The Lord Jesus once said that we are destined to bear fruit. Our aim in life should, therefore, be to bear lasting fruit that is so valuable to God. Ultimately, bearing fruit means reflecting the characteristics of the Lord Jesus. When He is seen in us, God is glorified. In this series, we want to…
The Law of Moses regulated Nazirites for the Israelites: Women and men could consecrate themselves to God. But they had to give up some things. Could Nazirites still be happy? – Can renunciation of something and joy go together? In Numbers 6, we find the regulations concerning the Nazirites. The term Nazirite is derived from…
How many Bibles are in your home right now? How many of them are read on a daily or even a periodic basis? I read some time ago of a Russian man by the name of Yuri, who for several months came home from work every night to the tedious but important task of hand-copying…
1. What does the word “church” mean? The Greek word “ecclesia” means “called out”. The church has nothing to do with the world. It is heavenly, called out of this world to belong to Christ. 2. What is the Church? God’s Word only knows one church. This church consists of all believers. They have been…
When the Lord Jesus died on the Cross, He died not only as my Substitute; He died also as my Representative. He died not only for me but for me. When He died, there is a real sense in which I died. All that I was as a child of Adam, all my old, evil,…
Asking for forgiveness and forgiving—both can be very difficult. In His parable of the unmerciful servant (Matthew 18:21-35), the Lord Jesus addresses the second problem. He makes it clear that if the “God of forgiveness” has forgiven us an incredible amount, we should also be prepared to do the same for our fellow brothers and…
A wealthy landowner had to hire a new coachman. On the day the decision about the new coachman was to be made, several coachmen gathered at the estate. Each coachman was asked the same question: “How safely can you drive me on a narrow mountain path?” The first coachman could drive safely within one meter…
A Christian man had quoted this verse, urging those whom he had addressed to present their bodies to God as a living sacrifice. When he closed, a good friend who sat beside him said, “John, the next time you quote that verse, you would better quote all of it.” “Didn’t I quote it all?…
Big assignments require big characters. God will give you a responsibility in proportion to the size of your character. In Bible times, a person’s name represented his character; to know someone’s name was to know what the person was like. That’s why God changed the name of some when He transformed their character. For example,…
In his two letters in the New Testament, Peter writes from the perspective of the kingdom, which has very much to do with our conduct (Rom. 14:17) and service for the Lord in His absence (Matt. 25:14–30). In his appeals to the recipients of his letters, he refers several times to God’s Word, explaining…
Gideon is one of the people in the Bible who is often afraid: He is afraid of the Midianites. Twice he asks God for signs. He is afraid to go into the Midianite camp by himself. In the above situation, he thinks he will be killed by the angel of the Lord. So Gideon…
The Greek word for assurance in the New Testament is “plerophoria” – full assurance. It occurs four times: 1 Thessalonians 1:5; Hebrews 6:11; Hebrews 10:22; and Colossians 2:2. Assurance of salvation is the firm and full conviction and knowledge of being saved, eternally secure, and of sins forgiven, once for all; the settled disposition of…
It seems to me that the horse and the mule picture two wrong attitudes we might have when we are seeking the Lord’s guidance. The horse wants to charge ahead; the mule wants to lag behind. The horse tends to be impatient, high-spirited and impetuous. The mule on the other hand is stubborn, intractable and…
Possessed, tormented, self-destructive, naked, screaming, alone, hopeless. This was the state of the Gadarene in Mark 5 before he was released by the Lord. He then made a request to the Lord: “And when He got into the boat, he who had been demon-possessed begged Him that he might be with Him” (Mark 5:18)—which…
Probably every Christian has heard of the Holy Spirit, often known as the “third person of the Godhead.” But when it comes to who this Spirit is and what He actually does, opinions often differ largely. It is, therefore, worthwhile to check our Bible to examine who the Holy Spirit really is and what this…
The Christian has been enlisted by the Lord, and is on active service for Him. He must not entangle himself in the affairs of everyday life. The emphasis here is on the word entangle. He cannot completely divorce himself from worldly business. He must work in order to provide the necessities of life for his family….
Question: Occasionally, the question is asked: Do you have to come together “in one place” to be at the Lord’s Table, or can you also come together in houses in several places? Can you also break bread in houses, or would that not be the Lord’s Table or the Lord’s Supper? _______________________ Answer: From the…
When people come to Christ, confess their sins, and trust Him that His work on the cross of Calvary was sufficient for them, they are full of joy. They realize that they have “peace with God” (5:1). Many of them go and tell everyone what they have found and how happy they are. And…
“Gratitude is the lifebelt on the river of life,” someone once said. Another wrote: “Gratitude is good medicine for the soul. It’s a pity that very few people take it.” Gratitude is indeed a remedy for fear. The angel encouraged the fearful shepherds not to be afraid by pointing out what they could rejoice in….
The importance of food in prolonged battles It is indeed a wise instruction to leave fruit trees standing while cutting down other trees to build siege equipment for battle. This is the intelligent management of resources. As believers, we often fight battles. They may be in defense of our spiritual blessings in Christ and their…