As I travel about the country to talk with pastors and church leaders, the problem I find them struggling with most is the question of authority and leadership in the church. This is, I believe, the single most pressing issue facing our churches today. Our churches are either trying to resolve the question of who is the leade...
God is no respecter of persons, but he is most certainly a respecter of character. You don’t have to read the Bible very long until you realize that that’s true. God oftentimes used kings, doctors, and lawyers in his service, but he also used fisherman, tax collectors, and farmers. Sometimes he used Gentiles, and...
Often people come to me saying they want to be a better Christian. If you have ever thought or said that, you will be interested in my response. I remind them there is no magical switch to flick to suddenly become a better Christian. Becoming a better Christian is a growing process. If you have the desire, discipline, and det...
There are more than a billion lost people in the world today. How many people is a billion? It is impossible for most of us to even comprehend a number like that. There haven’t even been a billion minutes in the world since Jesus was born. Let’s put it this way to help us grasp the greatness of that number. If we...
There was a time when the theology of a congregation was determined almost entirely by the pastor of the local church. But today television has changed that. By the time many people arrive at church today they have already heard two or three different television preachers. And they are hearing all sorts of strange ideas. They...
Do you ever read the morning newspaper or watch the 10 o’clock news and wonder if things could get any worse? Do you wonder why things are as they are and what has brought us to this time in history? If you want a commentary on the times, you would do well to study carefully the book of 2 Timothy 3. Because in tha...
There lived in this town two brothers who were notorious for their wickedness. They were the sorriest two men who ever lived. There was not anything they wouldn’t do. They would lie, cheat, steal, drink, fight, cuss, and chase women. They would do anything and everything. And in the passing of time one of these brothers...
A Methodist minister said sometime ago as he described the multifaceted responsibilities of the modern minister, that the modern ministry has to make as many visits as a country preacher, shake as many hands as a politician, prepare as many briefs as a lawyer, see as many clients as a specialist. Paul is talking about t...
Two friends were talking and one said to the other, “What were your father’s last words?” The friend replied, “He didn’t have any. Mother was with him till the end.”