We Need to Regain and Teach an Understanding of the Physical Nature of the Resurrection

Last updated on: July 26, 2018 at 7:26 am By Randy Alcorn

Many Bible-believing Christians today are crippled by their unbiblical view of the life to come. This is why I have written at length on the subject of Heaven, putting primary emphasis on the resurrection and eternal state centered on the New Earth. Ironically, there are believers who would die rather than deny the resurrection, yet they actually don’t understand or believe what the doctrine of the resurrection means! Despite the centrality of the resurrection in Scripture and church history, many of... Read more

Who Is the Happiest Human Being Who Ever Lived?

Last updated on: July 20, 2018 at 6:36 pm By Randy Alcorn

Though the answer wouldn’t be obvious to unbelievers or even to most Christians, the Bible is clear on this: it’s Jesus. Psalm 45:6-7 is quoted in direct reference to the Messiah, in Hebrews 1:8-9, where the Father says of His Son: “You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.” Most scholars think “companions,” in context, is the whole human race that Jesus became part of in His... Read more

The Lord Is My Rock, My Fortress, and My Deliverer: Portions from Psalm 18

Last updated on: July 18, 2018 at 9:11 pm By Randy Alcorn

Here are portions of Psalm 18 that I meditated on recently before Nanci and I met with her doctor. (You can read an update on her health, and some good n ews we’re grateful for, on her Caring Bridge page.) God spoke to me through these verses, and I hope they speak to you too: I love you, Lord, my strength. 2 The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,... Read more

Believe It by Nick Foles, a Great New Book, #5 on the NYT Best Sellers List

Last updated on: July 16, 2018 at 6:04 am By Randy Alcorn

Of the many fine young men I’ve gotten to know through the ministry of Pro Athletes Outreach (PAO), quarterback Nick Foles stands out as one of those most serious in his Christian faith. (See my past blog on Nick and Case Keenum, as well as some of Nick’s Eagles teammates who know and love Jesus.) Recently Nick’s new book Believe It: My Journey of Success, Failure and Overcoming the Odds, was released. As of last Sunday it debuted at #5 on the New York Times Best... Read more

Will Our Bodies Shine in Heaven?

Last updated on: July 12, 2018 at 12:40 pm By Randy Alcorn

Some people have asked me if our resurrected bodies will shine. They cite two passages: “The righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father” (Matthew 13:43) and “Those who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever” (Daniel 12:3, NASB). On the one hand, Jesus didn’t have a halo after His resurrection, and there’s no reason to... Read more

Three People Who Through Suffering Became Extraordinary

Last updated on: June 22, 2018 at 4:10 pm By Randy Alcorn

Seeing positive outcomes of some suffering should lead us to trust that God can bring good from all suffering. Consider three people who through suffering became extraordinary: Doctors once thought that Joseph Merrick, “The Elephant Man,” had elephantiasis, though now they believe he suffered from Proteus syndrome, which causes abnormal growth of bones, skin, and other systems. Joseph was born in England in 1862 and appeared normal until age three. By age eleven, his deformities had grown severe; at that time his mother... Read more

When It Comes to Knowing God, Are You a Traveler or Just an Observer?

Last updated on: June 22, 2018 at 4:04 pm By Randy Alcorn

On my bike rides I’ve been listening to the wonderful audio version of a book that deeply affected me when I was a young teenage Christian in the 1970s. It’s J. I. Packer’s classic, Knowing God. (As a printed book or an audio to listen to as you drive or work out, this book is gold.) In an early chapter Packer says this: In A Preface to Christian Theology, John Mackay illustrated two kinds of interest in Christian things by picturing persons sitting on the high... Read more

John Piper on Your Greatest Reason Not to Worry

Last updated on: June 22, 2018 at 4:01 pm By Randy Alcorn

Here’s an amazing truth: “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). God, the Creator of the universe and fountainhead of all marvels, cares for you? Think about that for a few million years. The Lord does not call us merely to release our anxiety to Him, but to willingly cast it upon Him—and not some of it, but all of it. God wants us to trust Him in both the big things and the little things. Worry... Read more

Will We Witness Together God’s New Creation?

Last updated on: June 22, 2018 at 3:56 pm By Randy Alcorn

In The Magician’s Nephew, C. S. Lewis portrays two children, a few adults, and a horse transported from Earth to an unknown place. It’s the darkness and silence that precedes the day of Narnia’s creation. They watch in wonder as this beautiful new world is masterfully shaped by the creator, Aslan the lion, who sings it into existence. God asked Job, “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? . . . On what were its footings set, or who laid its... Read more

What to Pray for, Beyond Physical Healing

Last updated on: June 22, 2018 at 3:52 pm By Randy Alcorn

My friend Barry Arnold pastors Cornerstone Church here in Gresham, Oregon. Several years ago he sent an email to his church regarding prayer. It’s worth quoting: I think our prayers are unbalanced—in the direction of just physical needs. We can and should pray for people with infirmities—but it might be wise to change the emphasis of our prayers from physical healing alone to God accomplishing His purposes in and through afflictions. Here’s a partial list of things the New Testament... Read more