What Did the Old Testament Prophets See?
One of the arguments regarding the goal of history for Israel being the millennial kingdom is that Revelation 21 and 22 are new material. Arnold Fruchtenbaum points out that the book of Revelation has “about 550 references back to the Old Testament. The majority of the things found in the first twenty chapters of the [...]
On Being A People Who Overcome
There is an important understanding that is necessary regarding overcoming. Overcoming in the Bible does not mean that you always get out of trials or conquer the trials by surviving them physically. For us today, especially as Americans, overcoming is equated with winning. You overcome the odds, and win the Super Bowl. You win the [...]
On Being A People Who Overcome
There is an important understanding that is necessary regarding overcoming. Overcoming in the Bible does not mean that you always get out of trials or conquer the trials by surviving them physically. For us today, especially as Americans, overcoming is equated with winning. You overcome the odds, and win the Super Bowl. You win the [...]
On Sabbatical
It is hard to believe, but I have been the senior pastor at Lake Murray now for 8 yrs. One year as the interim senior pastor, and seven since I was called to stay. Monica and I have been truly blessed to be here during this time. Last fall and earlier this year I began [...]
Harold Camping and His False Teachings
When I first heard that Harold Camping had set a date for Christ’s return in 1994, I laughed. I had never heard of a Reformed Theology proponent setting dates. Back then it was novelty, now it is getting really annoying. Back then it was funny, now it is blasphemy (of course it was back then [...]
Clarity in Communicating the Gospel
In 1 Corinthians 1:17 we read, “For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.” ESV This verse points out that if we try to get to clever in our presentation of the gospel, [...]
Why I don’t Celebrate Lent
The concept of Lent originally started in the 2nd century with a few days of personal reflection on the cross of Christ in preparation for Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday. By the 4th century this had grown to a period of 40 days. Some of the traditions vary from a more casual observance to others [...]
Bible Study and Gold Mines
As we study the Bible, it becomes rather apparent that there is an immense amount to learn. It can be overwhelming at times because one is tempted to think that they will never arrive – which they never will. But instead of it being overwhelming in a negative sense, it should be encouraging — we [...]
Travel to Brasil
Well I made it safe and sound to Brasil–although tired. The flight was pretty long and I didn’t get much sleep (over 21 hours in transit). My last connection was pretty tight — I was the second to last person on the bus to go out to the airplane. It is always interesting to note human nature. [...]
The Relevancy of the Bible
At times, it can seem that the Bible doesn’t address the issues that are relevant for us today. I was reading today in Ephesians and chapter 1 talks about all the spiritual blessings we have in Christ in the heavenly places. Chapter 2 talks about the barriers being broken down between Jew and Gentile and [...]