Christian Living

Across the nation, pastors and the members of their churches have convinced themselves the reason they are not reaping a spiritual harvest that could be called “plenteous” is that their town is hard, and unusually unresponsive to evangelism. It is as if we think that souls could be won and churches could be built some places, but not in our town.

My father in law served as an assistant fire chief during his career in Northern California. I am always intrigued with the many stories that he has shared with me. From massive building fires to forest fires, he has fought them all.

A lot of what Dr. Don Sisk is known for can be gleaned from the moment you first meet him—his smile is infectious and his laughter spontaneous.

In First John chapter five, we are assured that God both hears and heeds our prayers. The fact that God hears our prayers is a statement of His omniscience, and the fact that God answers our prayers is a statement of His omnipotence.

When I was growing up in the 70s, the watchword among independent Baptists was separation. And with good reason. Many of my mentors were men who had come out of denominations that denied the inerrancy of Scripture, miracles of the Bible, and even the virgin birth of Christ.

We are surrounded by the work of God’s creative genius. The Bible says, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork” (Psalm 19:1). The engineering precision of the universe continues to be uncovered by the advance of science.

Anyone with a Bible can verify the most amazing facts of human history, as well as the foundational truths of what we can know about God and eternity. He can do this by examining the prophecies made in the Old Testament Scriptures, indisputably written centuries before He was born, that were fulfilled in the coming and ministry of Jesus.

Many of us pray for revival. But what, specifically, do we mean by the phrase “pray for revival”?

I love my Bible! The more I consider it, the more I realize God loved me enough to give me a letter of love–filled with power, correction, guidance, and grace. It is a wonderful book, echoing the words of David when he spoke about the sword of Goliath, “There is none like it, give it me.” Truly there is none like it!

In less than one year’s time, the Welsh Revival of 1904–1905 saw 100,000 people saved. This great moving of God’s Spirit came through the preaching of a twenty-six-year-old preacher named Evan Roberts, who had prayed for revival for eleven years. So many were converted and evidenced truly-changed lives in such a short time span that the nation of Wales even became known for a time as “The Land of Revival.”

A growing Christian should practice perpetual gratitude. In this verse, we see that we should give thanks in everything. This means even in the worst situations we should give thanks because it is the will of God.

In the early days at Lancaster Baptist Church, I gave a “Visit with the Pastor” almost every Sunday night in which I tried to infuse our young church with the DNA of New Testament Christianity. Usually these were a brief topical lesson on topics ranging from how to lead someone to the Lord, to having family devotions, to encouraging new Christians.

In John chapter 15, Jesus reveals the abundant life (the real Christian life, which is His gift to us) by giving us the metaphor of the vine and the branches.

How many of us through the years have prayed, Psalm 85:6, “Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?”

It’s become a habit of mine—throughout the month of December, I jot down areas in which I want to grow in the new year as they come to mind. Then somewhere during the week between Christmas and New Years, I write out specific goals.

It can be a real dilemma seeing methods that seem to work really well, then being told not to use them.

D. L. Moody said: “The longer I live the more I am convinced that godly men and women are not appreciated in our day. But their work will live after them, and there will be a greater work done after they are gone, by the influence of their lives, than when they were living.”

A few years ago, I wrote a little book titled Christmas Is a Gift. In it, I pointed out that Christmas itself is the gift of Christ’s presence: Emmanuel—God with us! But if Christmas is a gift, how do we unwrap it? How do we celebrate the gift, not just enjoy the wrapping?

“Mom, what is up with great grandpa? He is all dressed up and rushing around. Where is he going?”

In nearly fifty years of pastoral ministry, I’ve heard many arguments against the separatist position, particularly ecclesiastical separation. I am now seventy-one and have been a separatist by conviction all my adult life. Recently, I paused to reflect on why I hold the convictions I do. Let me share five reasons.