Jesus … said, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” Mark 5:19 The story of the demonic-possessed man in Mark 5 could be the story of each of us. God, in His mercy, delivered us from the different situations we were enslaved […]

God said to Jeremiah that even before He formed him in his mother’s womb, he set him apart and had plans for him. Jer. 1:5, 29:11 At age 16, I reasoned that religion was man-made ideology so people could live in peace with one another. I thought I could find the purpose for my life elsewhere and not in Christ. But […]

Before his death, Charles Hauser wrote a draft of a commentary on Hebrews, leaving the work for Kevin Bauder to complete. The following is an excerpt from that commentary. Some of the words are Bauder’s, but the argument is Hauser’s. 1God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, 2in […]

Monday mornings are the hardest for pastors. After proclaiming the Word of God on Sunday, Mondays mark the beginning of preparation for the next Sunday. Pastors from small rural churches to large urban churches experience difficulties. Time seems to evade us so quickly. There’s family life to do, work to be done, counseling, meetings, preparations, and on top of all […]

I heard what I thought was God’s voice saying, “You have the wrong sermon for tomorrow.” It was late Saturday night and I had just completed the last touches for preparing my sermon to preach the next morning at our new church plant in urban Seattle. “But Lord,” I contended, lying on the floor, face down and my chin propped […]

And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus. (Phil. 4:19) This verse is very encouraging, and believers reference it frequently. The problem, however, is that it is often taken out of context or wrongly applied. Paul, in the course of the ministry God called him to do, admitted the challenge […]

The man was a scoundrel, certainly not worthy of the invitation he had just received. He had stolen before—he had even stolen from the king’s treasury. And now he was eyeing the fat purse on the richly-dressed nobleman headed his way on the main road, when he felt a tap on his shoulder. Oh no, he though. Caught at last. “Sir,” a […]

The Book of Revelation has a message for the 7 churches that could help us examine the health or sickness of our own church, including the Church at Sardis. The Churches: Past and Present The Book of Revelation has a message for all churches and not just the 7 churches in Revelation 2 and 3. These messages can help us […]

Are nearly 40% of clergy really about to leave the ministry? It’s a question that has come up regularly in conversations among sociologists of religion since The Barna Group, a research firm that focuses on religion, found last year that 2 in 5 Christian pastors had considered quitting full-time ministry in the past year. As director of Hartford Institute for Religion Research, I […]

Praying For Revival: But Do You Have A Reference Point? A reference point in this correspondence is a motivating factor or a precedent. Is there a challenge or an aspiration to overcome or attain? Without a doubt, for many of us, the word Revival may not be a new vocabulary, but its meaning and depth. In October 2020, we joined […]