What does it mean to be assured of my salvation?” That’s a question I often get asked. People want to have assurance, but they’re often confused about it. What is assurance? How can you have it? What is it based on? And is there a difference between genuine and false assurance? If so, what? These

Introduction What did Jesus mean when He said, “Come after Me”? The expression “come after Me” appears four times in the NT, all in the Gospels (Matt 16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23; 14:27). All but one of those involves the verb erchomai, I come. The exception is Mark 8:34 where akoloutheō is used. The latter

The Indictment Continues Stephen, accused by the Council, continues his indictment to Israel. 7:30-35. “An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire in a bush.” The miracle of the bush which burned and was not consumed (cf. Exod 3:2-3), prefigures the history of Israel, especially since her rejection of Christ.

Good morning. My name is John. I’m here to tell you my story, a story that really isn’t remarkable at all. In fact, if you had known me during my life you would probably say I was just an ‘average Joe,’ nothing special, certainly not a model Christian. Maybe that’s why I’m here. Everywhere I

The death of Christ has a surprising connection to the call to discipleship, a point illustrated by studying two of the Lord’s parables in Luke (Luke 14:28-30, 31-32): Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them, “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife

Free or Not? One day, a young mother wanted to get fit. She heard about a wealthy benefactor who founded several gyms and endowed them with enough money so they could be free and open to all. However, when she visited the gyms and asked about joining, she found they had changed their policies. The

Jesus taught us how to use money without being corrupted by it, in the Parable of the Unjust Steward in Luke 16. The passage in question is: So the master commended the unjust steward because he had dealt shrewdly. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of

Introduction When we were still living in New Jersey, I read an article in our local newspaper that announced, “New York group struggles to add a little sweetness to the crabby Apple.” It was all about a “courtesy” advertising campaign that was being directed by a group called “New York Pride.” Their message was short

By John Goodding Have you ever shared the gospel with someone and felt they really understood what you were saying, and even believed it, but later on you found out they were thinking something different than what you said? This is an all too common occurrence. People will nod their heads and agree with everything

The Purpose of John’s Gospel Why did John write his Gospel? John explains, “these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.” (John 20:30-31, emphasis added). In the KJV, the phrase “eternal life” is used in 30 verses