Evangelist Leonard Ravenhill once said, “The world has lost the power to blush over its sin; the Church has lost her power to weep over it.” Although Ravenhill meant this for the modern world and church, it is also an apt description of the city and church of Pergamum. The Church in Pergamum (13-17) About [...]
Jesus’ Sovereignty over History, Life, and Death (8) Like Jesus’ letter to the church in Ephesus, he opens his letter to the church in Smyrna with an affirmation of his sovereignty from the chapter one vision that suits the situation of the church best. Here he chooses to introduce himself by the title “the First [...]
A number of years ago I had the honor of serving as a groomsman in a friend’s wedding. I watched my friend and his fiancé’s relationship develop from the beginning. In the early days, they spend a lot of time together, went out to dinner together, he bought her gifts, and he actively shared in [...]
I read a note my Grandma wrote back in 1923 Grandpa kept it in his coat, and he showed it once to me He said, “Boy, you might not understand, but a long, long time ago, Grandma’s daddy didn’t like me none, but I love your Grandma so. We had this crazy plan to meet [...]
Happy New Year! Here are a few sayings that will make you laugh and think about the New Year: Bill Vaughan—Youth is when you’re allowed to stay up late on New Year’s Eve. Middle age is when you’re forced to. P. J. O’Rourke—The proper behavior all through the holiday season is to be drunk. This [...]
Most parents try very hard to provide their children with everything that they need to lead happy and productive lives. But as many of you have already discovered, children don’t always appreciate what their parents do for them. And sometimes, they even act out in rebellion! Now that my children are getting a little older, [...]
Here are some of the worst predictions in history: 1. In 1773, King George II of England said, “The American colonies have little stomach for revolution.” 2. In the early 1800’s, an English astronomy professor said that air travel at high speed would be impossible because passengers would suffocate. 3. In 1911, Marshal Ferdinand Foch [...]
John was the son of Zebedee and the younger brother of James. They were a fishing family from Capernaum, a small village on the north end of the Sea of Galilee. He spent his youth learning all of the tasks associated with the fishing business: preparing nets, navigating vessels, and finding the hot spots around [...]
When I was a child and people used to ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I always said that I wanted to be a doctor. Even when I was very young, I was fascinated by the parts and processes of the human body, and I loved to play doctor. I [...]
Although we are fairly certain that Mark was the author of the second gospel, we know very little about his life. The Bible doesn’t give us any information about his early life, but there are ancient traditions that suggest that Mark was born in the North African city of Cyrene (modern day Libya) and migrated [...]