Author Archives
Pastor for 30 years.
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“Glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:3)
I have a few collectable aerospace models. One is a 1/200 scale of the mighty Saturn V rocket that put a man on the moon. Another is the Boeing B-17G “Nine-O-Nine,” a model of an actual plane that I flew… Read More ›
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The coming destruction of the earth by fire
In the September 1939 issue of Popular Science, the magazine published a very unsettling article about how the world would end. The article proposed four different scenarios for the coming destruction of the earth that included a collision with a… Read More ›
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Paul’s kindred spirit
People often use the expression “kindred spirit” to describe that one person in their life who gets them. In Philippians 2:20 Paul writes of Timothy, “For I have no one else of kindred spirit who will genuinely be concerned for… Read More ›
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Salvation and suffering: Both a gift from God?
I am preaching through Paul’s epistle to the Philippians and this past Sunday we looked at 1:27-30. Paul is writing from prison (1:7, 13, 17) and the Philippians had sent a love offering to support Paul and the gospel ministry… Read More ›
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“Just as if I’d never sinned” – Please don’t preach this
Normally, I don’t say much when I hear Christian clichés from the pulpit or elsewhere in church, but there is one popular saying that causes me agita (you’ll have to look that up). It is when the preacher attempts to… Read More ›
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Recapturing our first love: An examination of πρῶτος
The church at Ephesus was commended by the Lord Jesus in Revelation 2:2-3 for four things. He commends them for their faithful service (2:2a), for rejecting evil men (2:2b), for exposing false apostles (2:2c), and for their steadfast endurance (2:3)…. Read More ›
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Dragged to salvation? An examination of John 6:44
One of the most prevalent examples of a Greek word study gone wrong is what James Barr called, “illegitimate totality transfer.” In this example, the entire semantic range of a term is applied in the use of that term in… Read More ›
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The growth of the kingdom: It’s automatic!
I’m working through Mark’s gospel for Sunday school this fall and I have been in chapters 3 and 4 the last week or so. In 3:23 Mark records that “Jesus began speaking to them in parables.” Then in chapter 4… Read More ›
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Allen Ross on how to approach the Psalms
Allen Ross has spent 40 years studying the Psalms and the contribution of his three volume work, A Commentary on the Psalms totaling almost 3000 pages is a gift to the church. His words on how we approach the Psalms… Read More ›
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Timely advice when tempted
This morning’s Morning and Evening by Charles H. Spurgeon is so practical and yet so simple. But when we are tempted we can often lose our minds and be swept up and carried away to such a degree that we… Read More ›