Proof The Bible Is True

Did you know that 76 percent of young American adults below 32 years of age, consider living together before marriage as acceptable? And that 65 per cent of singles who intend to marry-including professing Christians-now live together before marriage? These shocking statistics are based on a recent national survey conducted by USA Today, of 18 to 31 years regarding ‘cohabitation’ or ‘living together’ or ‘shacking up’ – all convenient euphemisms for lifestyles of fornication. Larry Tomczak, in a recent report for the Christian Post, outlines some common excuses given by unmarried persons choosing to live together: “Look, times have changed. [More]

A recent report on “The Bible in American Life” offers interesting insights into how, why and when Americans read the Bible outside of worship. The just-released study, dated March 6, 2014 is a project of The Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture, Indiana University (IUPUI), and seeks to provide the first large-scale investigation of the Bible in American life. The purpose of the study is to understand better how Americans use the Bible in their personal daily lives and how other influences, including religious communities and the Internet, shape individuals’ use of scripture. The project is driven [More]

“Great story about a conversation a customer had at a Walmart with a Romanian man about his fathers experience during the communist reign in that country and how it offers a very likely look into our future here.”  Admin The following is a true story about a recent experience I had while shopping at the local WalMart. I hope you find it as eye-opening as I did. One recent, busy afternoon at WalMart, I finished shopping and headed for the checkout lanes to complete my visit. The lines were quite long so I found myself wishing that I had started [More]

Three out of five young Christians leave church after the age of 15. If one were to stand in a room full of hundreds of people and ask why that is, one should expect to get at least as many answers. The issue is personal; perhaps deep down, those of us who have influence over a child’s potential faith, either point our fingers at others, or partly blame ourselves for not setting a good enough example. For letting the kid hang with the wrong crowd, for not wowing the kid into faith, for not keeping church interesting enough, for not [More]

Kalith and his forefathers had a deal: He worshipped them with sacrifices of goats, pigs and chickens, and they kept him from harm. So when Kalith started experiencing severe stomach pain, he couldn’t figure out why his forefathers didn’t heal him. Kalith and his family performed the regular rituals and sacrifices as he tried medicine after medicine, but the illness continued for three years. It wasn’t until Gospel for Asia pastor Oojam asked to pray for Kalith that things began to look up. “I tried everything to get healing, but nothing is working in me,” Kalith told the pastor. “Pray, [More]

“Let’s just go for fun! We’ll see how much we can push their buttons,” Amy teased her girlfriend, who didn’t like the idea of hanging around a bunch of Christians. “Come on,” Amy insisted. “I hear their motto is ‘Come as you are.’ I just want to prove that they’re ‘come as you are … unless you’re gay.”Amy had been in a nine-year lesbian relationship that had broken up, leaving her wondering why her deepest longings could never be satisfied. She and Rachel had just started hanging out when they decided to attend one Sunday morning. “I came on a [More]

Monday is St. Patrick’s Day, a day Americans focus on good luck and all things Irish. But most of those celebrating don’t know that the man for whom this day is named was a Christian persecuted because of his Christian actions. The following comes from “A Note from the Author to Parents and Educators” that is included in The Story of St. Patrick: More Than Shamrocks and Leprechauns, a book for children published by VOM that tells the true story of St. Patrick’s Day. Many celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day on March 17th and hang pictures of shamrocks and mythical creatures [More]

“Very inspiring article! To get a preview of what God has in store for us watch these testimonials of those who have had a trip to Heaven.”  Admin Leonard Ravenhill once wrote, “Five minutes inside eternity and we will wish that we had sacrificed more, wept more, grieved more, loved and prayed more, and given more.” Yes, the moment we step into eternity, we will see the unveiled glory of God, the fullness of the beauty of Jesus, the immensity of the grace that was poured out on us, the massive debt that was paid on our behalf, the endless splendor of the world [More]

God has created each of us for a purpose that will give glory to Him. He wants us to discover it, love it and put all our hearts into fulfilling it. Each one of us is to believe that we have a place in the mind of God and in His creation, separate and distinct from every other creature, and that He loves us with a private, personal love. He has assigned to each of us a special mission and service which no one else can do in just the way that God wants us to do it. If we [More]

“Being able to handle trials properly will be of increasing importance as we see the growing spiritual darkness around us.”  Admin We grow in the tough times, not the easy times. Hard places will always come in our journey with the Lord. We cannot escape them but need to face them, for they are part of the process of becoming perfect in Him. If you choose to run from them, you will seriously hinder your growth. As you overcome different obstacles, you will be stronger and more compassionate. You will fall more in love with Jesus. If you have come [More]

The culture war may be lost, and religious liberty might not be that far behind, according to a new survey from LifeWay Research. Seventy percent of senior pastors at Protestant churches say religious liberty is on the decline in the United States, and 59 percent of Christians believe they are losing the culture war. Eleven percent consider that war already lost. The survey results are staggering, indicating grave concerns about the moral direction of the nation from both the pulpit and the pew. “Ten years ago we were talking about who would win the culture war, and now we’re talking [More]

I was being buried! I couldn’t believe that an avalanche could happen where we were! Those were Matt Walsh’s thoughts on Saturday, Feb. 8, as the avalanche swallowed him up and left him buried alive under nearly 3 feet of snow in an icy tomb. “I figured I was going to die,” he says. And by human logic, Matt was right. The odds of surviving were slim. Read More  Buried Alive in an Avalanche, Young Man Sees Prophetic Miracle Deliverance.

“Agreed, using social media, email, creating a website are powerful ways of sharing the Gospel with people. This website, launched in 01/13, started off as an idea from God and now receives thousands of visitors each month from around the world. So if God has given you an idea on using the internet for His glory then get started!”  Admin The church is living in an age of tremendous evangelistic opportunity. As we venture into the social, digital era, the gospel can travel further and faster than ever before. If the church is a vast volunteer army of people carrying [More]

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned” (Is. 43:2, NIV). On Wednesday, Feb. 12, I drove from home to our church office for a meeting. The drive took me 15 minutes. I arrived at 12:25 p.m., knowing that the weather forecasters were calling for a significant storm to hit our area around 1 or 2 p.m. that afternoon. When I entered the office building, the air outside was icy cold and the [More]

“I firmly believe that Washington and the other founders were divinely appointed to lead this nation at its birth and to get us of to a favorable start. But what will our end be when we now have liars and scoundrels in charge.”  Admin George Washington (1732-1799) was providentially prepared for his role as the commander who would lead the bedraggled colonial army into victory over the superior British forces and then serve as the nation’s first president. His life was miraculously spared on numerous occasions, not least at the Battle of Fort Duquesne in 1755 during the French and [More]

“It’s sad but this reflects how much the secular culture is affecting the church than the other way around. Abortion, divorce, premarital sex,adultery are just as prevalent in the church as they are in secular society. For many the church has become little more than a social club rather than an institution which has any significant impact on their lives. ”  Admin A majority of single Christians are rejecting biblical doctrine by choosing to have sex before they are married. Sixty-one percent of self-identified Christian singles who answered a recent Christian Mingle survey said they are willing to have casual [More]

“Fascinating testimony of a lesbian professors journey to God and how a pastors letter started it all.”  Admin The word Jesus stuck in my throat like an elephant tusk; no matter how hard I choked, I couldn’t hack it out. Those who professed the name commanded my pity and wrath. As a university professor, I tired of students who seemed to believe that “knowing Jesus” meant knowing little else. Christians in particular were bad readers, always seizing opportunities to insert a Bible verse into a conversation with the same point as a punctuation mark: to end it rather than deepen [More]

Angie Smith, bestselling author and popular speaker, confesses in her new book, Chasing God, that she had been a Christian for more than 10 years when she experienced what she calls a “crisis of faith” — coming to the end of her own exhaustive efforts to understand God. Instead of getting to know Him for herself, Smith spent those years trying to figure God out, and using what others had to say about Him as her guidepost. “And maybe you, like me, have been spending your time going after the wrong objectives (without realizing it) and it’s left you weary [More]

“Excellent interview with a Cuban church leader about the persecution they are undergoing and how they cope with it. Will such harsh persecution come to the US, looking at how things are going in this country that may very well happen, it would be advisable to prepare for it just in case.”  Admin This week I spoke with a Cuban church leader about the challenges and persecution being faced by our brothers and sisters in that island nation so close to our own border. Here are some highlights of our conversation: Every block in every city in Cuba has a [More]

The blisters were growing beyond an inch in diameter, spreading from the side of his face, down his neck and onto his shoulder. His ear was so deformed it was hanging down to his shoulder. And the thermometer reading screamed 107.6. He was .4 degrees from death. It was October 1987 when he was diagnosed with what Canada’s Toronto General Hospital called the worst case of shingles in the hospital’s history. There was no cure. His first million dollars in business profits could offer him little hope now. At age 34, Muslim businessman Nasir Siddiki lay on his deathbed. Doctors [More]

“This story illustrates how God can supply our needs in very unexpected ways.” Admin “Our happiest server.” That’s how the Lincoln, Neb., Cracker Barrel hostess described Abigail Sailors to the pair of gentlemen a little after 1 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 2. The men, who had originally requested to be served by the restaurant’s grumpiest server, were informed the restaurant didn’t have any “grumpy” servers. So, the hostess offered the men the opposite instead and seated them in Sailors’ area. Smiling, chatty, bubbling with good nature, Sailors was working at the restaurant over Christmas break, having just finished her first [More]

One morning when I was planning to meet my wife for breakfast, I decided to ride my bicycle to the restaurant. As I was cruising along, I popped off a curb to cross the street. But then something unexpected happened. The front of my bike went up, but the wheel kept on going. It happened so quickly that I couldn’t even brace myself. I did a face plant in the middle of the street and was knocked unconscious for a few moments. When I came to, someone was asking me, “Are you OK?” The next day, I felt the full [More]

Satan is sometimes called the accuser of the brethren (Rev. 12:10), but I’ve discovered he’s also an accuser of almighty God. Satan will do anything he can to drive a wedge between you and your loving Creator. He points a finger at God when tragedy—or even just circumstances you don’t like—strikes. He suggests God doesn’t care about your problems. He blames God for not healing your sick loved one. All of these accusations come as subtle suggestions—whispers to your soul that intend to make you bitter toward God because you feel disappointed, disillusioned or deceived. Nothing is ever God’s fault, [More]

It’s Picture Day at school today. So my daughter and I took some extra time in fixing her hair this morning. As I straightened the mountain of curly locks on her head I asked her about the devotional she read the night before. Recently we’ve made devotion time part of our kids’ bedtime routine. For a long time we’ve given them a certain amount of ‘read’ time before lights out each night. It’s been a great way for them to relax and wind down before bed. The morning time has never been great for devotion time. My kids aren’t the [More]

“Fake it ’til you make it.” We’ve all heard those words. It’s great advice when you are in front of people, trying to make a good impression or learning a new skill. When it comes to faith, faking it doesn’t help—it hurts. Hebrews 11:6 says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” You can see why people might fake faith; it is impossible to please God without it. So, just like kids trying to earn a treat, we try [More]

When God has a message that He wants to give His people, He is not often subtle about it. He might not shout it out loud in a James Earl Jones or Morgan Freeman voice, but for those with ears to hear and eyes to see, the Word of the Lord is made abundantly clear. In fact, He tends to be quite repetitive. The message seems to come up everywhere. Every sermon communicates it. Your time in God’s Word emphasizes it. Holy Spirit continues to remind you about it. God has such a word for you and I this year: I [More]

Recently in the prayer class I lead at our church in Oklahoma City, I was explaining to the new children why we take one Sunday a month from their regular lessons to focus on prayer. “We want you to know God, not just know about Him, and hear God, not just hear about Him,” I explained. If we want our children to know God and not just know about Him, we need to teach them to pray and pray with them. Children could do all kinds of worksheets about God and hear stories about Him, but it is when they [More]