In a recent interview with Stephen Colbert. Thomas Rosica asked the late-night talk show host about faith. Colbert revealed an impressive knowledge of Christian apologetics, referring to Anselm’s proof for God’s existence. He said he believed Anselm’s arguments to be “logically perfect” and “completely unsatisfying.” Then he explained, “Faith ultimately can’t be argued. Faith has […]
The Holy Spirit knows something about preaching. When we examine the sermons inspired by Him, we are able to know what God wants proclaimed and how He wants it to be preached. So, in the past two issues of The Salem Story, we have looked at sermons in the book of Acts. Eight have been […]
Everybody knows how to preach. Even non-Christians will tell what should be said and how it should be said. Several years ago, one of my overseers said that I should preach more on love and grace. He implied that all preaching should be on those themes. This came after I had just preached on the […]
When asked what he will say to American Catholics, their pope recently declared, “I will say whatever the Holy Spirit inspires me to say.” What did the inspired preachers of the first century say? What did the Holy Spirit direct them to preach when they stood before an assembly? This study should be enlightening. If […]
During the time Mary Jane was carrying our first child, my uncle (dad’s oldest brother) had a heart attack and a subsequent open-heart surgery. After smoking cigarettes for most of his life, he suddenly quit smoking when I was a young man. Realizing the difficulty of such a break from nicotine, I asked him how […]
The three synoptic accounts of the gospel–Matthew, Mark, and Luke–tell of the Lord’s calling Levi to be an apostle. As Jesus passed on from Capernaum, He saw a man called Matthew Levi, the son of Alphaeus, sitting at the tax booth, and He said to him, “Follow Me.” And leaving everything, he rose and followed […]
In the pessimistic Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes, the context of chapter four is vanity or emptiness (cf. vv. 7, 8). It’s an old book, of course, but it speaks to our day. How can one survive alone in our own dog-eat-dog culture? He can’t. In the midst of what Solomon called, “an unhappy business” […]
When Jesus said to Peter, “Follow me” in John 21:19, He was calling Peter to another location (cf. v. 20). Later, however, Peter gave the same command a spiritual significance. “For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps” […]
Nehemiah was the cupbearer for King Artaxerxes (Neh. 1:1). Being a cupbearer meant being in a prestigious position. But Nehemiah did not let his position or his comfort influence his commitment to God. Nehemiah’s practice illustrates what is necessary to get God’s work done. Nehemiah had a burden. “I sat down and wept and mourned […]
Rather than constantly desiring more, we should be satisfied with what we have. Instead of searching the Christmas catalogue of gifts, we should review the Thanksgiving catalogue of blessings such as the one with which Psalm 103 begins. Do not forget these benefits: forgiveness of sins, healing from diseases, redemption from the pit, the crown […]