Preparing for the Lord's Day How do you know that you are a true member of the family? Growing up with two adopted brothers meant that I was faced with the meaning of belonging to a family. There was a time when my brothers were not members of our family. They were born with different parents. They lived in a different house. However, by God's providence, these two boys w...

Preparing for the Lord's Day In Galatians chapter three Paul begins by asking the Galatians, "Who has bewitched you?" Paul has spent the first two chapters defending his Apostleship against the attacks of the false teachers but now in chapter three, he turns his attention to defending the theological foundation of the gospel. He had preached the pure gospel of faith in Je...

Preparing for the Lord's Day God has designed human beings as aiming creatures. Aim is built into our physical and spiritual framework. The Lord has given us eyes that are designed to look forward and focus on a target. He has given us minds that can imagine a future target and aim our actions toward achieving that goal. As a result of this design, we are enthralled by su...

Preparing for the Lord's Day Many of you might be familiar with Evangelism Explosion (E.E.). It is an evangelism program that was developed by Presbyterian Minister D. James Kennedy. This program utilized two diagnostic questions that help Christians begin an evangelistic conversation with a nonbeliever. "Have you come to the place in your life where you know that if you...

Preparing for the Lord's Day This past summer Ronnie Long was released from prison after the state of North Carolina vacated his convictions. In 1976 Long was found guilty of a crime that he did not commit. He was sentenced to 80 years in prison and remained there for the past 44 years. He maintained his innocence, but it was not until this summer that he was found to be ...

Preparing for the Lord's Day Standing up to your friends is often more difficult than standing up to your enemies. We call it peer-pressure and it is a powerful force in our lives. Who cannot think of a story of giving in to do something stupid or even illogical because a friend pressured you? Your first drink; your first cigarette; your first act of vandalism. These were...

Preparing for the Lord's Day The events of this past year have produced more disunity in our nation, our communities, and in our families than I have ever personally experienced. Differing responses to the COVID pandemic have created a division between those who desire more caution and those who desire less. Differing opinions on politics have created multiple fracture li...

Preparing for the Lord's Day Perrier is the iconic French sparkling water. And on each label of the green bottles, it says, "Source: Perrier." The Perrier spring is a naturally pure spring in southern France that produces carbonated water. This spring has been known of since the Roman period and in the last century, it has become the premier bottled sparkling water. Centr...

Preparing for the Lord's Day Why is Paul so upset in his letter to the Galatians? It was a common form, in first-century letter writing, to offer some type of thanksgiving or compliment to the recipient. If one investigates Paul's other epistles, he will find that Paul follows this convention. However, in Galatians, he skips with the initial gestures and goes right to his...

Preparing for the Lord's Day No Other Gospel: A Study of Galatians Everyone is born a legalist. That is to say, everyone has a natural tendency to view acceptance and reward as the just fruits of our proper action. This instinct can be useful and helpful in this world. Children who behave and study are rewarded with acceptance and good grades. Employees who follow protoc...