“This I pray.” Paul’s prayer is my prayer for us. Prayer is a vital part of the Christian life. If you have not come to understand that as a believer, I hope this chapter will encourage you to become a man or a woman of prayer. Prayer is the lifeline between us and heaven. It is the communication system which keeps us in contact with God in heaven. There are no Ph.D.’s in prayer. The disciples said to Jesus, “Lord, teach us to pray.” That is an interesting statement. They didn’t say, “Lord, teach us to preach.” That’s certainly important. They didn’t say, “Lord, teach us to do miracles.” They…

The church of Philippi was greatly involved in the ministry of Paul because they loved him and they believed in what he was doing. Paul had begun this church ten years earlier. In return, Paul wrote this beautiful letter to them. It is obvious as you read this letter that this must be, indeed, his most beloved and favorite of all of the churches which he founded. As it has been indicated in earlier chapters, Paul wrote this from prison. You will notice in Philippians 1:7 that he talks about “my bonds,” and in Philippians 1:13 he says, “So that my bonds.” I don’t know about you, but if I…

The Apostle Paul is writing a letter to the members of the church in the city of Philippi. We found in Acts 16 how this church came into existence, and we saw that there was a nucleus of people he had won to Christ who formed that church. Now, it’s about 10 years after Paul founded the church, and he is writing a letter back to those believers. Paul is using the form of letter writing which was current in those days. We don’t write letters in this form today. When we write a letter, we first of all address it “Dear,” to whom we are writing. Then, we give…

I want to ask you a question. What would you say that these people have in common: a Jewish philosopher who hates Christ; a New Ager, who has been deep into the occult; a prison guard, whose heart is filled with malignity and hate against all humankind; a feminist, who, perhaps, never married, who has her own business? What would you say all of those people had in common? They were all members of the church at Philippi. The Jewish philosopher who got saved was the Apostle Paul. The New Ager was a demon-possessed girl who was saved by the Gospel of Christ. The jailer, the prison guard, was the…

The last chapter of the book of Acts has been called the last page of the first chapter of the history of the Christian church. It has also been pointed out that the book of Acts concludes with a rather interesting word. The word is not easily apparent within translations, but in the New American Standard Bible, it is the word, “unhindered.” It has often been noted that this is a rather unusual way to conclude a book. This is not how you would normally conclude a book and this has puzzled Bible teachers through the years. There are some who believe that Dr. Luke intended to write a third…

There are three kinds of people in this world: there are those who are alienated toward Jesus, there are those who are altogether for Jesus, and there are those who are almost to Jesus. There are those who are hardened toward him, there are those who have a heart for Him, and there are those who are halfway to Him. In Acts 26:24-30, we read: “While Paul was saying this in his defense, Festus said in a loud voice, ‘Paul, you are out of your mind. Your great learning is driving you mad.’ But Paul said, ‘I’m not out of my mind, most excellent Festus, but I utter words of…

I love the twenty-seventh chapter of the book of Acts. I love walking by the ocean. I love this wonderful story because it’s so graphic. As you open the Bible to this chapter you just feel the salt spray in your face. It’s a story that was written as an eyewitness account of a great shipwreck. I want you to use your imagination. If you do, you’ll taste the salt. You’ll feel the swell of this ship as it rises and falls on the billows. You’ll hear the winds as it moans, and groans, and screams, and whimpers. You’ll hear the booming claps of thunder. And, you’ll see the flashing…

ORLANDO, Jan. 28, 2022 – The three-day bi-annual Global Church Network’s (GCN) Synergize Conference wrapped yesterday in Orlando, Florida, with more than 650 attendees from 100 denominations and 60 countries. Thousands more from 45-plus nations watched online, and all were focused on FINISH 2030 with a goal to complete the Great Commission by 2030. Reminders of the Task Ahead Bishop Sam N. Clements, General Overseer of the Church of God of Prophecy, opened the morning session of the final day by reminding attendees the Kingdom of God is not about physical comforts but rather “righteousness, peace and joy” in the Holy Ghost. “It is time for us to join hands…

Speakers Challenge Attendees from 60 Nations And 45 plus Nations Online, to Move Forward During These Fearful Days ORLANDO, Jan. 27, 2022 – The biennial Global Church Network’s (GCN) Synergize Conference continued yesterday for its second day with the theme of “Recovering The Cutting Edge.” More than 650 attendees representing more than 100 denominations and 60 countries and thousands more watching via livestream were inspired and encouraged by a diverse roster of international speakers who challenged and encouraged them in the great task ahead of completing the Great Commission. God’s Working Through the Pandemic Dr. Douglas Beacham, General Superintendent of the International Pentecostal Holiness Church, reminded participants that though the…

If your movement is not moving, then it is not a movement; but could be a monument. There are cycles to movements and usually movements overtime become the opposite of what they started out to be. There are cyles in movements. The first generation, generates. The second generation, motivates. The third generation, speculates. The fourth generation, dissipates. History is replete with conservatism giving way to liberalism and light giving way to dark. It is not that the darkness has become stronger, but the light has become weaker. This is one of the major reasons, if not the major reason why the Great Commission has not been completed. Instead of the…