christians. . . .
July 1, 2022
By Ken Idleman In 2011, New York Times best-selling author Tina Rosenberg published Join the Club: How Peer Pressure Can Transform the World. The question she addressed in her secular book was, How do you get people to change for the better? How do you get them to live healthier lives . . . to diet, exercise, and not drink excessively? In short, how do you get individuals to grow in a positive direction? She concluded that the masses don’t change simply because they desire to change or by getting more information. Virtually everyone who smokes knows smoking is bad
November 1, 2021
By Mark E. Moore “The Constitution only guarantees the American people the right to pursue happiness,” said Benjamin Franklin, before adding, “you have to catch it yourself.” Happiness is temporary; joy is permanent. At least that’s what I have been told. But I no longer believe that to be true. Happiness comes from external things; joy comes from what’s inside. At least that’s what I have been told. But I no longer believe that to be true. I suppose we can use happiness and joy to mean whatever we want them to mean. After all, that’s the way language works.
October 24, 2017
Persecution is increasing in India. How will our churches respond?  By John Caldwell The year was 1950 and colonial India was debating its constitution as a new, independent nation. Drafters of the constitution had written an article on freedom of religion that “each individual has the right to profess, practice and propagate his faith.” The constitutional convention engaged in much debate over that word, propagate. The Hindu majority feared that word would be used by a small Christian minority as an excuse to proselytize.  Ironically it was a Hindu delegate who stood to his feet and said the word propagate
April 19, 2017
By Daniel Schantz I was at a church dinner visiting with a highway patrolman, and he said, “Dan, I deal every day with a culture that has no conscience. These guys don”t care who gets hurt. They are not afraid of the police . . . they don”t fear God himself.” It was a sobering revelation, because fear is vital to civilization, and most normal people have a number of instinctive fears. Typical Fears Surveys of the American public show a variety of fears out there””the fear of public speaking, of dentists, of climate change, for example. Women fear losing
April 2, 2017
By Jeff Faull It”s difficult to find a follower of God in Scripture who did not take big risks. Look at those who brought Jesus into the world. Look at the first church and the ministry of the apostles. How can our ministries and personal lives follow their example? Famous psychologist Abraham Maslow is best known for his hierarchy of needs pyramid. According to Maslow, the most primal needs we have involve our bodily activities, like breathing, eating, or drinking. Second only to those needs is the basic human desire for security and safety. We are driven by the desire
February 25, 2016
By T. R. Robertson Polarization. Insults. Railing against wrong. The apostle Peter showed approaches better than these for Christian response to injustice in government and society. A once great nation is in the throes of transition from a democratic republic to a de facto dictatorship. A neophyte has been given the reigns of power, to which some critics maintain he has no birthright. The gap between the super rich and the middle class is widening. People from other countries covet the benefits of citizenship, yet the nation”s reputation among the rest of the world is declining. Christians find themselves increasingly
November 16, 2015
By Name Withheld Unreached need not mean unreachable, even in countries where Christian evangelism is forbidden. Sousida goes to sleep afraid every night. She never knows what the spirits are going to do to her or her family. She thinks she”s done enough to appease them, but she has no way of knowing. She”s never heard of Jesus. In fact, no one she knows has ever met a Christian or seen a Bible. They have no idea they could experience freedom. Generations of her people have lived and died in total darkness. Further complicating her hopelessness, Sousida”s country is openly
November 8, 2013
By Darrel Rowland Ajai Lall once preached with AK-47s pointed at him. Another time he had 200 bullets fired into his bedroom for sharing the gospel. Many of his fellow Christians in India have been killed, raped, had their homes and church buildings burned, and/or were driven from their jobs and schools because of their faith. “We are a microscopic minority,” Lall says. “Either you are a committed Christian or you are not. You don”t compromise. You live out your faith.” When Lall looks to the United States, he sees how values and standards have slid as committed Christians become
May 13, 2013
By Sam E. Stone Persecution was common for the church of Peter”s day. His two letters address both what had happened already and what lay ahead. Christians need not fear, remembering the example of their Lord. In today”s text, Peter returns to his main theme found in 1 Peter 3:14-18, after some parenthetical remarks (vv. 19-22). Once again he focuses on being willing to suffer for Christ. Distinctive Life 1 Peter 4:1-6 Jesus” suffering brought us salvation. His obedient spirit must be ours as well. He died once for all (Hebrews 7:27; 9:28). Since we have the assurance of life
December 28, 2011
By Matt Proctor Part One of this article examined four hermeneutical keys to help you unlock the meaning of the book of Revelation. But, what about the book”s significance? Even if I understand how to read Revelation, an important question remains: why should I read it? How will it help me devotionally? In what ways will it make me a better follower of Jesus? Another way of asking this: We know God has promised a blessing to those who take hold of the words of Revelation (1:3). But what kind of blessings should our people expect? Here are seven ways
October 28, 2011
By Patricia Magness Silence Shusaku Endo (translated into English by William Johnston in 1969) Marlboro: Taplinger Publishing, 1980 “Everyone should read this book!” was the emphatic conclusion of class discussion””not coming from the professor, but from a student. The rest of the class agreed, and someone added, “It is painful, but it has changed me.” The comments were like an echo of the very words I had spoken when I finished the book. And each person who reads this book on my recommendation thanks me, even if the thanks is accompanied by tears. Silence, by Japanese Christian writer Shusaku Endo,
January 23, 2011
By Dave Stone Since I was fairly young, I”ve had a favorite Bible verse that has stuck with me through every phase of my life: Acts 4:13. Yes, I get the same look from everybody when I reveal the verse because it really isn”t a common passage; most people are like, “Uh . . . really?” and they don”t know whether to act like they know it. It”s such a cool passage because the disciples are being intensely persecuted but continue to preach about Jesus Christ being resurrected, and this is the observation the Jewish people have as they look
June 17, 2007
By Jeff Walling Any baggage?” It seems an innocent question, but it”s one that has turned my life upside down over the last year. You hear it every time you fly. A gracious lady at the airline counter asks it with a smile, and there are few things better than being able to give a self-assured, “no way!” to that one. Flying with baggage is asking for a disaster. Take it from a guy who spent his first four days in Europe with two pairs of underwear. (As my kids say, “Too much information, Dad!”) I know the airlines do
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April 28, 2026
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