Photo Credit: Gripped, The Climbing Magazine, October 29, 2021, Normal Purge Climbing World Highest 14 Peaks In 189 Days I am sure that most of us have come to a time in our lives, when we felt like giving up. It may have been the daily pressures of work or your business. It may have been that the spiritual burden you were carrying on your heart became too heavy to bear alone. It may have been the worries about the future that dragged you down to the point of giving up. I believe that all of us would agree there are times when the burdens of life become like a…

During the 1950s a negative dread swept over Protestant churches, many mainline denominations reported a decline in attendance, membership, and offerings. A newspaper article shocked readers when it announced, “God is Dead.” What else could be the response when nationally recognized churches were declining? But against that national gloom, a bright new movement dawned. Several innovative expressions of evangelistic outreaches among evangelical churches showed optimism. As an interested observer and/or participant at Thomas Road Baptist Church, Lynchburg, Virginia, I began writing on the new movement in church growth, specifically among evangelical churches, (1) the explosion of large Sunday schools, (2) next the praise/worship church, and (3) and finally, the multisite…

From the little out-of-the-way city of Berea, the Apostle Paul makes a journey of 200 miles to the city of Athens. His companions leave him there and for a period of time, Paul is in Athens alone. He was alone in the academic capital of the ancient world. It was the home of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. It was a university city. Paul was also in the artistic center of the ancient world. It was a city of literature, sculpture, and oratory. There, he finds himself alone in that totally new atmosphere. We can almost imagine that for a few days he walks around the city, moves in and out of…

Do you know what to do with your Bible? When we read the Bible, we discover how precious the Bible is. “Though its cover is worn, and its pages are torn, and though places bear traces of tears, yet more precious than gold is this book, worn and old, that can shatter and scatter our fears.” “When I prayerfully look In the precious old book, Many treasures and pleasures I see; Many tokens of love From the Father above Who is nearest and dearest to me.” There is a treasure in your Bible; I hope you will not miss it. We are told what to do with the Bible in…

We are traveling along with the Apostle Paul on his second missionary journey. We move now from the conquest of Philippi to the challenge of Thessalonica. In chapter 17 of the Book of Acts, we have the remarkable ministry of Paul as it continues in three cities. These cities are Thessalonica, Berea, and Athens. As we study Paul’s ministry in these three cities, we discover different responses to the Gospel. We will see first rejection of the Gospel. Next, there were those who received the Gospel. However, when we arrive to Athens, we find those who ridiculed the Gospel. The same responses back then are the same responses today when…

Everywhere Paul went, there was either a riot or a revival. He either made friends for Christ or foes for Christ. Upon coming to town, Paul did not stay in a penthouse, but often a jailhouse. In Acts chapter 16, there are many conquests. Paul is now beginning his ministry in Europe; that would eventually spread to America. These conquests commenced with vagueness; not knowing which way to go (16:6-8), continued with vision (16:9-11) and climaxed with victory (16:12-40). Second, chapter 16 is filled with conversions. Lydia found the Lord (16:14-15). A slave found the Savior (16:16-18). A jailer found Jesus (16:30-31). Luke shows us how the Holy Spirit dealt…

Have you ever been to a building where there’s a bunch of doors, and you didn’t know exactly how to get in? You wondered which door to use to get in? That’s what Acts 15 is all about, when you boil it down. Which door gets you in? If someone were to ask you the question—how can I be saved? What would your answer be? If you had to, in a succinct, very brief statement, tell someone who was desperately interested, how they could come to know Christ as their Savior, and go to heaven when they die, what would you say to them? Let’s just suppose that someone has…

Excitement fills the air at the Great Commission Church of Antioch. Paul and Barnabas, the first missionaries, have just returned from their evangelism journey. The Antioch church has been called together to hear about their ministry. This powerful church had a world mission’s heart. In Acts 14:27 it says that they gathered the church together and they heard the report by Paul and Barnabas. What kind of report would it have been? What would they have said? Imagine yourself being a part of this mission’s service. What a service it must have been. The word got out and the place was packed with people. The singing was electric. The choir…

We find in Acts chapter 13, the first recorded full-length sermon of the Apostle Paul. Luke tells us the next Sabbath day came and almost the whole city came together to hear the Word of God. But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy and spoke against those things which were spoken by Paul contradicting and blaspheming. Look at this statement: “Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold and said, it was necessary that the Word of God should first have been spoken to you (talking to Jewish people), but seeing you put it from you and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, thus, we turn to…

When we entered Acts chapter 12, we saw that James was dead, Peter was in prison, and the church hiding in prayer. When we leave Acts chapter 12, we witness Peter’s angelic freedom from jail, the church amazed, King Herod dead, and the Gospel multiplying. This is a phenomenal chapter. Doctor Luke tells the story of persecution, prayer, and power: from tragedy, transition and triumph. When King Herold learned that Peter had escaped, his indignation was felt through all of his guards. He had to respect life. If you were of no use to him, he simply took your life. In Acts 12:18-19, we read about the excitement of the…