The Bible uses the terms babes, young men, fathers, elders, children, and several others to indicate where a person is in their spiritual maturity. As time goes by after a person’s salvation, God expects them to grow spiritually. Immediately after salvation, we are spiritual babes. We don’t know a whole lot; we do things we … Continue reading Spiritual Maturity Stages
faith
What About The Children?
Decades ago, while pastoring a previous church, some interesting things happened. A few weeks after starting at the church, I was there alone and decided to snoop around. There I was looking through closets and other storage areas. Everything was what you would expect stored inside a church. A lot of seasonal decorations, costumes, and … Continue reading What About The Children?
What You Don’t Know Will Hurt You
Years ago, I played in a church basketball league. For this particular game, I had the keys to the building in which we were going to play. I arrived about two hours early. It had snowed about an inch and a half that day, and the parking lot had not yet been plowed. I parked … Continue reading What You Don’t Know Will Hurt You
Reconciliation
When reading or studying the Bible, it is always helpful to note when God repeats Himself. Look for the same words or phrases that are duplicated over the span of a few verses or a chapter. On a broader scale, a word study throughout the Bible can be very interesting. Pick a word, then look … Continue reading Reconciliation
The Fruits of Saving Faith
When a person places faith in the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ as their only means of salvation, they are saved (John 3:14-19, 36; Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 3:28; Romans 4:5; Galatians 2:16; John 5:24; Acts 16:30-31; Titus 3:5). At the moment of salvation, a person receives the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9; Titus 3:5-6; … Continue reading The Fruits of Saving Faith
The Call
I’ve written a lot recently, encouraging Christians to follow the steps in Romans 12:1-2 to “prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Those steps are being a living sacrifice to God, not being conformed to this world, and being transformed by the renewing of your mind. I’ve been asked, “What … Continue reading The Call
Podcast Episode: Faith, Prophecy, And Calling
A summary of Preacher's Points that were posted during the last 30 days. Pip: Forty-one years of Sunday sermons, a mortgage burning, and a creek too cold for baptism — Preacher's Point has had a month. Mara: preacherspoint covers a lot of ground this episode: what the church's anniversary reveals about calling, where current events … Continue reading Podcast Episode: Faith, Prophecy, And Calling
Knowing God’s Will For Your Life
Christian, do you know what God wants you to do, what He created you to do? God does call people to preach. God calls people to leave family and possessions behind and move to a foreign land to spread the gospel. God calls people to work or volunteer at Church; things like cleaning, teaching, cooking, … Continue reading Knowing God’s Will For Your Life
Peter’s Conversion
The most significant thing Peter did during his three years being discipled by Jesus was not walking on water, it was a statement he made. One day, Jesus asked the Apostles about who other people thought He was. They responded that some people thought he was John the Baptist risen from the dead or one … Continue reading Peter’s Conversion
The Creation
Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” These are the first words of the Holy Bible. More than a statement, I believe this is God’s great take-it-or-leave-it verse, setting up the rest of Scripture. The reason Genesis 1:1 sets up the rest of Scripture is that God wants us to … Continue reading The Creation