Ephesians 4:11 tells us that God has anointed some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers. Silk describes these fivefold anointings in terms of what each might do at the scene of a car accident (see pp.53-55):
The pastor applies first aid, dispenses blankets and water. He gathers vital sign information, talks to everyone about their emergency contact details and brings a sense of calm to the situation.
The teacher studies the scene to see what caused the accident and what might be …

It was all going so well for Natsuki Terada. The Japanese runner was leading a recent marathon, but then he took a wrong turn… just 200m from the finish line.
Terada had been competing for Kokugakuin University in the Hakone Ekiden relay marathon event between Tokyo and Hakone, and as he neared the end of his stage, the win appeared to be there for the taking.
As he and three other runners approached the final straight, Terada kicked deep and powered his way from fourth into first place. But then it all went …

Professor Grant Horner was flown to 3-day interview/grilling process at Master’s College. At the end of the interview he was ushered in to Dr. MacArthur’s private study, where he was asked one question: “Can I see your Bible?”
Horner thought he would be horrified, because it looked like it had been through a typhoon — unloved and neglected. That old Scofield was literally read to tatters by then — covers absolutely gone, spine vanished away, glue-backing visible and all curled up, stitching coming apart, the prefatory material destroyed all the way up to …

Isn’t it funny how $10.00 looks so big when we take it to
church…..and so small when we take it to the store?
Isn’t it funny how big 60 minutes are when serving God, but how small when we are fishing, or playing golf or basketball?
Isn’t it funny how laborious it is to read a chapter in the Bible, but how easy to read 200 to 300 pages of a novel?
Isn’t it funny how we believe what a person or newspaper says, but question what the Bible says?
Isn’t it funny how we …

A few years ago while I was working in the offices of General Motors, I was shocked at an inter-office memo I had received.
The note was to explain about a new “noise filtering system” that was to be installed in the 1,000-plus employee complex within the coming weeks. It wasn’t the system alone that got my attention… it was what I read next.
The memo went on to say that white noise is merely a constant flood of sound that fills the air around you. It’s purposes is to dampen the …

About 10 years ago on an Easter Sunday, Rebecca Keck and her family, of New Berlin, Ill., visited Berlin Christian Church with excitement and some feelings of awkwardness.
It had been some time since Rebecca and her husband, Scott, had attended a church. That Easter Sunday was the first time they had gone to church as a family with their sons, Nolan and Lukas.
They need not have been concerned.
“When we arrived, I remember walking in and people were smiling and nodding. We made our way to the pew and had just …

By Mark A. Kellner-The Washington Times
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Its cadence is found in the speeches of Abraham Lincoln and the lyrics of Paul Simon. Renowned narrator Alexander Scourby and country music legend Johnny Cash have recorded spoken versions of the text. It’s estimated that 1 billion copies have been printed since the first volume rolled off the press in 1611.
The King James Version of the Bible, also known as the “Authorized Version,” marks its 400th anniversary in 2011, and by any measure, it has had a lasting impact on the …

As you know, on the evening of the first Passover, the Lord visited Egypt as an angel of death. He took every firstborn – people and livestock included- exept where He found blood on the doorway.
To understand the killing of the paschal (Passover) lamb, it’s important to know that in Egyptian society the lamb, or ram (a male sheep), represented a pagan god of the Egyptians named Amon (also spelled Amun, Amen, ot Ammon). Amon, whose name means “hidden one”, was considered the king of the gods and the …

Abortion Gift Certificates
Gift certificates for services (including abortion) are being sold in Anchorage, Alaska as part of Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest’s (PPGNW) effort to raise funds for their organization. Alaska Family Council President, Jim Minnery, says it is offensive that Planned Parenthood would use the Christmas season to propagate the message of abortion. Planned Parenthood Federation of America has also sold pro-abortion themed Christmas cards in the past for a fundraiser. The PPGNW is currently challenging an Alaskan state law set to take effect Dec. 14 mandating parent …

De Opresso Liber is the motto of the US Army Special Forces. It is a latin phrase that means, “Liberate the Oppressed”. The phrase originated during WWII when Colonel Aaron Bank and his Special Forces teams enabled the oppressed French Resistance to grow and eventually oppose and overthrow the occupying German Army.
Similarly, it is the duty of Christians to become special forces in an oppressed world… to enable the lost to stage a resistance against the Oppressor through the power of Christ.
Augustine wrote the following, which he described as the …