There is great significance in the way Paul introduces himself at the start of 2 Timothy: “an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God.” From the first letter he wrote to this his last, Paul knew this one thing: He was called by God. It was not man who called him. It was not the need that drove him. His ministry was not from himself or for himself. He is making this fact clear to Timothy, saying, “I... Read more
Discussing the “American Miracle” and our allegiance to it. In his new book Suicide of the West (2018), Jonah Goldberg’s first sentence reads, “There is no God in this book.” Defining his position further, he writes, “This book assumes that the Almighty does not guide human affairs…” That being said, I still found what he wrote to be both interesting and helpful. Goldberg contends that the history of man has not been all that pretty. In fact, life for the... Read more
I want to ask you a question: What is “normal”? Where do you and I get our view of what it means to be normal? And do our normal, day-to-day lives incorporate not just natural, human realities, but also the supernatural realities that Scripture talks about? Throughout the course of the journey the Lord has led us on, as a ministry—Gospel for Asia is 39 years old today—the Lord has continually called us to live by faith, which is a... Read more
The Apostle Paul wrote a very personal, affectionate letter from prison to the Christians in Philippi. He longed so much to see them and was praying for them all the time. They were so dear to his heart that he called them “my joy and crown” (Philippians 4:1). In New Testament times, Christianity was a close-knit community of small fellowships. The Christians were often rejected from their families and severely persecuted by religious and secular societies, and thousands of them... Read more
A well-known Christian preacher flies into town for a citywide evangelistic meeting. He expects to be greeted at the airport by a delegation of prestigious individuals. Instead, an old taxi driver holding a piece of cardboard with the preacher’s name misspelled waits at baggage claim and then drops him off at a second-class hotel. The room is small, the bed uncomfortable, the service lousy, and there is not even a fruit basket or welcome note. When no one calls or... Read more
Unbrokenness is a fearful thing. It is the spirit of Satan, whose nature is incurable pride that can forever resist God. God’s greatest problem is not our sin (for He dealt with that on the cross), but the hardness and unbrokenness of our hearts. That is God’s greatest problem, the root of all our troubles. The Bible has its lists of unbroken people. Consider Pharaoh as one example. Pharaoh could have been Moses. What an incredible opportunity. He could have... Read more
Have you ever lost someone you loved—a family member, a relative or a friend? This kind of loss is such a difficult, painful part of life. We struggle to deal with the grief and to grasp that we will never again see that loved one on this earth. For me, I think of my mother and father. How often I wish that I could see them again, that I could talk with them. But my heart especially goes out to... Read more
In the book of Isaiah, we see a glimpse into God’s heart for the broken. In Isaiah 66:2 (NIV) God says, “This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.” But we have a problem. By nature, we all are the opposite of the one whom He esteems. We are all unbroken. We are as solid as the hardest substance you can find—unbending, self-centered, self-ambitious and never wanting to give... Read more
What is courage? How can we wrap our hands around it and bring it into our own lives? It’s a word many in this world are familiar with, but few really know it by personal experience. There is a particular side of courage that I want to focus on. It is defined: the state or quality of mind or spirit that enables one to face danger, fear, or vicissitudes with self-possession, confidence, and resolution; bravery. Simply put, Courage is the... Read more
In Genesis 25:23, God gives the promise concerning Jacob and his older brother, Esau, before they were even born: “The older shall serve the younger.” God’s promise was there from the beginning. But despite that fact, Jacob lived his life trying to fulfill the promise through his own scheming and clever plans. What a man he was! He was bold enough and clever enough to steal his brother’s birthright and trick his father into blessing him instead of Esau. Because... Read more
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