Our ministry loves the work of Oasis International, which seeks to “empower the voices of the vibrant church in Africa as they disciple believers in Africa and speak to the global church.” One of their major projects is the Africa Study Bible: Africa’s Discipleship Crisis Many pastors in Africa are leading churches with little or no training. They have few resources to help them understand and correctly apply God’s Word. At the current rate, 42% of the world’s Christians will live... Read more
Last week I watched a video of a young woman, Shelby Houston, speaking at her father’s memorial service. Her dad, Officer Richard Houston, was shot and killed on December 3 in Mesquite, Texas while responding to a domestic disturbance. This clip from her message is so wonderful, so beautiful, it took my breath away. This is the grace of God. What a legacy her father left and what a reminder of the incredible impact that godly cops can and do make... Read more
For many years I’ve observed Christians saying, “This is an utterly unique time in history” (always true, but sometimes, so what?), and “There have never been more signs of the Antichrist coming.” But Nero was seen as the Antichrist, and the same is true of hundreds of dictators around the world throughout the centuries. Who would be a more likely Antichrist than Hitler, the slaughterer of the Jews, and his partner Mussolini, the false prophet coming out of Rome? Yet... Read more
Behind every ministry there are countless faithful givers who say no to certain earthly treasures in order to say yes to reaching the physically and spiritually needy all over the world. Warren and Brenda Pfohl are two such faithful givers. They wrote our ministry: “We have loved supporting EPM ministry over the past several years. We wanted to share a video The Jesus Film Project made about us and our journey of generosity. Randy and his books about eternity and generosity shaped... Read more
These last two years have been difficult ones for so many people. But one look at Jesus—at His incarnation and the redemption He provided us—should silence the argument that God has withdrawn to some far corner of the universe where He keeps His hands clean and maintains His distance from human suffering and pain. We can’t say “He just doesn’t get it or care,” because God’s love comes to us soaked in divine blood. He has firsthand experience in life... Read more
Earlier this year I did a podcast with Jordan Raynor to talk about the difference between Heaven and the New Earth, and what it means for our work. Also, how the certain hope of the Gospel is empowering my wife Nanci in her struggles with cancer. Here are the audio clips from the podcast: Do You Narrate Your Own Audiobooks? What Motivated You to Write Your Book Heaven? Debunking Common Misconceptions about Heaven How Does a Theology of Heaven Shape How... Read more
These reflections on the coming of Jesus are from my book Face to Face with Jesus. As you read them this Christmas season, contemplate what amazing grace God showed to us by inhabiting space and time as a human being. Jesus said to him, “Have I been among you all this time and you do not know me, Philip? The one who has seen me has seen the Father.” (John 14:9 CSB) The baby of Bethlehem was Creator of the universe,... Read more
Have you ever come across something, or been given something, whether a photo or recording or something written, that has taken you back in time, and stirred up something in you that was either forgotten or dormant, just waiting to be remembered? That happened to me recently when my long-time friend Alan Hlavka, who was one of my fellow pastors in the early years of Good Shepherd Community Church in Boring (yes, that’s the real name of the town), Oregon,... Read more
In this two-minute video, I talk about Deuteronomy 28:47, which says, “Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart…” In the video, I share a quote from A.W. Tozer, who said, “The people of God ought to be the happiest people in all the wide world!” He offered this explanation in his book The Attributes of God (vol. 1): Goodness is that in God which desires the happiness of His creatures and that irresistible urge in God... Read more
The death of Jesus may not be frequently talked about at Christmastime, but may we never forget that the miracle of the cross was made possible by the miracle of the incarnation. The baby born in that Bethlehem barn was God, and He was born to die. The death of Jesus delivers us from our fear of death. His suffering on the cross atoned for our sins. Paul David Tripp recently wrote on Twitter, “That baby in the manger had... Read more
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