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In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. And the same John had his raiment of camel’s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey. Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan, And were...

A Christian school that meets at a church has filed a lawsuit against an Oregon county after officials told the congregation that the school could not use the property.Skopos Christian School, which has around 30 students, began to hold classes at Faith on Hill Church in Milwaukie last year after they had to leave their former building. Skopos and Faith on Hill are both being represented by the Pacific Justice Institute, a conservative law firm based in Sacramento, California.PJI explained in a statement released last week that they're filing the suit under the federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons...

A pastor explains why the idea of a Godless, purely naturalistic universe is impossible.

The Theology of Benedict XVI: A Protestant AppreciationEdited by Tim PerryLexham Press, 272pp, £20.99/$25.89The theology of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI is not the easiest thing to get a handle on. There is, first, the sheer volume of it. During his tenures as a theology professor, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and pope, Benedict wrote more than 70 books, three papal encyclicals, three apostolic exhortations, and countless articles, addresses and homilies. Second, there is such a wide variety of themes treated that it is difficult (if not impossible) to peg Benedict’s theology to any of the...

What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes? And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down: And I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they...

In Christ we have infinite forgiveness for every sin—past, present, and future. On Israel's Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) the high priest selected two goats. One was sacrificed; the other set free. Before releasing the second goat, the high priest symbolically placed the sins of the people on it by laying his hands on its head. This "scapegoat" was then taken a great distance from camp and released—never to return again (Lev. 16:7-10). The Greek word translated "forgiveness" in Ephesians 1:7 means "to send away." It speaks of cancelling a debt or granting a pardon. Like the scapegoat, Christ carried...

"In [Christ] we have redemption through His blood" (Eph. 1:7, emphasis added). Redeeming grace is free to us, but its cost to God is inestimable. Sin is not a serious issue to most people. Our culture flaunts and peddles it in countless forms. Even Christians who would never think of committing certain sins will often allow themselves to be entertained by them through television, movies, music, and other media. We sometimes flirt with sin but God hates it. The price He paid to redeem us from it speaks of the seriousness with which He views it. After all, we "were...

“The fastest-growing church in the world has taken root in one of the most unexpected and radicalized nations on earth,” according to “Sheep Among Wolves,” the outstanding two-hour documentary about the revival that has taken place inside Iran. “The Iranian awakening is a rapidly reproducing discipleship movement that owns no property or buildings, has no central leadership, and is predominantly led by women.” The documentary was produced by Frontier Alliance International (FAI), which supports disciple-making teams targeting the “unreached” and “unengaged” within the 10/40 Window. “What if I told you Islam is dead?” one unidentified Iranian church leader says on...

Now will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill: And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes. And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard. What could have been done more to my vineyard,...

“In [Christ] we have redemption” (Eph. 1:7). Slavery to sin is bondage; slavery to God is freedom. Freedom is a precious thing. People throughout history have prayed, fought, and even died for it. Our Declaration of Independence upholds it as one of our inalienable rights. But the truth is, no matter what one’s political situation might be, everyone is a slave—either to sin or to God. Jesus said that “everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin” (John 8:34). Paul added that all of creation is in slavery to corruption (Rom. 8:21). However, believers have “been freed from sin...

A second Fuller Theological Seminary student has filed a lawsuit against the Christian institution over its ban on noncelibate same-sex relationships. On Tuesday, Nathan Brittsan, a pastor and graduate student who is in a same-sex marriage, added his name to a lawsuit against the California-based nondenominational seminary. Brittsan is joining plaintiff Joanna Maxon, who was expelled by Fuller for being in a same-sex marriage. Her suit was filed in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. “This is a civil rights case about two students who were expelled from their graduate program for one reason: they married someone...

God chose us “to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in [His beloved Son]” (Eph. 1:6). You were created to glorify God. Englishman Henry Martyn served as a missionary in India and Persia in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Upon his arrival in Calcutta, he cried out “Let me burn out for God.” As he watched the people prostrating themselves before their pagan idols and heard blasphemy uttered against Christ, he wrote, “This excited more horror in me than I can well express. . . . I could not endure...

The Jewish prophet Ezekiel predicted 2600 years ago that an unlikely coalition of Nations that would rise in a last days and push to control the Middle East and attempt to destroy the regathered Nation of Israel. The second nation in this coalition of the willing is Iran (Persia). Ezekiel 38:4...I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords: 5 Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet: 6 Gomer,...

I dissect Surah 66, which explains the dysfunctional family dynamics within the Islamic world. I also explore how Muhammad justified adultery, and explain why Muslims don't believe they need a savior.

2600 years ago the Jewish prophet Ezekiel predicted an unlikely coalition of Nations that would rise in the last days and make a push to control the Middle East and destroy the regathered Nation of Israel. Leading this coalition is the land to the extreme north of Israel, Magog. Current day Russia. Ezekiel 38:2 "Son of man, set your face toward Gog of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him 3 and say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I am against you, O Gog, prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal. 4...

“In love [God] predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will” (Eph. 1:4-5). Because God loves you, He adopted you as His child and grants you all the rights and privileges of family membership. Moses told Israel that God didn't choose them because of their great numbers or any inherent goodness on their part, but as an expression of God's sovereign will and sacrificial love (Deut. 7:7-8). That's true of you as well if you're a Christian. The Greek word translated “love” in Ephesians 1:4 speaks not of emotional...

The UK’s independent regulator for doctors has said it will review its decision to close a case against a Christian doctor facing second-hand complaints of breaking professional conduct rules by discussing religion with patients. Tim Dieppe, head of public policy at the evangelical think tank Christian Concern, spoke in favour of Dr Richard Scott, the general practitioner in Kent accused of improperly discussing religion. “Dr Scott has been put through a lot of stress and anxiety from all these various complaints in what seems like a targeted campaign from the National Secular Society,” Dieppe told The Guardian. In Dieppe’s view,...

God chose us “that we should be holy and blameless before Him” (Eph. 1:4). The challenge of Christian living is to increasingly match your practice to your position. God chose you in Christ to make you holy and blameless in His sight. To be “holy” is to be separated from sin and devoted to righteousness. To be “blameless” is to be pure without spot or blemish—like Jesus, the Lamb of God (1 Pet. 1:19). Ephesians 1:4 is a positional statement. That is, Paul describes how God views us “in Christ.” He sees us as holy and blameless because Christ our...

The Bible is the Word of God. It is an amazing revelation, showing us Who God is, and what he has done to save mankind from the sin that we are all prone to. Central to that revelation is the truth that God hates sin and evil, and everything that is false, but God loves man. He has made a Righteous way to save man from the consequences of Man’s own rebellion. In a recent sermon I made this observation, which some have found hard to understand; I said that the Bible doesn’t really say that much about Love. God...

Matthew 5:8 "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God." What does it mean to be "pure in heart"? The world would say that this is to be truthful in all that you do toward anyone, with no thought of receiving back of what you do to help those that you see need help. There are many, many multitudes of people on earth who do these things, and oh how wonderful this is to see and experience, and this is not the norm of this present age that is plunging further and further into the abyss of...