Posts by Christian Worker (Page 5)
Preaching Like The Prophets – Ronnie Scherffius
What type of preaching is heard from our pulpits today? What is the character of the men who call themselves gospel preachers? Are they men of the book? Do they speak only “what the Lord saith” (1 Kings 22:14)? Do they stand in the counsel of God, turning those that hear to the way of the Lord (Jer. 23:21, 22)? Encouraging the saints to endure grief, James pointed to the paragon of the prophets of old, “Take, my brethren, the…
Why Study the Prophets? – Cody Westbrook
There are 39 Old Testament books in your Bible. Each one inspired of God and full of great lessons and eternal truths which every child of God should learn and apply. Though it is no longer in force as law, it is there for our learning. As Romans 15:4 says, “whatsoever things were written aftoretime were written for our learning that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.” The “writing prophets” make up 17 of the…
The Prophets: God’s Spokesmen – Ross Haffner
What kind of man did it take to be chosen to be a spokesman for God? Out of 39 Old Testament books, 17 bear the name of a prophet. Apart from them, there are dozens of prophets who make appearances in the Biblical narrative who played their part in revealing the will of God. Despite the honor of the position, ordinary men were chosen to leave their current circumstances to become men of God, ready to deliver His message no…
From the Director’s Desk (March 2024) – Trent Kennedy
To close out the great exaltation of Jesus Christ in Colossians 1, Paul turns his attention to the place of preachers in the great mystery (or plan) of God. The work of Paul, and by implication, preachers today, was to put the church first (vs. 24), to serve God’s plan as ministers (vs. 25-27), to preach (vs. 28), and to labor (vs. 29). It is through this labor that human beings become “perfect in Christ” (vs. 28). Focus on Colossians…
The God of All Comfort – John Baker
We need to remember that God really is, “the Father of mercies and God of all comfort” (2 Cor. 1:3). As 2 Corinthians opens, the Greek word for “comfort” or “consolation” is found 10 times in just five verses (2 Cor. 1:3-7). Consider the following questions: What is “comfort?” We must make an important distinction between our modern notion of “comfort,” and what the Bible term indicates. In modern English, “comfort” means, “a state of physical ease and freedom from…
How Can I Help? – Adam Orr
Understanding that discouragement to one degree or another is not a matter of ‘if’ but ‘when’ in the lives of Christians or those outside of Christ, what can we do to help one another? As a foundation upon which to build, let us first be clear that it is not optional whether we help one another through times of discouragement. Paul stated clearly in Galatians 6:2, “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” When we see…
My Favorite Not-So-Discouraging Discouragement Verses – Joey Davis
Christians can get locked into the mentality that faith should always trump discouragement, and that anytime a Christian is struggling mentally or emotionally they must be lacking the appropriate level of trust in God. In their view, Christians should not get discouraged. The truth is that the probability that a child of God will experience periods of discouragement is just one mishap or disappointment away. Rather than pretend that Christians are immune to discouragement, let’s consider what help the Bible…
Why Does It Happen? – Daniel F. Cates
There is no earthshaking revelation in the recognition that discouragements come. They come in A.D. 2024 and have likewise in every year since the world was created (unless Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden for an extended period before they fell). In some of the lives of our biblical heroes, discouragements not only came but they were frequent and powerful. David’s manifold tears made his “bed to swim” (Ps. 6:6). On one occasion [likely on more that…
We’ve All Been There! – Andy Baker
I am reminded of the story of the man that approached a little league baseball game one hot, sunny afternoon. He asked a boy in the dugout what the score was. The boy kept his gaze on the field and responded, “Eighteen to nothing—we’re behind.” “Woah,” said the man, “I’ll bet you’re discouraged.” “Why should I be discouraged?” replied the little boy. “We haven’t even gotten up to bat yet!” Discouragement is a state of mind and heart that repeatedly…
From the Director’s Desk (February 2024) – Trent Kennedy
If I could start again…that is a thought that we’ve all entertained at one point or another. For many, the realization that they need a fresh start is brought about by godly sorrow (2 Cor. 7:10) or a traumatic event (cf. Job 1-2) or burning in their bones (Jer. 20:9) or a spiritual realization (Acts 19:18-20). These types of experiences have one thing in common, they make us look to our Creator and give thought to our latter end (cf.…
If I Could Start Again as an Elder – Bill Siebert
If I Could Start Again, I would have better Bible study habits. There were many times throughout the four decades that I served the Southwest congregation as an elder that I felt I was inadequate in Bible knowledge but, looking back, I should have had a better plan to study the Bible, not just daily Bible reading, but more time each day in intensive Bible study; taken better notes while listening to the preacher; spent more time in memorizing Bible…
If I Could Start Again as a Preacher – Ronnie Scherffius
There is not one among us who, if possible, would step back into time either to restart, redo, or remove completely from our lives that which we deem unsatisfactory. Such, however, is folly. It is not possible to return to the past. Water that passes under a bridge flows ever distant. A day that vanishes to the evening returns not with the morning. Shortcomings and failures should not remain to hinder us but rather be forgotten (Phil. 3:13). We should…