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Blog (Page 45)

The Danger of Airing Negative Church Situations at Home with Our Children: An Interview with Pastor Bill Houpt

I have been in pastoral ministry now for a decade.  As any leader in the church knows—whether they are a pastor, elder, deacon, chairman, director, or a regular lay volunteer—disappointment, frustration, controversy, disagreement, arguments, and a whole other litany of negative situations are part of what every leader has to deal with.  We are sinners working with sinners.  Negative things are bound…

When a Foot Resigns

Imagine with me for a moment, your foot throwing a fit and refusing to help the body walk. Perhaps it had rather be a hand or do nothing at all. Try as the body might to get the foot to work along with the body as it has been designed to do, it will not cooperate. Eventually, the disgruntled foot detaches itself and slinks away, dragging itself forward by its toes.

Sounds silly, doesn’t it? But, we see similar scenarios play out in churches all the time…

The Eternal Destiny of Little Ones Who Die Before Trusting Christ

A good friend recently wrote me with a serious question: Where does it say in the Bible that younger children are safe from Hell up to a certain age? She, of course, is talking about the doctrine that many call “the age of accountability,” and because she’d never actually read anything about it in the Scripture herself, she was wondering if this teaching is actually in the Bible or just something she’d been told.

With a few updates, here is the basic answer I gave her, which I thought would be helpful for others as well.

How to Pray for Revival, Pt 2

Today, we continue with the final six prayer points leading to revival.  See the first six here. 7.  Recognize God’s uniqueness Isaiah declared to God, For from days of old they have not heard or perceived by ear, Nor has the eye seen a God besides You, Who acts in behalf of the one who waits for Him, (Isaiah 64:4).  There is…

How to Pray for Revival, Pt 1

As you look at your own heart, are you in need of a revival?  Your local congregation?  The larger church universal?  Is there a great need for revival in our midst? Here’s what I mean by revival.  Stephen Olford says, “Revival is an invasion from heaven that brings a conscious awareness of God.”  Vance Havner once said that, “Revival is the church…

Fight, Flight, or Get Right

One of the shows that I’ve really loved over the years is Wild America with Marty Stouffer.  I love the beauty and the drama that is highlighted in basically my own back yard.  One of my favorite scenes is captured below.  Watch it as an illustration of what I’m about to say, and then read on. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHJAezK5iCY If we observe nature today,…

Forgiveness: Pass It On

In the first post on forgiveness, I introduced our revival theme Forgiveness: Receive It and Pass It On.  In the last post, I looked at the first level of forgiveness:  Receive It.  Today, I want to take biblical look at the second level, which is captured in the phrase “Forgiveness:  Pass It On.” This level is the horizontal man to man aspect…

Forgiveness: Receive It

In the last post, I introduced our revival theme Forgiveness: Receive It and Pass It On.  Today, I want to take a biblical look at the first level of forgiveness, which is captured in the phrase “Forgiveness:  Receive It.” This level is the vertical God to man aspect of forgiveness.  Beginning in Genesis 3 where Adam falls into sin, God begins working…