Granted, it’s great when you enjoy the people you work with, but what if one (or some) of their personalities rub you the wrong way? Can you work effectively with people if maybe they aren’t the people you would choose to be your friends in a social setting? I recently heard Pastor Dennis Cummins share a testimony that brought great insight regarding this issue.… read more
Moody knew what he was talking about. While Moody was preaching on Sunday evening, October 8, 1871, the Great Chicago Fire began. In addition to Moody’s church and home being consumed, 100,000 were left homeless and approximately 17,000 structures were destroyed. An estimated 300 people died.… read more
Lisa and I arrived in Indianapolis yesterday to visit family in the area. As we came into town, Lisa and I drove to a cemetery on the east side of Indianapolis to visit the grave of Maria Woodworth-Etter, a noted evangelist who lived from 1844-1924. … read more
This past Sunday, I had the privilege of preaching for Pastor John Larkam of Impact Family Church in Austin, Texas. He asked me to do a session that was part of his series on “The True Spirit of Christmas” and asked me to choose a particular theme for my session. I chose humility.… read more
In the fourth century, church leaders articulated their beliefs in a document known as the Nicene Creed. After writing of the Father and the Son, they state, “We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father. With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.”… read more
In October of 2022, I was privileged to visit the grave of A. W. Tozer, one of the great evangelical voices of the twentieth century. I’ve been profoundly influenced by his writings and wanted to share a few thoughts about him in the following, brief video. Following the video, I’ve shared a number of quotes from his writings.… read more
One of the oft-cited Bible verses on Christmas cards is Micah 5:2, which predicts Bethlehem as the place of the Messiah’s birth. When King Herod went into panic mode because he heard that a new king had been born, the chief priests and scribes cited Bethlehem as the prophesied location. … read more
Count Nikolaus von Zinzendorf is not widely known among American Christians today, but were it not for him, we might have never heard of John Wesley.… read more
With the Christmas season approaching, this would be a great time to do some teaching about the nature of who Jesus really is. Below are several points about the Deity of Christ that may be of help as you develop messages.… read more
The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ are central to God redeeming us back to himself, but those epic events were preceded by the virgin birth and the Incarnation.… read more
Many modern Pentecostal and Charismatic believers have heard a good bit about William Branham. He was considered by many to be the leading prophetic voice during the healing revival of the 40’s and 50’s. … read more
Shortly after the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the announcement was made that her son, Prince Charles, would succeed her and would be known as King Charles III. … read more
He was born two years after Columbus sailed west and discovered the Americas. His martyrdom preceded Martin Luther’s death by ten years. His contribution to the church was of incalculable worth.… read more
Sobre fé e medicina, algumas pessoas ensinam que Deus não cura mais ou, se cura, é muito raro. Eles afirmam que a era dos milagres já passou.… read more
On a recent trip to Europe (August 2022), Lisa and I were able to visit Charles Spurgeon’s grave at the West Norwood Cemetery in London. Before traveling to England, we had been in Nice, France and also visited Menton, France.… read more
Early Christian writers spoke both about abortion and the common practice at that time of “abandoning” or “exposing” unwanted infants at birth. In the time of the Roman Empire, it was not uncommon for parents to abandon an unwanted infant in the woods or to leave them along a roadside.… read more
Did Paul Miss It? Rev. Tony Cooke I was recently asked this question while teaching on Paul’s ministry in the Book of Acts. It wasn’t the first time I’ve been […]
I’ve given away many copies of this book to various friends (all of them 20+ year ministry veterans) in recent times, and many said that the book struck a deep chord within them. Some recognized that they were already into various stages of burnout; others acknowledged that they were dangerously close to the brink. …read more
It is unfortunate that some people have chosen to pit medicine against faith as though they were somehow adversarial. I believe these two forces should be seen as complementary, not as contradictory. After all, both your faith and the doctor are aiming at the same goal—your healing and wholeness. My persuasion is that medicine and faith can be integrated and complementary. They do not need to be adversarial toward or isolated from one another. … read more
In Lamentations 5:19, Jeremiah writes, “Your throne continues from generation to generation.” It is important to understand that Jeremiah said that to God, not to any of us. Our physical presence in ministry has an “expiration date,” and every pastor should realize that he is, in a sense, an interim pastor. Someone will eventually succeed him.… read more
We were not born again just to have a personal relationship with God; we also were saved to have a relationship with God’s family—with one another. If I only focus on God’s love for me as an individual and neglect the importance of the local church, I am going to miss a huge part of God’s overall plan.… read more
“The grass is always greener on the other side.” At least that’s the message of the old adage. Timothy probably noticed many lush fields (elsewhere) while he was serving Paul.… read more
I’ve been reading after a number of people on the topic of prayer lately, and my own heart has been stirred toward prayer as well. A couple of comments by R. A. Torrey (an associate of D. L. Moody) recently caught my attention…… read more
On February 23, 2022, I took part in a debate hosted by Pastor Mark Cowart and Church for All Nations in Colorado Springs—the topic was “Once Saved Always Saved.” … read more
The farther I go in my walk with the Lord, the more I am impressed with our need for focus, diligence, and full engagement with him. As we see the world succumbing more and more to deception and corruption, we need to do more than “not be conformed to this world” (Romans 12:2). … read more
