A Jealous God? Rev. Tony Cooke Jealousy is often thought of only in a negative light, and there has been no shortage of negative examples to reinforce such thinking.  In its negative expression, ungodly jealousy is a carnal, ugly trait associated with insecurity, fear, covetousness, and suspicion.  It was Shakespeare who called jealousy a “green-eyed […]

Are Indulgences Making a Comeback? Rev. Tony Cooke One of the movies I’ve enjoyed in recent year was about Martin Luther’s ministry leading up to and through the Protestant Reformation (the title of this work from 2003 is “Luther”).  In it, his grief over the unscriptural practice of indulgences is clearly seen.  The “Pocket History […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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, […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]