As the new year begins, I want to encourage you to read the Bible everyday. Those who read and obey God's word are like a tree planted by flowing streams of water, they will have deep spiritauls roots, strong branches, and abundant fruit that glorifies God (Psalm 1:1-3). If you keep reading, you will find 12 reasons to read your Bible everyday. These reasons will be especi...

"But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." ~Luke 2:10-11 In preparation for last Sunday's sermon I read an article that caused me to pause and think about my reaction to Christmas. Here is a sma...

Evangelism and missions propels the wisdom and power of God. Christians, when we proclaim the message of Christ crucified, in absolute reliance upon the Holy Spirit of God, to our neighbors and to the nations God will be magnified. And it is our great privilege and responsibility to bring this message to those individuals who are not worshiping Christ as Savior and Lord. ...

Unity is a mark of a healthy church."A new commandment I give to you," Jesus said, "that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:34-35 NASB95). However, many modern churches are known for their conflicts instead of their unity. Just as I ...

Maintaining a thankful heart for your local church is not always easy. But the apostle Paul did. His thankfulness for the Corinthian church encourages us to be thankful for our local church, no matter how difficult things get. Paul ministered in Corinth for eighteen months (Acts 18:1-18). During his stay he formed a new ministry relationship with Aquila and Priscilla, a m...

Is church discipline in the Bible? This is a question that I answered Sunday for our church by reading from several New Testament verses. Please read through the verses below and meditate on them. NOT SO FAMOUS VERSES ON CHURCH DISCIPLINE But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks, eats and d...

"So now let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the wives and their children, according ot the counsel of my lord and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law." ~ Ezra 10:3 September was a very busy month for my family. We spent a week in Wyoming and South Dakota, and then Cindi and I spent another four days a...

"For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the LORD and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel" ~Ezra 7:10 The writer of Hebrews encouraged the faith of the early Christians by reminding them of the "great cloud of witnesses" that had gone before them (Hebrews 11, 12:1). By remembering these witnesses, believers would be motivated to "lay ...

Ezra is surely becoming one of my favorite books. Prior to this current preaching series, I had never given a sermon from this Old Testament book. A few people have asked, "How did you decide to preach from Ezra?" "God guided me here," has been my standard response. This is fitting since Ezra emphasizes God's hand guiding His people back to Jerusalem.In the first six chapt...

"The hand of our God is favorably disposed to all those who seek Him" ~Ezra 8:22 God's hand renews. This is the theme of Ezra, which is one of the books that describes how God kept His covenant faithfulness to His people by bringing them back home after decades of exile in Babylon. How did God's people get carried away into exile? It was the result of breaking their coven...