Scribes and Pharisees, Hypocrites

Last fall (an internet age ago), California Governor Gavin Newsom made headlines when he ate dinner with friends and lobbyists at a Napa Valley restaurant called the French Laundry.  Included among the guests at the governor’s soiree were the CEO and the vice president of the California Medical Association.  Normally, such an event would not…

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A Gangster for Christ

In August of 1944 POWER magazine, distributed as a Sunday School take-home paper, published the following testimony of George Mensik. George was a deacon in my dad’s church, Marquette Manor Baptist, when we arrived in Chicago in 1954. As a 13-year-old kid this amazing man made a powerful impact on my life. Here is George’s…

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The Exchange Testimony: Did I Scare Him Away?

San grew up in Vietnam, living the life of a rebel. “I have control of everything I’m doing. I am strong. I am good by myself.” At the age of 18 when North Vietnam took control of South Vietnam and communism ruled, with no money in his pocket, San got on a boat and came…

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Perfect Illustrations that aren’t quite … True

Some years ago I was looking for an illustration to fill out a point in a sermon. I’ve collected various resources over the years. Most of them sit on my shelf gathering dust! With the advent of the internet, we now have illustrations at our fingertips, so it should be much easier now, right? On…

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Your Choices Impact Future Generations

Choices lead to consequences. Good choices have positive consequences; sinful choices have negative consequences. Those statements are not surprising to us, yet we often forget them, or at least don’t think much about them. We make choices every day, but we do not always see the consequences of those choices. In addition, sometimes we don’t…

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What Use is Confinement in the Lord’s Service?

Following his bold testimony at the Diet of Worms, in order to protect him, friends had Martin Luther imprisoned in Wartburg Castle. Initially, he did not know who had captured him or where he was confined. While the drama of the Reformation raged on in the world outside, Luther remained in seclusion for nearly a…

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Giving Priority to Your Spiritual Family

When you choose to follow Jesus, you may find yourself in the middle of a difficult family situation. Unbelieving relatives, especially immediate family members, may place intense pressure on you to withdraw from your faith entirely or to diminish your church involvement and obedience to Christ. If you have experienced this quandary – from your…

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The Ordinances of Men – Good and Evil

Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. For so is the will of God… I Peter 2:13-15a There…

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Chapter 4 – Trusting in the Silence

“All their life in this world and all their adventures had only been the cover and the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read: which goes on for ever: in which every chapter is better than the one before.” ― C.S.…

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