Tools for the Believer
Just this week as I was reading God’s Word I noticed a reference that Jesus made to the reading of Scripture. In Luke 6:3 Christ spoke to religious people when He said, “Have ye not read so much as this…? Those who knew so much about God had failed to read some of the most basic portions of His Word! If they had read it, they had forgotten it. Or misunderstood it. Or failed to obey it. The point is: they needed to read it again! And so do we. All this week on our “Enjoying the Journey” podcast I am dealing with simple principles that will help us return to daily Bible reading. I do hope you will listen…
Last year we provided a free resource each month to encourage and equip believers. In 2018 I would like to make available a different type of resource. Each month a special guest will publish a blog post on Enjoying the Journey. People are the greatest blessing of all! The writers will all be different and will provide insight and help on a variety of areas. It is my hope that their posts will allow you to get acquainted with them and with other tools that may be available. We are all on a journey with Jesus. Along the way God uses fellow travelers to help us stay on the right path and keep moving forward. In John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress it was…
Christmas and New Year are a time for family and fun. But for a believer it is a season of faith. A time to turn our eyes to Christ and to His work in our lives. The holidays are to be more than a time for festivity. They are to be a time of reflection and worship. In fact, the word holiday comes from holy day. (Read more about that here.) Appropriately this season is celebrated just before the dawn of a new year. The older I get the more this season becomes a time of reflection and preparation in my own heart. ‘Tis the season to be jolly? ‘Tis the season to search your heart! ‘Tis the season to…
Dr. Bob Jones, Sr. used to say, “When gratitude dies on the altar of a man’s heart he is well-nigh gone.” There is no way to underestimate the power of thankfulness, in a heart or in a home! For believers, thanksgiving should not be a single day – it should be a way of life. Later in November millions of people will set aside a day to reflect on their blessings and give thanks. What a powerful thing it would be if we gave an entire month to thanksgiving. At least the part that matters…I don’t think we could handle that much turkey or football for a month! As many of you know, we have been offering free, monthly, downloadable…
What is the greatest thing in all the world? Henry Drummond was a Scottish evangelist who was mightily used of the Lord. D.L. Moody called him the most Christ-like young man he ever knew. Though I cannot endorse everything that Drummond wrote, I wholeheartedly recommend to you his commentary on 1 Corinthians 13. Many Bible students believe that Henry Drummond’s, The Greatest Thing In All the World, is the finest thing ever written – the defining work – on the love of God. Personally God has used it in my own life. It is more than comforting; it is convicting. We desperately need a revival of the love of God in hearts, homes, and churches. It is the only thing that…
Are you looking for a study that will stir your heart for the advancement of the gospel? Are you interested in a brief series on witnessing that could be used in a Sunday School class, youth group, or small Bible study? Are you needing a training resource to prepare believers to share their faith? It was my great joy recently to write five lessons that place an emphasis on this very thing. Over the last few days I have heard from a number of pastors who have used the GO Kit in their churches: “Having used the GO series in our church, I highly recommend it to other churches. This is a series that can be used of God to…
We are only days away from 9/11. So many thoughts and emotions come to our minds as we approach this day of memorial. For those of us who know Christ, one of our thoughts should be that people who are bound in false religion desperately need the good news of Jesus. Recently I was speaking in a meeting filled with enthusiastic believers. The Holy Spirit prompted me to share my experience of being in Cairo, Egypt many years ago and being awakened by the Muslim call to prayer. On that Friday many sincere people spread out their prayer mats and began to pray toward Mecca. In my message I said, “This is dead religion. Sincere, but empty. Only Jesus can…
This months resource is one of my favorites. In fact, it is my favorite book of the Bible! One of my instructors in college said that his favorite book of the Bible was the one he was reading at the time. Without doubt, all Scripture is wonderful. But many years ago I was challenged to adopt a “life book” and immerse myself in it. That book became the little New Testament letter of Philippians. I love this book for many reasons. Its theme is Jesus, and the joy that He alone can bring. It was the truth behind the name of our blog – Enjoying the Journey. It is the prayer of my life, that God would allow me to…
Just this week someone asked me where they should begin in their Bible reading. So many people are looking for a plan or devotional help. Some are looking for a place to get started. Others are looking for a place to start again. It is easy to allow your devotional life to grow stale. Remember that your soul may grow dry but the Word of God never does – it is perennially fresh! Go back to the Scriptures and you will find that the river still flows! My suggestion to others in recent days connects to this month’s free resource: REDISCOVER THE PSALMS. The book of Psalms is God’s devotional book for His chosen people. It is both the Hebrew…
Just a few month’s ago I had the privilege of writing five Bible studies on witnessing. They are designed to both inspire and instruct believers to begin sharing their faith right where they are. Each lesson provides a thorough exposition of a passage of Scripture, a teachable outline, helpful illustrations, and practical applications. There are a variety of uses for the lessons. Several pastors have told me they have used them in Sunday School classes, small group studies, or even in their Wednesday night services. These lessons will help to place a one month emphasis on both the power and responsibility of the gospel. You do not have to order multiple copies of the lessons. When you order the kit…
