When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, what did Lazarus contribute? I would suggest that he contributed nothing. Lazarus was dead. He was entombed. He was useless, worthless and hopeless. It was only because of the love of Christ and the grace of God that Lazarus lived again after dying. I imagine that is what Paul meant in a spiritual sense in 1 Corinthians 15:10 when he said, “By the grace of God I am what I am.” Paul also wrote of Christians once being dead in trespasses and sins but being made alive and saved by grace through faith (Eph. 2:5-8). He was merely pointing out that without the…

I often think of a comment made a few years ago by a friend of mine who preaches. Somehow the subject of extremes came up in the discussion. His comment was, “I try to stay in the middle of the road. The only thing wrong with that is that I keep getting run over.” We both enjoyed a laugh over that comment, but, over the years, I’ve thought a lot about the middle of the road. Please allow me to share some of those thoughts with you — especially as it relates to those who are seeking to find a proper relationship with the Lord and/or a “church home.” In…

Recently I had the pleasure of speaking at a Ladies’ Seminar in Neosho Missouri. I was blessed to meet some wonderful sisters in Neosho and from the surrounding area. They had planned every detail of that Friday night/Saturday morning event and they were ready to show the great hospitality that I’m sure they show on a regular basis. The decorations were beautiful, the snacks they had prepared were wonderful, the lunch on Saturday was great, and the young ladies who led singing for the sessions and presented their Lads to Leaders/Leaderettes speeches did a fantastic job. Now you may be wondering why I entitled this post “Satan Tried to Ruin…

Last weekend, my family made a quick trip back to the town in Southeast Missouri in which I was raised. We were there because both Leah and I had graciously been asked to teach classes at “Inspiration,” a weekend youth rally that has been going on now for around 40 years… …and still has well over 300 attend each year. Let me say at the outset that this article is not intended in any way to speak against the “big” rallies and youth events that have popped up around the country, where sometimes thousands gather. Those events like CYC and Exposure Youth Camp are amazing, and I am grateful for…

Maybe you love getting up in the morning. If so, then this past weekend was no trouble for you even though you had to spring forward. My daughter, who is not great at waking up in the morning, asked this question – “Why can’t we fall back both times?” Maybe she can start some legislation to that end. I’m sure she would get some support. We are all limited by time. We live inside a framework that was chosen for us by our Creator. Read Genesis 1 and you will see that God divided earthly life into days and months and years. We get accustomed to this framework. Therefore, in…

We live in the information age, but it also seems that we live in the age of polls and surveys. Constantly, we are deluged with information telling us what percentage of people do this or how many folks believe that. It is virtually impossible to keep up with all of these results. This article is not meant to say that these surveys and studies have no value. They certainly have their place and they are very helpful. However, with the seeming avalanche at which all these numbers come at us, it can be so overwhelming that we struggle make sense of it all. If we are honest, so many of…

This coming Sunday I plan on preaching about whether or not each one of us is confident in our salvation. We can be. But that doesn’t mean we are. Closely related to it is this question about where we are with the Lord. In some ways the question is the same question. But the focus is different. The sermon I will be preaching will specifically encourage all who hear the message to get right with God. It will include God’s plan for their salvation as it has been given to us in the Bible. The focus of this question today that I want you to think about is slightly different.…

It happened in August of 1966. I had graduated from high school in the spring of that year and had a summer term of college already under my belt. My future wife was about to begin her senior year in high school. Somewhere about this time, the couple who would later become my father-in-law and my mother-in-law must have taken leave of their senses. Come to think of it, my parents must not have been thinking too clearly either. For whatever reason, Donna and I were allowed to make a trip to St. Louis all by ourselves. (By the way; I did use the correct word – allowed! This all…