Lonnie Witt Think of the people of your acquaintance who you would deem successful. It is nearly impossible to separate the individual from his or her vocation or mission. We find that especially true when we think of Jesus. From the scriptures we learn who He is and that His whole life was shaped around His mission. Let’s consider three things that defined His mission.  Jesus came to demonstrate God. In John 14:8 Philip asked Jesus to show the disciples the Father. Likely Philip desired a...

Curtis Going As a little boy sitting on a church pew, with legs too short to touch the floor, and an attention span that was even shorter, my mother quietly taught me the words and the hand gestures to a familiar little poem that generations of church-going children have committed to memory.  Here’s the church. Here’s the steeple. Open the doors. See all the people.  Close the doors. Hear them pray. Open the doors. They’ve all gone away. A simple children’s poem which reminds us that it is...

Bob Blankenship To help Christians understand their responsibility to one another, Paul compares the church to a body. He gives two contrasting ideas to help explain the way in which believers relate to each other. 1) As a body, the church has diversity. “For the body is not one member, but many.” (I Corinthians 12:14) There is one body but it has many parts. 2) As a body, the church also has unity. “But now are they many members, yet but one body.” (I Corinthians 12:20) All of the parts must...

DALE CHAPMAN The people of God are a “called out” and separated assembly of God-indwelt beings. The Church is greatly diminished when we think of it as merely a physical building. Instead, it is people, and especially the gathering of people in the name and presence of Jesus. The presence of God Himself is manifested when as few as two or three gather in His name. This is the result of each one being saturated with the Spirit of God. In other words, our Personal Quiet Time comes to church with...

Jonathan Edwards Some of my earliest recollections as a child growing up in the church include the vibrant singing of God’s people. Coming from a family focused a lot on music, I remember singing the song often “The Family of God.” Reading from the writings of the Apostle Paul to the Galatians we read, “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.” (Galatians 6:10) As we combine the thoughts of the song with this...

H. Orton Wiley Holiness people devote themselves to the preaching of holiness, and have constantly urged upon the Church the necessity of pressing into this precious experience. Their primary reason for this is that they are in earnest about seeing men and women saved and made ready for heaven, and the Scriptures say that without holiness “no man shall see the Lord.” Many other things they regard as nonessential, but to this great truth they devote all their energy. The distinctive teaching...

Curtis Going Several weeks ago, we watched the nation of Afghanistan fall into the hands of the Taliban. Images of thousands of frantic people crowded on airplane tarmacs, clinging to the exterior of aircraft, hoping to escape the unknown horrors of a future in the hands of an extremist Islamic regime will not soon be forgotten. But while much attention has been focused on the political and military implications of the situation in Afghanistan, one overlooked segment of the population has been...

A. Skevington Wood After citing well-documented evidence that the inception and spread of historic revivals has been independent of environment, organization, or leadership, Dr. A. Skevington Wood listed the following essential and constant characteristics of an authentic spiritual awakening:  1. An intensified awareness of God, when unbelievers and skeptics are compelled to acknowledge the presence of God. 2. An acute sensitivity to sin is always a noticeable feature in revival. 3. A jealous...

Andrew Stroud Activate your imagination for a few moments. The room you are standing in has two chairs side by side, both facing the same direction, and separated by a short distance. Keep your imagination going and have a seat in the first chair. Now, a quick explanation… the chair that you are now occupying represents your current spiritual condition. Not what you used to be, not what you hope to be, but who you are spiritually at this moment in time. Additionally, I want you to imagine that...

by Curtis Going The Apostle Paul is the greatest missionary to ever live, and the example of his ministry provides a dependable pattern for every aspiring missionary, pastor, Christian worker, and soul-winner. He was thoroughly convinced of the claims of the Gospel and urgently driven to carry that good news wherever the Holy Spirit led him.  One of the most extraordinary churches that Paul established was the church of Thessalonica. Paul was only in Thessalonica for a brief period of time to...