By Ken Pierce Matthew 11:1-15 and Luke 7:18-23 record parallel accounts of a fascinating exchange between Messiah and two disciples of Yochannan ben Zecharyah (John, the son of Zechariah, better known as John the Baptist or, more accurately, John the Baptizer), in which Jesus relayed a covert message to his incarcerated cousin. Herod Antipas had

By Mike Lii and Bob Wilkin Introduction Have you heard it charged that those of us who accept the Focused Free Grace position teach “easy believism”? Those who level such a charge usually mean that we make salvation too easy by not requiring that people turn from their sins, commit their lives to Christ, and

By Ken Yates Introduction The 1995 Chicago Bulls were quite a team. They were a historically successful team. Not only did they win the NBA championship, but they did something no other team had done during the regular season. They won over seventy of their eighty-two games against the best competition in the world. They

By Art Farstadi “What a beautiful service!” is a comment you often hear after a fine public worship gathering. But we shouldn’t be dependent solely for our spiritual nourishment on weekly or bi-weekly services at church. We need “Christian” vitamins every day! It is appalling how many believers don’t follow the advice of the (true)

By Mike Lii Introduction At the 1997 Grace Evangelical Society National Conference, Zane Hodges gave a message titled, “Assurance Is of the Essence of Saving Faith.”1 His title differs from “Assurance Is the Essence of Saving Faith” only by the addition of the word of. This has led many to confuse the two statements. GES,

By Bob Wilkin Many people who’ve watched my YouTube videos on assurance and eternal security have asked me to explain how we can be sure of our eternal security if we’re not sure we’ll be overcomers. They also wonder if 1 John 5:4-5 teaches that all believers are overcomers. An Overcomer Is Victorious The word

By Ken Yates I think many readers of this blog can relate to my church background. The churches I attended when growing up did not really teach the Bible. I never heard a sermon in which the speaker looked at the context and explained the meaning of the verses that were read. Once the Bible

By Kathryn Wright At a recent men’s conference in Springfield, Missouri, Mark Driscoll, the well-known former pastor of Mars Hill, was booted off stage during his guest speaking appearance. The “Stronger Men’s Conference” was hosted by the James River Church, pastored by John Lindell. The conference aimed to equip men to “live out God’s vision

By Ken Yates Introduction From time to time, I hear someone teach the strange idea that unbelievers cannot seek God. Now, left solely to mankind’s devices, that would certainly be the case. But God loves and reaches out to the whole world. Because of His initiative, unbelievers can indeed seek Him. Acts 17:27 is one

By Brad Doskocil Being a patient in the hospital is a helpless feeling. As I write this, I am in the hospital being treated for numerous injuries. The most severe injury is an infection in my right foot and the fourth toe of my right foot. As a patient, I am dependent on the attending