By Joe McKeever “Because (Paul) was of the same trade, he stayed with (Aquila and Priscilla) and worked; for by occupation they were tentmakers” (Acts 18:3). “I had a right to be supported by the churches,” said the Apostle Paul.  “But I did not exercise that right, but supported myself.”  (I Corinthians 9) Some churches pay their ministers enough to allow them to quit their “day jobs,” as we call them, and devote their full time to the service of the church and the work of the Kingdom. Other churches cannot afford that privilege.  And some churches and pastors choose the dual arrangement for reasons of their own. I remember the day when my church began paying me full time.  It was like dying and going to Heaven, I thought.  For the first three years of our marriage, while pastoring a small church and then attending seminary, I worked in the production office of a cast iron pipe factory, worked in the office of a trucking line, and worked in the office of a soft-drink bottling company.  Suddenly, all that went away when a church called me as pastor and paid enough to live one. I loved the idea of being able to serve the Lord and His church 24/7. All around us, however, are ministers–pastors and other positions … [Read more...]

By Kelvin Cochran ATLANTA (BP) - "For I have told you often before, and now I say it again with tears in my eyes, there are many who walk along the Christian road who are really enemies of the cross of Christ," the apostle Paul lamented. "Their future is eternal loss," Paul continued in Philippians 3:18-19, "for their god is their appetite; they are proud of what they should be ashamed of; and all they think about is this life here on earth." I have been blessed to share my testimony at many churches, conferences and Christ-centered events around the country over the last few years. It has been quite inspiring to see pastors and congregations, faith-based organizations and Christian elected officials fighting to uphold laws which preserve our freedom to live out our faith and the spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Sadly, I have also witnessed those who have been on the battlefield for years who have turned away from the boldness of faith under pressure to conform to a culture that diminishes the authority of God and His Word. As I write this article with a heavy heart and "with tears in my eyes," I bear witness there are those who profess to be Christians but have become enemies of the cross of Christ. They were … [Read more...]

By Steve Horn Corinth was by all historical accounts a very wicked place. When Paul established a church there, he was establishing a church in the midst of one of the most difficult cities of his day. When we move to the letters called 1 and 2 Corinthians, we realize that the struggle in Corinth continued. Paul confronts them in the first letter and defends that confrontation in the second letter even as he commends them for hanging tough in the midst of an unholy world. In 2 Corinthians 6-7, I note some principles for living holy in an unholy world. You cannot be holy and walk with unholy people. (6:14-16) Paul raised five rhetorical questions. People like to apply this passage to marriage. That is a good application, but note that this is not found in the context of this passage. As such, this issue of being unequally yoked should be a principle of every relationship in life. You cannot walk with God and participate in unholy activity. (6:16-7:1) You do want God to walk with you don’t you? So do I. There is a requirement. We must walk in holiness. Holiness must be pursued in the life of the believer in the fear of God. (7:1) Fearing God is a good thing when fearing Him rightly leads to … [Read more...]

By Waylon Bailey Jesus was a man of prayer, and He left His church to be a people of prayer. One of the many things that stand out about Jesus was His devotion in prayer. Mark noted how Jesus prayed. At the beginning (Mark 1:35), middle (Mark 6:46), and end of the Gospel (Mark 14:32), Mark showed that Jesus prayed. He prayed with intensity and purpose. The first reference sets the tone for the prayer ministry of Jesus: “And in the early morning, while it was still dark, He arose and went out and departed to a lonely place, and was praying there.” Jesus often talked about prayer and modeled it for His disciples. Mark 11:20-26 seems to particularly teach us about prayer. Three takeaways from what Jesus said about prayer in Mark 11:20-26. First, prayer is essential for the church and the mission God has given us. The only thing limiting us is our prayerlessness. Notice how the early church prayed, and notice how the early church carried the gospel to the lost world. Within 300 years, the early church reached millions of people so that the Roman world could be called Christian. Second, we cannot pray without faith in God. It simply is not possible. You cannot have prayer without faith in God. What would prayer be … [Read more...]

By Jeff Ginn It was an exciting day when I got my high school senior ring. Not long afterward I was riding with my friend in his new pickup truck. We were headed to play a basketball game. I decided to take off my ring and lay it on the dashboard of the truck. As we rounded a curve in the road, the ring slid along the dash and promptly dropped into the AC vent. We tried to fish out the ring but with no luck. My friend took his truck to the dealership but they said that it would cost more to take out the dash and retrieve the ring than it was worth. As far as I could see, there was nothing to be done. Months went by and my friend sold his truck. For all I knew, I had kissed that ring goodbye forever. Years later my family and I were living in South America as missionaries. The phone rang and my mom said that someone had returned my ring! I could scarcely believe my ears. Here’s the story of how it was returned. The truck had ended up in a junkyard as scrap. Someone had taken out the dashboard to salvage a part. In doing so they spotted a ring. They saw that it was from West Memphis High School and the year was 1979. My name was carved into it as well. Armed with that information (and a good dose of old-fashioned … [Read more...]

By Steve Horn I ran across an article that ranked states according to the “Most Miserable” and “Least Miserable.” To my surprise, Louisiana was ranked second as “most miserable.” That’s funny, because a few years ago Lafayette was touted as the “Happiest City in America.” So, which is it? Are we indeed the happiest city in the most miserable state? Or, are all of these things in the eye of the beholder? I mean, after all, what other states can you, at certain times of the year, eat boudin for breakfast, a shrimp poboy for lunch, boiled crawfish for dinner, and have king cake for dessert? Now, I know that I am biased and have limited experience living in other states, but I love the state in which I live. Besides, the same report claims North Dakota tops the well-being list. No offense to North Dakotans, but really? The report does cause me to think about a few things that even have some spiritual significance. Things are rarely as bad as they seem. Yes, to somebody, Louisiana might look miserable, but to many more of us, we are full of faith, full of life, and consider Louisiana paradise. In life, what might seem bad, upon reflection is not all that bad. Conversely, things are rarely as good as they seem. Just … [Read more...]

By Stewart Holloway One of the nastiest tools in the Enemy’s arsenal is church conflict. Such conflict brings a lot of heartache and can stifle a church’s ministry for years - or even stop it all together. In some ways, church conflict is inevitable – the enemy will come against your church. However, church conflict does not have to be destructive. If you are prepared in advance, you can handle it appropriately. Therefore, I want briefly to share some principles for handling conflict in the church from 1 Corinthians 1:10-17. If there is no conflict happening in your church right now, consider this preventative maintenance. If there is conflict in your church, well, you can use this today! Key leaders can save the church from destruction. Chloe was that person in Corinth. She was a merchant lady in whose home the Church at Corinth likely met. Chloe wrote Paul asking him questions about some problems that had developed. DO not think of Chloe as a gossiping bitty. She was a concerned church leader. People like her are in every church. They may or may not have the leadership positions, but they can rise up as key leaders in difficult times. These saints of God are wise enough to see problems and find help. They are wise … [Read more...]

By Jeff Ginn In the early 1900s Los Angeles, California was rapidly growing. To supply the city with needed water, a massive, concrete dam was built in the mountains above the city. The St. Francis Dam was finished in 1926. Once the reservoir filled, the seemingly indestructible dam held back more than twelve billion gallons of water. Almost immediately upon its completion, cracks began to appear in the massive wall. Fissures widened. Seepage grew. The engineers and architects were aware of these issues, but they felt that these faults were in keeping with a dam of this size. They further believed that there was time to correct the problems. But two-and-a-half minutes before midnight on March 12, 1928, the St. Francis Dam catastrophically failed. Hundreds of lives were lost as a wall of water and debris swept down the St. Francisquito Canyon. It remains the second greatest loss-of-life disaster in California history behind only the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire. Small fissures and cracks should not be ignored. Left unattended, they widen. They threaten the integrity of the very structure they populate. What’s true for concrete structures is equally true for our lives. Small cracks in our character cannot … [Read more...]