God’s people were destined for the Babylonian captivity, and the prophet Ezekiel continually reminded them of the consequences of all they were doing. In Ezekiel 34, he shows why some sheep leave the fold. Many people think of the twenty-third psalm as the “Shepherd’s psalm.” There is another chapter we could rightly think of as the “shepherds’ chapter.” Ezekiel 34:1-6 addresses the…

It is truly perplexing and inexplicable how so many well-meaning folks have been taught and convinced that immersion is not essential for one’s salvation from sin.  Of all the doctrines of the New Testament, that one is exceptionally clear, to the point that God considers it one of “the elementary principles of Christ” (Heb. 6:1-2).  Let us consider just one verse (Acts…

It has been called by many names: Chinnereth (Num. 34:11), Lake of Gannesaret (Luke 5:1), Sea of Tiberias (John 6:1) and most commonly to us, the Sea of Galilee (Matt. 4:18). Measuring 13 miles north to south and 7.5 miles east to west, it is not sea size. With an area of 64 square miles, it is much smaller than the 730…

Have you ever experienced that time in your life when you had done wrong and were so depressed that you were close to just giving up trying? You hated what you had done and were so disappointed in yourself? Embarrassment and shame for your actions had taken control of your life. It was not always that way, for each of us have…

There is not a more important topic to understand (and to understand correctly) than one’s salvation from sin.  It is interesting how man has diverged into so many different ideas regarding salvation.  Some of these diversions are deliberate; some are because of thoughtlessness. One careless mentality among some is, “Once I get baptized, that’s really all that matters.  If I follow God’s…

This is not a race that your Fitbit can track but rather something you are born into. When anyone brings up the topic of race, we tend to compare what is said with our preconceived ideas about race. What if some of those ideas are wrong? It wouldn’t be the first time someone has been wrong about the race concept. Since the…

Christianity was never designed to be a religion of sadness. The words joy and rejoice are found more than 400 times in the Bible. How could any relationship with God be anything other than the most marvelous experience one could have on this earth? When Paul described the fruit of the Spirit working in our lives, the second word he used was…

There are some Christians who have discovered something that some others are yet to figure out.  Their enlightenment has led them to believe (and admit), “I feel closer to God when I am away from the church.  I have found my own way to really focus on me and God, and I found that the church was just dragging me down and…