Roots by the River

Did you know that God the Father is described as the God of hope, the God of all comfort, the God of peace, and the God of love? Here are some of the texts. May the God of hope fill you with joy and peace in believing so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Rom. 15:13) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction. (2 Cor. 1:3-4) The God of peace be with you all. (Rom. 15:3)  Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely, and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thess. 5:23) Now the God of peace who brought you up from the dead, that Good Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good… (Heb. 13:20)  The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace w...

During a recent Sunday School class,* we were studying 2 Peter 3:8-12: “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends; with the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years is like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.” I want to focus on two elements that this passage seems to be indicating. First of all, since Peter is writing this letter to Christians, he indicated that God is patient with Christians , as well as non-Christians, when it comes to fulfilling His promised return. ...

Early in my Christian experience, before I knew the definition of apologetics, I sensed the need for an adequate apologetic for every accusation against, and question to, the Christian faith. There were so many people who did not know God, and there were so many questions that seemed to stand between them and God. If their questions could be answered clearly, rationally, intelligently, and kindly, these students would then stand convinced and would become believers. I set myself the task of getting the right answers. Before I became accomplished in this pursuit, I began to have doubts. The doubts arose as I began to practice my growing knowledge in face-to-face encounters (arguments) or large bull sessions. It was great fun arguing. It was more fun winning the argument. But there weren’t any results. Part of the problem was that I found it difficult to be kind while I was being methodically rational and clear in my presentation. There was another problem. It seemed that most of the...

“So then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life” (Acts 11:18). “ I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me” (Acts 26:17-18). “I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds” (Acts 26:20). “Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing God’s kindness leads you toward repentance” (Romans 2:1). “When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you by turning each of you from your wicked ways” (Acts 3:26). “Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will” (2 Timothy 2:25-26). The wo...

“He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord” (Acts 11:24). This is speaking of Barnabas. The preceding verse tells us that "he was glad and encouraged them all.” In chapter four, we find that his name means son of encouragement . We also find that he "sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet." When he was with Paul, he was not the chief speaker (Acts 14:12), although in Acts 14:1, we see, “There they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Gentiles believed." Barnabas was good, full of the Holy Spirit, full of faith, glad, encouraging, generous, and unashamed to speak the gospel. The result was that great numbers were brought to the Lord. If we are not seeing great numbers turning to the Lord, it may be that we are lacking the other characteristics which were in Barnabas’ life.   Written October 1990. This post coordinates with today and tomorro...

I would like to draw your attention to a man named Stephen, whom we meet in the Book of Acts. “Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom” (Acts 6:3). “They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 6:5). “Now, Stephen, a man full of God's grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people" (Acts 6:8). “These men began to argue with Stephen, but they could not stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by which he spoke" (Acts 6:9-10). "All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel” (Acts 6:15). Stephen started his defense with the God of Glory and ended his message in this manner and with these words: “But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. ‘Look,’ he said, ‘I see heaven open and the Son of Man sta...

One of my co-workers once spoke of the effect of light on different kinds of insects. Moths fly to the light, and cockroaches run from it. He was simply saying that light attracts and light repels. It is the same light in both cases. The title of this post comes from the seventh verse of the first chapter of John: “But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” However, the definition of light is found two verses earlier. “This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth” (1 John 1:5-6). God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all . Some of us have been in places where there is no light at all. Even for those who are not afraid of the dark, after a short while they begin to get scared. However, none of us...

You may be aware that more and more Christians are being killed today for their faith in Jesus Christ than in all generations prior to this one. We do not know how many have denied their faith in order to stay alive. In my 71 years as a Christian, I have seen many who have not denied their faith and many more who have confessed their faith under persecution. Over the years, I have asked many Christians if they wanted to be godly. It is an embarrassing question. They do not want to answer it. If they answered no, it wouldn’t sound right, even though it would be the truthful answer. They don’t want to answer yes, either. It would not be truthful, and if they said yes, God might help them be godly! They would lose most of their Christian friends. In Luke 9:23, Jesus said, “Take up the means of your own execution and follow Me.” So many Christians have compromised on little things. I am not sure how they would fare in a life-and-death decision. Written January 23, 2018. This post...

“When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified…. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power” (1 Corinthians 2:1-2, 4-5). “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:1-4). These two texts bring us back to first priorities: preaching the cross and praying for kings. Both of these texts have to do with the salvation of men. God in his wisdom decided that proclaiming and praying was ou...