Some years ago, my wife Grace and I had an amazing experience. At separate ends of the house at the same time, God spoke the exact same thing to both of us. We weren’t prepared for it, expecting it, or even desiring it. God told us our service in one place was done, we were “released”, and we then knew a new ministry assignment would be coming. Uncertain where we would move to, we began praying and preparing. We did... Read more

Isaiah 65:17 – I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind. 2 Peter 3:13 – We are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Revelation 21:1-3 – I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away…I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God…And I heard a loud voice from... Read more

Romans 8:18-22 – The sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of... Read more

This fall, I will celebrate my 50th birthday. I got saved by Jesus at age 19 and became a Senior Pastor at age 25. So, half my adult life has been spent studying the Bible every week and preaching and teaching the Word of God. I still find the Bible as exciting, interesting, and humbling as ever. I’m still learning, growing, and changing every week. When the global pandemic hit, I felt compelled in prayer to preach a series on Heaven... Read more

2 Corinthians 5:8 – We would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.  Philippians 1:21-23 – To live is Christ, and to die is gain…to depart and be with Christ…is far better. Remember the last time you took a flight? You left your home, passed through a check point, and waited to be taken to your next destination. Life is kind of like a flight. You live at home here on earth, pass through the checkpoint of... Read more

Genesis 3:17, 22-24 – To Adam he [God] said, cursed is the ground because of you…Then the Lord God said, “…Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—” therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the... Read more

Genesis 1:1,31 – In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth…And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. It’s hard to imagine, but there was a time that everyone and everything on our entire planet was perfect. The opening chapters of Genesis reveal that when God was done with His work, everything was healthy and everyone was happy. Something has obviously gone terribly wrong. The reason is rebellion from human beings and... Read more

Lately, all we are getting is constant bad news. The downside of technology is that our soul is continuously plugged in to all the pains, problems, and perils of the planet. What is the human cost to constant bad news? In a 2016 Forbes magazine article,  neuropsychologist Dr. Fabian van den Berg connected bad news to bad health saying, “It increases the risk for mental illnesses like anxiety and depression, will shorten your life, and will just make you weaker... Read more

Jesus’ resurrection reveals him as our messiah king. In the Davidic covenant,91 God the Father promised that his Son, Jesus Christ, would be raised up from David’s lineage to rule over an everlasting kingdom. Paul reveals that this was fulfilled at the resurrection of Jesus: “Concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead,... Read more

Not surprisingly, since the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the most significant even in world history, numerous alternative theories have arisen seeking to convince people of something other than a supernatural miraculous historical event. There are four primary alternative theories, none of which is compelling. Jesus did not die on the cross but merely swooned. Some have argued that Jesus did not in fact die on the cross but rather swooned or basically passed out and therefore appeared dead. This... Read more