by Nigel Pink | Dec 10, 2018 | Articles, Testimonies
I am one of twenty people who take the message of hope to my home town in Hampshire, England. We call ourselves ‘town pastors’, although only a few us are professional clergy. Sometimes we meet people in Alton late at night who are open and receptive to the Gospel and, of course, we attempt to be ready to give an answer to everyone who asks us to give the reason for the hope that we have with gentleness and respect (paraphrasing 1 Peter 3:15). At times it seems an awesome, if not daunting responsibility. What if we make a mess of things? Of course, we do have responsibility; we should know the Gospel that Paul summarises in 1 Corinthians 15:3-8. We should demonstrate the Gospel by accepting and loving those people. But we can also be reassured that, as for Lydia, it wasn’t Paul’s eloquence that moved her to faith in Christ, but God himself. One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia…the Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. (Acts 16:14) Paul says of himself that many thought him a poor speaker (2 Corinthians 10:10) but as Luke reports, the response to his witness, whether poor or not, was entirely up to God – and so it is with us town pastors. It is God’s choice to reveal himself through his mighty Spirit, and that is a wonderfully gracious act for those that would ‘be sent’ to bear witness to Christ, as we are therefore released from: Concern over knowing or choosing to whom we speak – it...
by Walt Henrichsen | Nov 26, 2018 | Articles, Mentors Corner
“For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he…” Proverbs 23:7 In one sense, you are the sum of your thought life. What you think reveals what you are. Although how you look forms externals that disappear upon death, what you think you take into eternity with you. All permanent change in your life takes place by altering your perception of reality. You respond to the opportunities and imperatives of life on the basis of two things: First, what you think you can do. If you do not believe you are capable, you will not try. A man who does not believe that he can swim does not voluntarily dive into deep water. Second, what you believe you ought to do. Some things in life you may believe that you can do, but do not believe you ought to do. For example, you may believe you can wash clothes, cook meals, work in the garden, or paint the house, but this does not mean that you believe you ought to. In order for you to perform according to the expectations of God, you must believe you can do what He says and that you ought to do it – i.e., the particular command applies to you. Foundationally, you must believe that what God expects from you He will empower you to do, and that your faithfulness in meeting His expectations will make an eternal difference. If either or both of these are not firmly in place, you will not perform. For this reason you must saturate yourself with the Word of God. For in His Word you will...
by Don Whaley | Nov 5, 2018 | Articles, Mentors Corner
Your answer to this question will determine how you view the Bible but also it will have an eternal impact on your life. If the Bible is truly God’s Word, then we should cherish it, study it, obey it, and trust it. If the Bible is the Word of God, then to dismiss it is to dismiss God. The Bible is God’s revelation of Himself to mankind. The term “revelation” simply means that God communicated to us what He is like and how we can have a right relationship with Him. If the Bible truly is the Word of God, then it is the final authority for all matters of faith, religious practice and morals. There can be no doubt that the Bible does claim to be the very Word of God. This is clearly seen in Paul’s commendation to Timothy: “…and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:15-17) One evidence that the Bible is truly God’s Word is in its unity. It is 66 individual books, written on 3 continents, in 3 languages, over a period of approximately 1500 years, by more than 40 authors from many walks of life. Yet the Bible is one unified book from beginning to end without a single contradiction. No other book is like this. It...
by Walt Henrichsen | Oct 22, 2018 | Articles, Mentors Corner
Balaam’s Sin “…which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness.” 2Peter 2:15 When Christ addresses the church at Pergamos, He charges them with the sin of Balaam: “But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.”1 Numbers 22-24 records the incident where Balak, the king of Moab, requested God’s prophet Balaam to curse Israel on the Exodus. God refused to allow Balaam to curse His people, and so Balaam counseled Balak to engage in sexual promiscuity with Israel, thereby ensuring God’s curse. Jude and Peter tell us Balaam did this because he lusted after the wealth promised by Moab. Lust and covetousness are essentially the same; when you lust you covet, and vice versa. The object of your coveting determines what you call it. For the football player it may be being inducted into the pro hall of fame; for another it may be becoming the richest man in the world; for those in academia it may be becoming president of an Ivy League school; and so forth. Although it may be difficult on occasion to distinguish between a legitimate desire and coveting, whenever you break the commandment of God to attain your goal, you know you have committed the sin of Balaam. Balaam was endowed with a marvelous gift; God made him His prophet, which meant that he could...
by Micah Olson | Oct 2, 2018 | Articles, Mentors Corner
Forgiveness and Consequences “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” 2 Corinthians 5:10 The bible makes it abundantly clear that our actions in this life have eternal consequences. We do nothing to earn our way into heaven, because salvation is by grace and grace alone. But although salvation is in no way based on our works or our merit, it is equally true that the quality of our eternity is based on our works. How we invest our life on earth will determine how we live out eternity in heaven (see, e.g., Matthew 6:19-21, 1 Corinthians 3:11-15, and Revelation 22:12). Many modern Christians are uneasy with the teaching of eternal accountability, instead preferring to believe that God’s forgiveness wipes out all consequences of temporal (i.e. earthly) sin. However, the idea that forgiveness eliminates consequences is not biblical. As an example, consider the story of Israel’s rebellion at Kadesh Barnea, found in Numbers 13-14. God commands Moses to send spies into the Promised Land in order to see what the land is like (Numbers 13:1). Twelve spies, one from each tribe, go out on the mission. Two spies, Caleb and Joshua, give a good report of the land. They argue that Israel should go up and take possession of it, in obedience to God. But the other 10 spies argue that the people in the land are too strong for Israel. Sadly, the Israelites go against Caleb and Joshua’s counsel, and instead they...
by James Asdell | Sep 24, 2018 | Articles, Testimonies
“Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.” John 14:13-14 This is a staggering promise. But why haven’t my lottery numbers come up then?! To ask something in the Son’s name stages the prayer in a certain way. So some thoughts: 1) The posture of all prayer is humility and submission—not presumption and impatience. 2) To ask in the Son’s name is to ask like he would ask—with the confidence that would glorify his Father’s power and the humility for the Father to use it on his own terms. 3) Jesus says the purpose of this doing is to glorify the Father in himself. To ask in the Son’s name is to enter into a holy place. If you ask in the Son’s name, you are right in the middle of the union of glory between Father and Son. Why is this important? It reveals how much is at stake from the Son’s point of view. Glorifying his Father means everything to Jesus so the doing he promises for us is of the utmost care and value to him. This is good news. Notice, Jesus promises the prayer will be done but he doesn’t clarify how or when. All asking-prayer comes from a point of need, but who has a better understanding of what his children need—us, or the one who formed us and set every variable (almost all of which we don’t even realize) of our lives? Who had a better understanding of what...
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