Applied Theology
AN ANCIENT PRINCIPLE The Apostle Paul was once set free from prison, but he wouldn’t go. Paul did not leave the jail which held him in Philippi until he had first asked for the magistrates to come to him in person (Acts 16:16ff.). Why the unnecessary stay? Students of the New Testament recognize the Apostle... Continue Reading →
The Apostle Paul was once set free from prison, but he wouldn’t go. Paul did not leave from the jail which held him in Philippi until he had first asked for the magistrates to come to him in person (Acts 16:16ff.). Why the unnecessary stay? Students of the New Testament recognize the Apostle Paul as... Continue Reading →
So, in part one of this post, we saw that prayer was the first response of the Italian Bishops to the crisis of Christian persecution in Iraq and Nigeria. While not exactly endorsing their view of invoking the Virgin Mary in their prayers (I’m Protestant!), I still commend the bishops for a biblical recourse to... Continue Reading →
Billy Joel famously confessed in song, “I’d rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints The sinners are much more fun—only the good die young!” Overlooking his obvious false dichotomy between saints and fun and his full-throttled embrace of sin, we can give Joel credit for seeing something that many sinners and saints equally... Continue Reading →
I have a close brother in the ministry who sent a text to me last night asking me to pray for him as he ministered to a family in need. Another brother needs me to pray for his daughter who is recovering from a complicated surgery. Yet another friend needs prayer because she is struggling... 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 →
I’ve been off the grid for a bit, partly because of spending a week at the NorCal Pastor’s Retreat. This retreat, by design, was retreat from everything resembling a normal, daily routine, including cell phones, text messages, internet service, television, indoor plumbing, private bathrooms, etc. For me, the retreat also served as a kind of... Continue Reading →
It is a curious thing that the New Testament does not command us to pray for the persecuted church. Before asking for food, shelter, safety, deliverance, or even a copy of the Scriptures, most persecuted believers ask first for prayer. Praying for those suffering persecution is as natural to the Christian as praying for loved... Continue Reading →
I seem to have a recurring disagreement with fellow Christians. I don’t like disagreements. I try to avoid them, but, when it comes to the persecuted church, I keep having them. The conversation typically goes something like this: We are engaged in talking about some current event related to Christian persecution. The brother or sister... Continue Reading →
If what has been said already about Israel is true, then a question arises, “What about the nation of Israel today?” In this final part (of a three-part series), we’ll look at what the Bible says about Israel as an ethnic/national people. The key text for this discussion is Romans 11. The question we are... Continue Reading →
I honestly dislike controversy. I try to avoid it. But the things which matter most to me are always on collision course with the things that others decide are too “controversial” to speak about in polite company. Marriage, families, protecting babies, and the freedom of religion—all these are important realities which rile abortion supporters and... Continue Reading →
I am known as a Calvinist, and the church where I pastor is known as a Calvinist church. This phenomenon is interesting to me because I don’t use the term Calvinist in my preaching, and the church I pastor is Cedar Grove Baptist Church, not Cedar Grove Calvinist church. I think the reason folks want... Continue Reading →
Gregory C. Cochran 