In Memoriam Barbara Bennett Cooke (1923 – 2011) While sitting at the breakfast table on Monday morning, January 24, Barbara Cooke slipped peacefully into eternity. Like many of her era, she was born in the family home in Boonville, Indiana on September 23, 1923. In her youth, mom was very athletic. She played softball, tennis, […]
Image vs. Substance: Avoiding the ‘Saul Syndrome’ and Cultivating a ‘David Heart’ By Tony Cooke There wasn’t anyone who seemed to be better “kingly material” than Saul. Scripture tells us, “…There was not a more handsome person than he among the children of Israel. From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the […]
The God of the Hills, Plains, and Valleys By Rev. Tony Cooke In the Old Testament, the enemies of God’s people made a serious miscalculation. Having lost a battle against the Israelites, the advisors to the king of Syria said, “Their gods are gods of the hills. Therefore they were stronger than we; but if […]
Gurus, Groupies, and Gullibility Tony Cooke If you are my age or a bit older, you may remember the hysteria surrounding the Beatles when they first became popular. In addition to “Let it Be” and “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” you may recall teenybopper fans who were beside themselves, screaming, crying, and swooning in […]
Great Missions Quotes "God’s work done in God’s way will never lack God’s supply." – Hudson Taylor "God isn’t looking for people of great faith, but for individuals ready to follow Him." – Hudson Taylor "The Great Commission is not an option to be considered; it is a command to be obeyed.” – […]
Grace, Repentance, and Confession Tony Cooke I recently had the privilege of doing some extended meetings at Pastor Jerry Weinzierl’s church in Sterling Heights, Michigan, and was able to teach in-depth on the topic of grace. One of the areas I taught related to how God’s grace affects whether believers need to confess sins or […]
A Gospel of Irresponsibility? Rev Tony Cooke As I travel, I’m hearing more and more thought that is circulating in the Body of Christ regarding an “understanding” of grace that seems to be facilitating and promoting a sense of irresponsibility in people. Some applications of this would include: “Because I’m saved by grace, it doesn’t […]
Building God’s Dream Team by Tony Cooke The Apostle Paul used athletic imagery on occasion to emphasize certain aspects of the Christian life and of ministry work. I’ve enjoyed seeing the many parallels that exist when it comes to those who excel and become true champions in their given fields, whether it’s in the natural […]
The God of Increase by Tony Cooke What do you think of when you hear the phrase, “The God of Increase?” Do you think of God simply helping you have more, or do you see Him helping you to become more and achieve more? God is vitally interested in developing you as a person – enabling you […]
Getting the Right Results in Life By Tony Cooke I was talking recently with a pastor friend, and he introduced me to a Hebrew word, achariyth (pronounced, ahk-ar-eeth). This word carries the idea of “the final result of one’s ways, thoughts, and behaviors.” Other implications of this word include, “the end, the outcome, the conclusion, […]
Getting Along By Tony Cooke Every book of the New Testament has something to say about how we are supposed to get along with other people. Every single NT book has at least one (and some have several) verses about getting along. How we are to love and treat each other (encouraging, edifying, etc.) How […]
Full Cycle: Where It All Starts & Where It All Ends Rev. Tony Cooke Many Christians have a one-dimensional perspective of life. They see God existing to bless man. Period. While God certainly desires to bless humanity, that’s far from a complete perspective of God’s overall plan. Consider Romans 11:36 in these two translations: “For […]
Freedom From Fear By Rev. Tony Cooke Click Here to order the audio CD where Tony preaches this message. Dr. E. Stanley Jones, the great Methodist missionary, made the following outstanding statement: “I am inwardly fashioned for faith, not for fear. Fear is not my native land; faith is. I am so made that worry […]
First Things First Tony Cooke The degree of fulfillment and success we experience in life is highly contingent on how well we establish and maintain our priorities. Someone said, “The main thing is to keep the main thing, the main thing.” When we accept Jesus’ Lordship over our lives, we are yielding ourselves to the […]
Fill in the Blank Rev. Tony Cooke God is ________________. What is the first thing that came to your mind? There are many “correct” answers. Many people reading this probably thought, “God is love.” You certainly can’t argue with that. Others may have thought, “God is good.” Correct again. What about awesome, great, powerful, wonderful, […]
Overcoming the Fear of Man Tony Cooke Proverbs 29:25 (NLT) 25 Fearing people is a dangerous trap, but trusting the LORD means safety. Fearing man goes beyond fearing physical harm. Many fear rejection, ridicule, or disapproval. Some even become “approval addicts,” obsessively pursuing human approval at whatever cost and anxiously brooding over what others think […]
You Are Fashioned for Faith By Rev. Tony Cooke Click Here to order the audio CD where Tony preaches this message. Dr. E. Stanley Jones, the great Methodist missionary, made the following outstanding statement: “I am inwardly fashioned for faith, not for fear. Fear is not my native land; faith is. I am so made […]
False Predictions & Transcendent Faith Rev. Tony Cooke Aren’t you glad that the experts aren’t always right! Lucille Ball’s drama instructors wrote to the fifteen year old girl’s mother and told her that her daughter had no talent and was too introverted to make it in show business. Albert Einstein’s Munich teacher told the ten-year […]
Faith and Medicine by Tony Cooke Question: I was diagnosed with a certain disease and have been taking medicine for that condition. I have recently been learning about Divine healing. I am very excited about what I am hearing, and I am trusting God for healing. My question has to do with the medicine I […]
The Extravagant Dimensions of God’s Love By Tony Cooke Paul prayed for the believers in Ephesus that they (along with all of us) would “be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height” and “to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may […]
EXPECTANCY + ACTION = RESULTS By Rev. Tony Cooke God wants us to live with a great sense of expectancy. However, we need to keep in mind that great things don’t just happen. They occur when we walk with God and cooperate with Him. The Apostle James was known for being a very blunt and […]
An Exalted View of God Tony Cooke In Psalm 50, God addressed those we might call pseudo-believers. He said they were reciting His decrees and pretending to obey His covenant (verse 16, NLT), but He addressed their compromise and worldliness, saying, “You thought that I was altogether like you; but I will rebuke you, and […]
Why You Don’t Have to Confess Sins (You Didn’t Commit) Tony Cooke Click here to watch the video intro to this article. I am so thankful for 1 John 1:9 (and the rest of 1 John as well) which says, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins […]
Which Parts of the Bible Does Your Doctrine Make Invisible? Tony Cooke I was recently pondering all of the conflicting views that Christians have about a wide variety of doctrinal issues. While I believe that unity regarding the essentials of faith is…well, essential, it never ceases to amaze me how many become hyper-rigid over doctrinal […]
A Divider, Not a Uniter Rev. Tony Cooke At the beginning of his first term in office, President George W. Bush made an appealing pledge to be “a uniter, not a divider.” Regardless of one’s political affiliations or preferences, most people would agree that uniting all people, with their diverse opinions, beliefs, and philosophies, is […]
