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Still Talking with Snakes?
Can you imagine if Adam and Eve had kept the serpent close shortly after their expulsion from the Garden? Could you imagine that, if the serpent still talked, Adam and Eve would have spent time communicating with it? This sounds preposterous, I know, but it is...
Observations on Insecurity in Ministry
Insecurity prevents a ministry from allowing God to flow unhindered. The minister constantly attempts to fight against his perceptions and inferiority by demanding conformity from those around him to an internalized image he seeks to project on them. Tragically, he...
Deaf at the Door (Every Christian Should Read!)
Imagine that someone has been knocking on your door for several days. They have been relentlessly calling out your name, but you never get up to answer the call or knock at the door. Over and over again, the person at the door continues to knock and call out your...
God at the Grammys?
The post critiques the hypocrisy of celebrity culture, particularly at events like the Grammys, where vulgar artists praise God despite their immoral lifestyles. It highlights the disconnect between their actions and Christianity’s teachings. Ultimately, it calls for genuine repentance and a commitment to living a holy life in accordance with biblical principles.
Convicted but not Equipped
The article reflects on attending two impactful sermons regarding prayer in the Apostolic movement. The first sermon emphasized the need for prayer without providing practical guidance. In contrast, the second offered actionable instructions. EQUIP, don’t just CONVICT.
The Revelation of Expectation
Hannah and Simeon exemplify devoutness, waiting for the Messiah’s arrival with genuine expectation. Unlike others, their faith allows for divine surprises. They recognized Christ in the humble guise of an infant, demonstrating the importance of being open to unexpected answers in prayer while remaining attentive to God’s unpredictable ways.
Spiritual Authority Series #3: A Deeper Look into Watchman Nee’s Spiritual Authority.
As mentioned in our previous article, I believe Watchman Nee’s work on Spiritual Authority has played a pivotal role in specific contexts of the Pentecostal community regarding spiritual authority. Depending on one’s community and contextual background, the...
Spiritual Authority Series #2: The Role of Watchman Nee
In specific contexts of the Pentecostal community, discussing a theology of Spiritual Authority is only possible by bringing the work of Watchman Nee on Spiritual Authority into the mix. Little is known about Watchman Nee and the rapid development of his Christian...
Spiritual Authority Series #1: Anecdotes and Authority
Suppose you are on the frontline of pastoral ministry. In that case, I’m sure you have either become the target of or have seen the various deconstructed attacks on principles of spiritual authority. Many of these attacks can seem to cherry-pick what is often...
When the Wrong Spirit Uses the Right Scripture
Let's start with a scenario. Imagine an individual attending a church. In one service, someone in leadership said something neither wise nor appropriate to this individual. This individual was hurt, and rightfully so, and they left the service seething. All they could...
Church Attendance: Does it Matter?
Does church attendance matter? Let’s take a quick look.
What is a Pastoral Preference?
We hear the words often, sometimes in the favorable and others in the negative: pastoral preference. Are they right? Can a local pastor have them? Can a local pastor expect them to be respected and honored? These are great questions that I believe merit a balanced...
A Forensic of Rebellion: David’s Complicity in Absolom’s Conspiracy
How often is Absolom’s example utilized in many church communities to describe rebellious coups against pastoral leadership? Often, but do you think the comparison is worthy? I believe it can be if one allows the totality of the story to speak of the entire context of Absolom’s rebellion. What if we, taking a forensic look at the uprising of Absolom, were to find David complicit in the events?
Biblical Apostasy: A Backsliding that Puts God to Shame
What are these individuals doing as they disown every feature and benefit of their having once been enlightened? They are crucifying the Son of God and putting Him to open shame. Having disowned practically every benefit of God’s grace and the gift of that grace- the power and holiness of the Holy Ghost- they bring Christ back to the cross, denying His completed work while claiming to be partakers of His completed work. Denying their resurrection, they deny His resurrection. Denying their burial in baptism, they deny his burial. Christ now bleeds again on a cross while they openly parade the image of an empty cross.
The Fallacy of Composition, the Church, and Dealing with Deconstructionists
Bad apples exist, but that doesn't mean we must set fire to the entire apple orchard. Unfortunately, this is precisely what many attempt to do regarding the church community. They highlight extreme examples of narcissism or hand-select leadership or ministries who...
Rooted Bible Study Released
How excited are we to have the release of Rooted: The Bible Study Available for purchase? Pretty excited! The feedback from those receiving these is incredible already! We don't have many left so head over to the shop and grab one. 108 exciting illustrated pages that...
Is a Believing Wife to Submit to an Unbelieving Husband?
Tricky. This is the word for navigating the complex situation of marriages that involve a believing woman married to an unbelieving husband. Whilst it can be the other way around, the most common scenario I have seen and experienced where problems arise involves this...
She Watches from the Window (A Short Story)
She saunters with seductive purpose in her stride. Lips pouting, eyes sparkling. She glides toward me. She is beautiful. Breathlessly, I stand unsure of what to do. My heart races, sweat begins to bead along my forehead. The breeze rustles my hair, bringing the...
Talking Television: Accepting What isn’t Good because other things are Worse?
Growing up, I remember being one of the only kids in the neighborhood without a television. "What in the world do you do," was the common question my friends asked me. Well, I played in the woods for hours, built forts, played basketball, rode bikes, and when home, I...
Echoes in Koinonia: The Danger of an ‘Amen’ Corner
When a snake slithers out from the nondescript foliage in the woods, your entire body responds to the sudden fear of the snake. This fight-or-flight response is an Amygdala Hijack*. Your heart rate and blood pressure increase, causing you to breathe more quickly,...
Touch Not Mine Anointed…
THE TEXT 1 Chronicles 16:22 (KJV) — 22 Saying, Touch not mine anointed, And do my prophets no harm The Context 1 Chronicles 16:17–21 (KJV) — 17 And hath confirmed the same to Jacob for a law, And to Israel for an everlasting covenant, 18 Saying, Unto thee will I give...
Celebrity Culture in the Church: The Epidemic that Cannot be Ignored (Social Carousel)
How Churches Became Cruise Ships
In a book I read recently, the prism was turned, which allowed me to understand the plight of church attendance in a whole different light. This book, bringing me through the '50s and into the '60s and '70s, captured a phenomenon that began to occur in the Christian...
Hushai: Another Reason Why I Pray
Perhaps you have sometimes struggled to pray and wondered: "Does my prayer work?" Well, something from a story found in II Samuel and a figure named Hushai has caused me to push through those thoughts and engage in a daily habit of prayer. It is very simple. God is...
Book Review: Jerusalem in the Times of Jesus by Joachim Jeremias
It was long overdue when the translation of Joachim Jeremias’ premier scholarship on Jerusalem's economic, social, and cultural conditions in the first Christian century was produced. Joachim, son of the theologian and Assyriologist Friedrich Jeremias, also the pastor...
The Apostle Paul and the Absence of the Gospels
Many reading this will be surprised to learn that the Apostle Paul did not have the Four Gospels when he began his ministry following his encounter with Christ on the Road to Damascus around AD 35. The newly inaugurated Church did not have anything they utilized as a...
God Did Not “Robe Himself in Flesh.”
We have all heard the phrase, "God robed Himself in the flesh," but I want to take a quick moment and explain succinctly why we should avoid this phrase and why this phrase is theologically inaccurate. John 1:14 — 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and...
Double Fulfillment in Scripture: The Virgin Birth?
Isaiah 7:14–16 (KJV 1900) — 14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, And shall call his name Immanuel. 15 Butter and honey shall he eat, That he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good. 16 For...
The Spirit of Pure Inquiry
The spirit of inquiry, though uncomfortable for many in the Body of Christ, is a necessary agency that works to hinder the advancement of doctrinal distortions, false teachings, and the temptation by some in the Pentecostal community to become top-heavy in...
PREACH THE WORD: A Careful Reflection on Speech in the Pulpit
As the culture of controversy has become dominated by text chains and back-room conversations, I often find that it is vital to the health and strength of the church community to respectfully and openly navigate certain controversies. In part, this is done to dull the...
The Captor that Comes as Liberator: Responding to the Fallacy of the Self-Described Social Media Holiness Reformers.
One need not peruse social media long these days to find themselves face-to-face with several outlets that have stirred the proverbial pot of biblical interpretation, often touting themselves as an enlightened alternative to all things cultish and cult-like. Uncanny...
Using Other Translations with the KJV
1 Peter 2:2 (NA28) — 2 ὡς ἀρτιγέννητα βρέφη τὸ λογικὸν ἄδολον γάλα ἐπιποθήσατε, ἵνα ἐν αὐτῷ αὐξηθῆτε εἰς σωτηρίαν 1 Peter 2:2 (Elzevir) — 2 ως αρτιγεννητα βρεφη το λογικον αδολον γαλα επιποθησατε ινα εν αυτω αυξηθητε I am not a Greek scholar, expert, or anything...
Holiness Foundations: A Biblical Response to Holiness Criticism
Outside of certain religious groups, the idea of holiness is seldom discussed, and if it is discussed, it is heavily tilted toward a "God alone" paradigm (i.e., God is Holy). My question for consideration is: Does holiness have more to do with us than many allow or...
Christian Fasting: A Theological Approach
Fasting is a subject, like the five-fold ministry [i], that is often captured by a series of publications that rely less on theological approaches and more on anecdotal narratives that describe the personal benefits, beliefs, and opinions of those who engage in the...
The Spirit of God by Timothy Hadden
Hey everyone, I have a short treatise available for purchase on Amazon that I believe will be a helpful resource theologically. Go support by purchasing and then leaving a great review! Share with others! BOOK EXCERPT Moving through the Old Testament, one is met with...
AD 381: Heretics, Pagans, and the Dawn of the Monotheistic State (Worthy Reads)
Most discussions had by Trinitarian adherents of church history discuss AD 381 as the celebrated year in which the Cappadocian Fathers (Basil of Caesarea, Gregory of Nyssa, and Gregory of Nazianzus) scored a final victory for orthodoxy at the Council of Constantinople.[viii] Yet, few slow down to consider that the debate continued to rage amongst the bishops nearly 50 years after the Council of Nicaea.
The War Against the Word
Lately, we have been working (locally) through the Mark 4 text dealing with the four places the seed from the sower fell upon; the first three locations continue to stand out. Let's look at them again: The Wayside: hearing the Word, there is no...
Verbal Bean “Prayer” Complete and Unabridged with Commentary by Dr. Johnny King
Excerpt from Amazon: Here, for the first time, Verbal Bean’s Prayer is presented complete and unabridged in the order that the lessons were taught. Care was taken to be true to the words and spirit of the man who taught on Prayer. Commentary on selected subjects has...
Restoring the Ministry of the Prophet, but which Prophet?
I have seen a hyper-emphasis in recent years on the restoration of the Prophets among us, though I would beg to ask the question: "Which Prophets do we wish to restore?" One observation I have made as many have begun to argue for the restoration of the prophetic...
