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Why Observe Lent?

March 1 is Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent. Though many protestant denominations do not observe Ash Wednesday or Lent, it has a long and meaningful history in […]

There Is Damnation In Numbers

“It is appointed for men to die once and after that to face judgment” (Heb. 9:27). Awhile back, my kids were reading a famous sermon by Jonathan Edwards entitled Sinners […]

Yes, Jesus Loves Me!

As a child growing up, one of the first songs I learned to sing was Jesus Loves Me. Jesus loves me this I know For the Bible tells me so […]

Why Do We Refer To Christmas Time As The Advent Season?

In the first centuries of the Christian tradition, the church developed a calendar of special holy days and seasons to be observed throughout the year. This is called the “Liturgical […]

Why Did Some People’s Names Change In The Bible?

In the ancient world, names were ideally regarded as reflecting the identity of a person. The Bible is full of such examples. When Hannah’s prayer to YHWH for a child […]

What Does It Mean To Dress Modestly?

First of all, on the back page of our weekly bulletin there is a statement pertaining to this subject. It reads, “Troy Christian Chapel does not have a dress code […]

If The Only Way To Heaven Is Through Jesus, How Were The People Before Him Saved?

On the night of his betrayal and arrest, Jesus made a bold statement about himself: “I AM the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the […]

What Are The Essentials Of Christianity?

Christianity is first and foremost about the salvation that Christ has provided for us through his death on the cross and his resurrection. Many people, however, emphasize the work of […]

When Should My Child Be Baptized?

Probably one of the most used explanations would be, first of all, when they come to an accountable age—when they can understand their need for baptism. Baptism is one of […]

How Do I Influence My Husband/Wife For Christ?

Throughout my fifty years of ministry I have been asked this question by the believing spouse in a marriage. Other times I wish they had asked for counsel. First of […]

Does The Bible Say We Have To Pray To Be Saved (As In The Sinner’s Prayer) Or Just Believe?

The sinner’s prayer can indeed and often has been sincerely used to express the faith and repentance of the covert. However, the sinner’s prayer is not some mystical spiritual formula […]

Should We Expect Miracles Today?

Before I answer this question let me share a real experience our family witnessed. In 1977, my father-in-law, Wilfred Downey was 86 years old and in the hospital with heart […]

How Can I Be Filled With The Holy Spirit?

The Bible tell us that faith in Jesus Christ is enough to receive the gift of his forgiveness and the gift of his Holy Spirit. So the first thing to […]

Who Are The 144,000 Saved In The Book Of Revelation?

Who are the 144,000 in the Book of Revelation? Are there a predetermined number of people who will be saved? Most of the confusion behind this question comes from the […]

Did Paul Have A Choice About Being A Christian?

Did Paul have a choice about being a Christian? Questions about free will are nowhere explicitly dealt with in the Scriptures. The views that theologians have about them must therefore […]

What Does The Name Immanuel Mean?

What does the name Immanuel mean? One of the names we often associate with Jesus at Christmas time is the name “Immanuel.” We associate it with Christmas because it is […]

What Is Intercessory Prayer?

What is Intercessory Prayer? Intercessory prayer is prayer for others. An intercessor is one who takes the place of another or pleads another’s case. In intercessory prayer we act as […]

Can A Christian Be Saved Without Going To Church?

Can a Christian be saved without going to church? This is somewhat of a loaded question. First of all, going to church doesn’t save anyone. The Bible encourages in many […]

How Can I Overcome Sin?

How can I overcome sin in my Christian life? The Apostle Paul explains in Romans chapter 6 that those who have trusted in Christ have been set free from the […]

What Does It Mean To Worship The Lord In Spirit And In Truth?

What does it mean to worship the Lord in spirit and in truth? The phrase “in the Spirit and in truth” is taken from John 4:24. It is part of […]

Must A Christian Be Obedient To Government?

Must a Christian be obedient to the government under which he lives? This is an important question, particularly in these times, when the government under which we live is becoming […]

Did Jesus Have To Experience Temptation?

Did Jesus have to experience temptation to know what we go through? Doesn’t he just know? God is omniscient, which literally means that he is “all-knowing.” However, when the Bible […]

Does God Control Our Hearts?

Why did God harden Pharaoh’s heart? Does God control all of our hearts so he really decides whether we believe in him or obey him? The events preceding the exodus were […]

Astronomers have made careful studies of the celestial decade of 14-4 BC, and three candidates have been proposed as possible stellar phenomena that might fit into Matthew’s description. Johannes Kepler […]

What Are Some Signs Of Genuine, Saving Faith?

Indeed this is one of the most important questions in the Christian life! When answering that question we must first ask and answer the following. How do we truly examine […]

Will We Go To Heaven If We Die With Sin left Un-Repented?

A lot of times, we think that we are sinners because we do sinful things: for example, because we lie, cheat, steal. But really it is the reverse: we do […]

Why Did God Create Us?

The fact that God created the universe, and human beings in particular, is one of the greatest evidences of his goodness and generosity. Perhaps the best short answer we could […]

What Happens When A Christian Dies? Does He Immediately Go To Heaven?

New Testament passages that allude to the state of the righteous between death and resurrection come largely from Paul. In the context of anticipating the possibility of his own death […]

Is It Acceptable To “Lay Out A Fleece” Before God?

In the book of Judges, the Bible tells of a man named Gideon who was chosen by God to deliver the Israelites from the hand of the Midianites. On the […]

What Does The Bible Teach About Dating?

The short answer is that the Bible teaches nothing about dating, at least directly. Dating as a cultural practice of modern Westerners was unknown in the ancient Near East and […]

Why Does God Want, Or Need To Be Worshipped?

Scripture makes clear that God commands our worship. The first two commandments call us to the worship of God at the exclusion of all other things that might lay claim […]

What Does It Mean To Be Anointed?

In the Old Testament, the word anointing can be traced to a special oil whose manufacture is prescribed in Exodus 30:22-33. The purpose of this oil was to set apart […]

What Did Jesus Mean When He Said, “This Generation Will Not Pass” In Matthew 24:34?

The various portents preceding the climax of the end of the age, Jesus said, were like spring leaves heralding the coming of summer. Early leaves indicate that summer is near, […]

In the Apostles’ Creed It Says That Christ Descended Into Hell After His Death. What Does This Mean?

There is a certain discomfort for the modern mind by this phrase, and it is perhaps sharpened by the fact that the phrase does not appear in either the old […]

In The Lord’s Prayer As It Is Commonly Recited In Protestant Churches, The Ending Phrase “For Thine Is The Kingdom And The Power And The Glory, Forever And Ever” Is Not In The Prayer As Delivered By Christ. What Is The History Of That Ending?

Here, indeed, is a true observation. In the two versions of the prayer that Christ taught his disciples to pray (Mt. 6:9-13; Lk. 11:2-4), neither of them have this ending […]

Why Does The Bible Say That When Joseph Discovered That Mary Was Pregnant He Considered Divorcing Her. Weren’t They Only Engaged At The Time? (Matthew 1:19)

Mary, as the Gospel of Matthew indicates, was pledged to be married to a man named Joseph. Some knowledge of Jewish marriage customs is necessary to fully appreciate the circumstance. […]

What Does God Mean When He Says That He Is “A Jealous God, Punishing The Children For The Sin Of The Parents To The Third And Fourth Generation Of Those Who Hate Me, But Showing Love To A Thousand Generations Of Those Who Love Me And Keep My Commandments”? (Exodus 20:5-6)

For many people, the idea of jealousy is often classed as a kind of petty emotion, and therefore many newer translations of the Scripture have sought to translate this passage […]

What Does The Bible Teach About Tithing In Our Day?

The New Testament ethic of giving is perhaps best summed up in a statement by St. Paul, who said, “Each person should give what he has decided in his heart […]

Why Was It Wrong For The Spies In Numbers 13 To Give A Bad Report? Weren’t They Told To Go Check It Out? Weren’t They Just Being Truthful?

There are two accounts of the spies sent into the Land of Canaan, one in Numbers 13 and the other in Deuteronomy 1:19ff. It is important to read both accounts […]