Fortify Your Faith

[568 words] A father brought his demon-possessed son to Jesus (Mk. 9:17). He told Jesus he had taken his son to the disciples, but they could not cast the demon out (Mk. 9:18). Thus, the father asked Jesus, “if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” (Mk. 9:22). What was the…

God’s Payment Plan

[542 words] Micah was a prophet of God from 740-700 BC who had a message of destruction for both the northern and southern kingdoms of God’s people. Population centers of both kingdoms would be destroyed and become places of desolation. The capital of Israel in the north was Samaria. Micah foretold that it would become…

The Victor’s Crown

[441 words] God has promised us many wonderful blessings in His word. The grandest blessings are reserved for those who are faithful to Him unto the very end. One of these grand blessings is the crown of life. This was the promise to the church at Smyrna who was suffering and would suffer even greater…

Atonement

[448 words] From the time of the first sin in Genesis 3 when Adam and Eve partook of the forbidden fruit, people have continually separated themselves from God by transgressing His law. God is Holy (1 Peter 1:16), that is, He is separate from sin, so when I defile myself by committing sin I create…

The Instruction of a Father

[582 words] Fathers are important to the development of children. We are thankful for those men who take seriously the command of Ephesians 6:4 by lovingly bringing their children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord rather than provoking them to anger. In their interactions with their children, fathers must avoid relating to…

The Significance of Baptism

[548 words] Few religious groups in our world today teach the full significance of baptism as it pertains to salvation. There are many who teach that one is saved first and then, baptized. Several others say baptism is necessary as a command of God but fail to see the urgency of it, baptizing an individual…

Context Can Keep You From Drowning

[487 words] It is possible to twist the scriptures, particularly those portions which are harder to understand, to one’s own destruction (2 Peter 3:16). Satan misuses scripture to cloud the thinking of those he wishes to lead astray (Matthew 4:6), and he certainly has not gone out of business in the information age. We have…

When the Time Is Ripe

  [470 words] We often wonder what the world is coming to; just how long will evil progress in our world? The Bible ought to be at the forefront of our focus when we have such questions. That God wrote the Bible is evident from many of its characteristics, one of which is its controlled…