Saved by the Gospel

Can you remember, as a small child, being in a large crowd with one of your parents? Maybe it was while walking across a parking lot after watching a ball game, looking for your car among hundreds of other cars. You did your best to keep up with the crowd. Being much shorter than others around you, all you could see was legs! You may have been unsure as to where you were and certainly did not unde...

Have you ever wondered how many grains of sand are in one cup of sand? (Yeah, I know, you’re probably thinking, “Are you nuts? I’ve got a lot more important things to think about!”) Jochem Hendricks, along with twelve assistants, spent one thousand hours counting 3,281,579 grains in one cup of sand! The object of his efforts are now on display in Frankfurt Museum of Applied Arts. Imagine man tryin...

On August 5th, 2010, 700,000 tons of rock collapsed at a copper-gold mine in Chile. Workers labored around the clock to save the thirty-three men trapped far below the surface of the earth. The faces of those rescued were full of joy as they were brought up from the dark, humid mine; their lungs filled with fresh air for the first time in 69 days. Once inside the rescue capsule, the 2,000 foot asc...

If your house were on fire, would you call 911? Of course, you would! If someone in your family were seriously hurt and needed help, would you call for an ambulance? Definitely! We would all call for help if we needed it. When the multitude came to the Garden of Gethsemane to take Jesus to be crucified, one of those who were with Jesus took out his sword and struck one of the high priest’s servant...

Finally! I finally figured it out! At last I’ve been able to measure the distance between God and the world. God and the world are six feet and one inch apart. You’re probably wondering how I was able to measure that distance accurately. Easy! When I extend both of my arms out as far as possible, the distance from one fingertip to the other is six feet. The obvious conclusion is that God and the e...

In Acts chapter two, we read that 3,000 souls were added to the Lord’s church when they heard and believed the gospel, repented of their sin, confessed their faith and were baptized in order to receive the forgiveness of their sin.   To what church were they added?  Certainly, they were not added to any of the denominations that exist today, for none of these denominations existed a...

What is your perception of God? Do you see Him as someone who passively watches this world? Someone who is disinterested in the events of your life? If so, you need to change your idea of God? God is very much interested in you! He knows when you are at the top of the mountains of life and when you are in the bottom of life’s valleys. More importantly, He doesn’t just know, He cares. He cares enou...

I have a maple tree in my front yard. The leaves at the top of the tree are beginning to change color, just as they do every year. Soon, the bright colors, yellow, orange and red, will start to work their way down until the entire tree is engulfed in God’s beautiful artwork, artwork that only God can create. It’s that time of year when we will soon be experiencing the change of season. Leaves will...

In Acts chapter two, when the people were gathered together to hear the apostles preach, Peter quoted from Joel chapter two, saying, “And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2:21). Evidently, Peter’s listeners failed to understand what it meant to call on the name of the Lord, for in Acts 2:37, after already being told to call on the name...

In Exodus 14, we read about the Israelites and their deliverance from Egyptian bondage. As they come to the Red Sea, they saw the Egyptians marching after them. They felt trapped. They blamed Moses, even going so far as to say. “Didn’t we tell you this would happen? Why did you take us all the way out here to die? Were there no graves back in Egypt?” Moses replied, “Fear not, stand still, and see...

Our bodies are convincing evidence for the existence of God. Our skeletal system, muscular system, digestive system, nervous system, and circulatory system all serve to prove there is a God! Consider the heart - a pump with a built in motor. This involuntary muscle beats about 100,000 times a day, pumping some 1,800 gallons of blood through its chambers. The blood is pumped through an amazing pipe...

Why read the Bible? That’s a fair question to ask. We ought to want to read the Bible because it is the word of God. The apostle Paul wrote, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works” (II Timothy 3:16-17). The scriptures are...

If a child does not grow physically, the parent realizes something is wrong. The parent becomes troubled, distraught. Have you ever wondered how, as Christians, we disappoint God when we fail to grow? Peter wrote, “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:” (I Peter 2:2). Too often we limit the application of this verse to newer Christians. But no Christian,...

Countless number of self-help books are written every year, yet none can even begin to compare with the help the Bible provides. No book written by man can ever provide the guidance we need to navigate through the obstacles of life. Imagine walking in the dark, stumbling along the way, misstep after misstep. Always bumping into things, unable to see, never getting where you want to go. That’s what...

Why read the Bible? One very good reason is it helps us overcome temptation. How so? When we read God’s word, commit it to memory and keep it in our hearts, we are strengthened and able to overcome Satan’s attacks. We are reminded of the evils of sin and its horrible consequences. We become constantly aware of God’s love for us and his longing for us to be with Him in heaven. When we spend time in...

You and I are going to face the judgment one day. I say that with absolute certainty. It’s inevitable. Not one of us is exempt. Paul wrote that we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ. II Corinthians 5:10. Doesn’t it only make sense that we ought to know the standard by which we will be judged? By the way, that standard is not what you sometimes hear from men! In John 12:48, Jesus sa...

Hell. Not a popular topic, I know. But too important for any of us to ignore. It’s the place where Satan will be along with all his angels. Matthew 25:41. It’s a place where those who do not Know God and do not obey the gospel will experience everlasting destruction. II Thessalonians 1:8. It’s a place lukewarm Christians will inhabit. Revelation 3:16. Hell is a place where those who were once fait...

It removes an ugly scarlet stain and makes it white as snow.  It frees us from the bondage of sin.  It's what makes the forgiveness of our sins possible.  What can do all this?  Nothing but the blood of Jesus!  Jesus' blood has a power far beyond the blood of any ordinary man!  It simply does what no other blood can do!

Are you a slave? Many would object to even being asked this question. But the reality is, everyone of us are slaves. “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” (Romans 6:16). Did you hear that? You are either a servant of sin or a servant of righteousness? As Christians, we ha...

In First Samuel 17, we read of the Philistines and their efforts to attack the Israelites. Samuel then sacrificed a lamb to God and prayed for the Israelites’ deliverance. As Samuel was offering the sacrifice, the Philistines drew near, anxious to attack. The Israelites were successful in driving the Philistines away. The Philistines, subdued and defeated, did not come into the Israelites territor...

Great things are accomplished when we talk to someone with power. When I pray to God, I talk to someone who has the greatest power of all. God has the power to create the world from nothing (Genesis 1:1-33). God has the power to part the Red Sea, allowing Moses and the others to cross on dry ground (Exodus 14:21). God has the power to cause the walls of Jericho to fall (Joshua 6:20). God has the p...

I once had a friend greet me with the commonly heard phrase, “How are you doing.” I responded, “Much better than I deserve.” My friend gave me a rather odd look and said, “Well, that may be; only you know what you’ve been doing.” It seemed that he took my words, “Much better than I deserve,” as an admission of some sort of wrong-doing. Not at all! When a Christian considers how he is doing, he rea...

If someone hast lost a struggle, it can be said that they are "down for the count," like a boxer who has been knocked out. Thankfully, no Christian is ever down for the count, because faith in God ensures that no struggle is ever lost. What struggle can separate us from the love of Christ? What struggle can overcome the power we have through Christ? What struggle is so distracting that it can draw...

On June 15, 2012, Nik Wallenda became the first person to walk across the Niagara Falls on a high wire. It would be a huge understatement to say the crossing wasn’t easy. As Nik described it, “That mist was thick. It was hard to see at times…..the wind was wild. It would come at me one way and hit me in the front, and then hit me from the back.” As for the distractions, including wind gusts and he...

“I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,” (Philippians 1:3). We have all been blessed in many ways and have much for which to be thankful. Yet one of our greatest blessings of all is our fellowship with other Christians. The next time you thank God for all He has done, thank Him for making you a part of His family.