Applied Theology
In my Sunday preaching, I am deep into a quest to cover each book of the Bible in a single sermon. I started preaching this single book series over one year ago, and I have now reached 2 Corinthians. In listening to 2 Corinthians, I was struck by a paragraph at the opening of chapter... Continue Reading →
Well, this isn't exactly from the 2014 Fifa World Cup, but it is related to soccer and, more importantly, to our persecuted family. Originally POSTED ON SEPTEMBER 17, 2012 Before the game, our team took note of the size of the goalie. He was at least 6’3” and weighed in at a solid 280. He was... Continue Reading →
The Apostle Paul gives the following impossible command to the Philippian church: 14 Do everything without complaining or arguing, 15 so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe First, he does NOT say, do your best to avoid arguments. He doesn’t say try... Continue Reading →
My family and I are adjusting to living in the population-dense city of Corona, CA. While Corona is not as populated as its neighboring Orange County or Los Angeles County residences, it is substantially more peopled than our prior residence in Bullitt County, Kentucky. There, we could not hit our neighbor’s house by throwing a... Continue Reading →
I own a coffee roaster and a small coffee roasting business. The secret to roasting great coffee is controlling the flame. The roaster uses real fire to heat a turning and churning stainless steel drum. As the drum turns and churns the coffee beans, the heat from the flames begins to warm the beans; then... Continue Reading →
Is it okay to watch a movie in your church sanctuary? What about the Holy Land, is it really holy? These are but two of the practical questions I sprung on my Sunday school class recently. How would you answer? Your answer would betray your allegiance to your concept of sacred space. Do you believe... Continue Reading →
Just wanted to give you all an update on what is happening with Project 13:3, our new ministry devoted to understanding and responding to Christian persecution. By the end of this week, a new website should be up and running. There are great new features on the website, such as a locator for churches... Continue Reading →
[The following post is from Rebecca Potter who wrote this article about a very special young woman named Crystal Marie Simpson. Crystal had a heart for Christ and for the persecuted church. She was supposed to be married in June of this year. Sadly, she was killed in February. Her zeal is remembered at... Continue Reading →
Prefixes are fascinating little pre-words. Kids studying for the National Spelling Bee learn prefixes in order to quickly unlock the meaning of words. The prefix para can help a contestant unlock the meaning of the more than 11,000 English words which employ it. The only problem is that English is notorious for its exceptions. Not... Continue Reading →
As for the second question, why change now from grape juice to wine? The answer is a little more complex. The most succinct—if not the most forthright—answer is simply, “I don’t know.” I am not sure why now is the right time to switch—or even if now is the right time for our church to... Continue Reading →
There are so many stories out there right now concerning church-state relations. This story from GetReligion speaks of the entanglement of law and religion in the matter of faith healing when children die. In the past, other couples have been convicted of reckless homicide for not seeking the aid of a doctor. While I certainly... Continue Reading →
Is it true that our greatest danger is keeping God out? I think it is and will offer some examples in just a moment, but I hesitate in going further at this point under the weight of objection which I sense at the claim that we need God in our national conscience (including our... Continue Reading →
We typically ask about the relationship between God and government. It may be that the issue is God or government. As it turns out, the more dependent people become on the government, the more ungodly they become. To put the matter another way, faith in government diminishes faith in God. A recent article spells out... Continue Reading →
A Christian writer, Michael Spencer, has recently said: "One thing I want to try to say loud and clear is if you are concerned about evangelicalism's future, then get out there and support church planting because new congregations are doing much better than those congregations that are facing generational horizons or are in real danger... Continue Reading →
Peter's epistle is astounding for what it says about the church. In 1 Peter 1:22, we read, "Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brothers, fervently love one another from the heart." My, what a long way our churches have fallen from this ideal! Purifying... Continue Reading →
Gregory C. Cochran 