Christian Living

Christian discipleship is a vital subject in the New Testament, and the book of Luke is a fine source of information about it. In chapter 9, the call to discipleship is given and explained in verses 23 and 24 (as it is also in Matthew 16:24–25 and Mark 8:34–35), but then, beginning in verse 37, several serious problems that true disciples of Jesus Christ have are discussed.

Caleb was one of the two spies who believed God would give the promised land to the nation of Israel if they would just believe Him. It was said of Caleb that he followed God fully.

The number one killer in the Western World over the last two decades has been heart disease. Many of us have been touched in one way or another by a friend, family member, or colleague who has suffered with the symptoms of heart disease. The longer I work with people in ministry every day, the more I am convinced that the body of Christ is suffering greatly with heart disease. This disease is more dangerous than our physical hearts being affected, for this disease affects every part of our lives as believers.

As a part of my work as a chaplain for the Saginaw County Sheriff’s Department, I took a course in critical incident stress debriefing. While I did not look forward to this investment of time and did not expect to learn much, I found it very practical and quite helpful. One of the things they said was that in an immediate crisis, you would not do a complete debriefing, but you could do a defusing. I have found that, as a pastor, there are many times and circumstances that can benefit from “defusing.”

It was August of 1973, and I was sitting on the back of my car in the driveway of 637 Atwood Avenue in Rockford, Illinois. Next to me was a young lady that I had been dating for three years. Her dad was putting the barbeque grill away in the backyard after a cook-out. We were talking about a variety of things when out of the clear blue came a question I was definitely unprepared to answer. “John, do you love me?” she asked inquisitively.

Leading in ministry is like walking a tightrope. Not only does it require delicate balance, but the stakes are high if we slip. As spiritual leaders, it is our responsibility to walk with balance. Ephesians 5:15 puts it succinctly—“walk circumspectly.” But if we were to get off balance, what would it look like?

In 1980, Cambodia was just emerging from one of the most horrific periods of time that any nation has ever endured. Between 1975 and 1979, the brutal Khmer Rouge regime, under the leadership of the infamous Pol Pot, abused the Cambodian people in a way that is hard to describe and even harder to comprehend.

“Pastor, I love him, and he used to love me!” “I don’t know what happened; everything was going great, but now all of the sudden he is telling me that he does not love me anymore.” These are excerpts from two counseling sessions that I have had with two separate individuals in recent days.

I believe in checklists. Actually, I believe in lists, period. They help me keep focused on completing projects, and they keep me from forgetting important details. In Philippians 2, we have a checklist of a different sort—qualities of a productive Christian servant. The first several verses of this chapter describe a servant leader as they reveal the mind of Christ and His humility.

Michael Kinsley, a liberal news commentator, once said that the difference between liberals and conservatives was that liberals were looking for heretics while conservatives were looking for converts. In other words, the liberals were eager to criticize others liberals for not being liberal enough, while the conservatives were trying to bring people to their way of thinking and convert them to their philosophy.

If there was ever a time that Christians and local churches needed to strive together for the faith of the gospel (Philippians 1:27), it’s now! This is not the time for independent Baptists to divide and splinter; it is the time to reach out and turn the world upside down once again.

We live in a day in which there are many venues to express one’s thoughts and opinions, or even share biblical truths. It can be encouraging and at times entertaining to read other’s thoughts on popular topics or current trends in culture or ministry.

In John 14 and 15 we find the record of our Lord’s principal teachings about the Holy Spirit’s ministry to believers, and in these chapters we will also find access to miracles of a kind that those true to the Bible can expect to see.

Remember the Lord’s promise of blessing for obedience when making decisions about your future. Do not leave Him out of the equation of your life when deciding which path you will take. True success in life is a byproduct of obedience to His Word (Joshua 1:8).

Have you ever realized God was leading you to do something, but you thought, “I don’t think I can do this”? I have often said that everything God has done in my life has surprised me. But, I have also learned that each time the Lord wants to accomplish something through our lives, we must submit in three important ways.

You can’t miss the urgency and passion with which Jesus carried out His ministry. Throughout His life on Earth, He was busy about the Father’s business. As young as a twelve-year-old He said, “Wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?” (Luke 2:49).

I am so glad that our God has given us many promises and that He absolutely performs His promises. I have never been disappointed in the faithfulness of our Lord as He has been true to His Word time and time again in my life.

I remember, as a boy, the day my parents brought home our first television set. The picture was in black and white, and very “snowy” because the closest stations were fifty miles away. It was a huge technological jump, however, from listening to a religious broadcast or the news on the radio that sat in the corner of our kitchen.

Every spiritual leader, including the pastor (actually, especially the pastor) needs personal and spiritual accountability. I have gathered a team of godly men with whom I meet (sometimes on the phone, but often in person) on a regular basis for accountability.

Hannah’s story is about far more than intensity in prayer. It is about a woman who poured out her heart to everyone but God. And it is about the change God worked in her when she poured out her heart to Him.