Category Archives: Pastor’s Desk

Scripture Reference: Acts 6:1-8 The life of any church cannot rise above the level of its leaders. Someone once wrote, “Like pastor, like people; like teachers, like students.” In my experience over the years it is the same in business. … Continue reading →

Scripture Reference: 2 Corinthians 10:3-5; Ephesians 6:10-18 PREVENTING CASUALTIES – Continued From Last Lesson: Most Christians agree that studying and knowing God’s Word is valuable. But we often fail when it comes to actually using the Word in warfare. This … Continue reading →

Scripture Reference: 2 Corinthians 10:3-5; Ephesians 6:10-18 WEAPONS OF WARFARE – Continued We are in a war like no other. Because it is spiritual warfare, the weapons that we use cannot be the normal weapons of this world. The devil … Continue reading →

Scripture Reference: 2 Corinthians 10:3-5; Ephesians 6:10-18 HIT OR MISS Why did Jesus pray? Was it simply to change Himself? Or did Jesus know that prayer was the way His Father had chosen to work on this planet? Jesus didn’t … Continue reading →

Scripture Reference: 2 Corinthians 10:3-5; Ephesians 6:10-18 One of the key reasons for prayerlessness in the Christian life is a theological one. Deep inside, many Christians believe that prayer really doesn’t matter; God is going to do whatever He is … Continue reading →

Scripture Reference: Mark 1:14-45 Bringing In the Outcast – Continued Please read Mark 1:40-45 for the background to this section. The man Jesus healed of leprosy sounds like it all ended for everyone happily, a wonderful story; the ravages of … Continue reading →

Scripture Reference: Mark 1:14-45 Bringing In the Outcast – Continued Please read Mark 1:40-45 for the background to this section. From Last Lesson: If you did recover from leprosy, only the priests could declare that you were “clean” once more. … Continue reading →

Scripture Reference: Mark 1:14-45 Bringing In the Outcast Please read Mark 1:40-45 for the background to this section. I have never personally known anyone with leprosy. However, I have heard and read of many who have devoted the best years … Continue reading →

Scripture Reference: Mark 1:14-45 This Is Why He Has Come – Continued Please read Mark 1:29-39 for the background to this section. Continuing on, surprise number two comes in verse 38. Simon Peter and friends go out in the gloom … Continue reading →

Scripture Reference: Mark 1:14-45 This Is Why He Has Come – Continued Please read Mark 1:29-39 for the background to this section. Jesus had gone out to some quiet hillside to find solitude with God, that union with His Father … Continue reading →

Scripture Reference: Mark 1:14-45 This Is Why He Has Come Please read Mark 1:29-39 for the background to this section. That Sabbath evening, Jesus finds Himself surrounded by intense excitement. The next stage of the story contains two major surprises. … Continue reading →

Scripture Reference: Mark 1:14-45 The Call You Can’t Resist – Continued Please read Mark 1:16-28 for the background to this section. If you remember, the beginning of the Gospels tell us that Jesus began His ministry by going out to … Continue reading →

Scripture Reference: Mark 1:14-45 The Call You Can’t Resist – Continued Please read Mark 1:16-28 for the background to this section. From Last Lesson: Teaching was the scribes job, and how they taught! Their technique with any question was to … Continue reading →

Scripture Reference: Mark 1:14-45 The Call You Can’t Resist – Continued Please read Mark 1:16-28 for the background to this section. These are the very men that Jesus calls. The reference to “fishers of men” is not just a play … Continue reading →

Scripture Reference: Mark 1:14-45 Authority is an unfashionable concept today. The whole idea that one person should have power over someone else is deeply unpopular. But, to put it bluntly, that’s what authority is, the right to be in control, … Continue reading →

Scripture Reference: John 15:12-25 From Last Lesson: Jesus did have to die for us. He died to reveal the Father’s compassion, not to appease the Father’s love. That may be the first thing we need to make perfectly clear. Christian … Continue reading →

Scripture Reference: John 15:12-25 The arms race today, and the once called “cold-war” is like that. It is the cut that exposes the grain. The grain is national chauvinism, the assumption of moral superiority inherent in our kind of people … Continue reading →

Scripture Reference: John 15:12-25 The man who is speaking the words in our reference scriptures will be dead and buried approximately twenty-four hours later. He is preparing a small circle of His followers to be ready to live without Him. … Continue reading →

Scripture Reference: Acts 4:23-31 5. There Is Grace Abounding in the Lives of God’s People Luke told us that “great grace was upon them all” (Acts 4:33). The word grace here could be exchanged for the word Christlikeness. These people … Continue reading →

Scripture Reference: Acts 4:23-31 3. There Is a Desire to Evangelize Acts 4:29 is probably the most challenging verse in this Scripture. “Now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with … Continue reading →