By Ron F. Hale After the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, Christianity grew rapidly as inspired evangels left Jerusalem “gossiping the gospel” along the paved highways and trodden trails of the Roman world. Conversely, the spread of Islam was wildfire fast after the death of Muhammad in 632 A.D. Contrasting these two Abrahamic faiths will reveal that one grew by the spiritual conversion of individuals (especially within its first 300 years) while the other grew by the conquest of peoples and the confiscation of properties and possessions. By Conversion … Of Christianity, Bruce L. Shelley and R. L. Hatchett share in Church History In Plain Language (4th ed.) that it, “… began as a tiny offshoot of Judaism. Three centuries later it became the favored and eventually the official religion of the Roman Empire. Despite widespread and determined efforts to eliminate the new faith, it survived and grew. By the reign of Constantine (312-337), the first Christian emperor, there were churches in every large town in the empire and in places as distant from each other as Britain, Carthage, and Persia.” The New Testament declares that when the fullness of the time had come, Jesus came into a ripe and ready world. The Jewish … [Read more...]

The story of Noah ends in Genesis 9 with a promise. This is the end of Noah’s story, but not our story. God keeps his promises. You say well that’s just one story. No, it’s the ongoing story. To Abraham, “I’ll make you the father of many nations. To Moses, “I AM will be with you.” To Mary and Joseph, To Zacharias and Elizabeth… Then perhaps best of all Jesus prophesying His own death. But better than that, His prophesy of resurrection in three days. See, it’s a pattern. And He has promised His return. What has he promised to you personally? His Presence His Power To answer our prayer Salvation Heaven Return The list is infinite. And He will keep them all. This year on Wednesday nights, I am leading a Bible Study on the book of Genesis. You can join us at 6:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall of First Baptist Church, Lafayette. We have a dinner ($6) beginning at 4:45 p.m. This week (March 8) we will take a look at Genesis 10-11. Come walk with us this year through this book of beginnings. (This post is based on the message from Genesis Chapter 9, which you can listen to at fbclaf.org/genesis) … [Read more...]

By Jack Graham Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there were none of them. —Psalm 139:16 The birth of a baby is a special and wonderful moment when a new life enters the world. Every baby is truly a tiny miracle, because the Bible says God creates each baby and knits it together in its mother’s womb. The human body is so complex and intricate that it’s mind-boggling to realize how every part works together. We could spend the rest of this day discussing how teeth develop, how bones grow, and how the human body just knows what to do and when to do it. The wonder of Psalm 139 is that God’s creative work in our lives begins at the very moment of conception. Even in our embryonic stage, God is at work shaping us to be the person He wants us to be. And it’s just as incredible to realize that after we are born, God continues to form our bodies. When we stop to think about what an astounding work of creation the human body is, it’s no wonder that God said it was good when He created us. Our bodies are far more complex than any computer or other manmade invention. And by the way, our bodies are constantly growing and maturing, … [Read more...]

By Tony Perkins   President Obama may be gone, but his ghost continues to haunt the thousands of rules still governing how the agencies do business. A few days after the Trump White House shipped the school bathroom debate back to states, another transgender holdover from the 44th president cropped up -- this time at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). In another parting gift to his far-Left friends, Obama made sure to tack on another guidance that's just as dangerous as his Education mandate -- maybe more so. Under the agency's "Equal Access to Housing in HUD Programs regardless of Sexual Orientation or Gender Identity" policy, the department just opened the doors to gender-free shelters. Much to the delight of Obama's camp, the rule became final this month, giving LGBT activists something to cheer in an otherwise depressing week for their agenda. As part of the guidance, the government is ordering all of its properties to comply with "shared sleeping quarters or shared bathing facilities" -- giving predators an even bigger foothold to exploit. And as usual, faith-based groups that partner with the federal government will have to comply -- no matter what their moral objections may be. Although the … [Read more...]

By Ron Hale Mark A. Gabriel became a marked man after converting to Christianity from Islam. His harrowing escape from Egypt still haunts him! Memorizing the Quran by age 12, earning a PhD at the famous Al-Azhar University in Cairo and teaching there, and serving as the imam of a mosque, provides Gabriel a unique perspective in teaching Westerners about Islam. His most famous (or infamous) professor was the blind sheikh, Omar Abdel Rahman. He became the mastermind of the first bomb attack of the World Trade Center in 1993, and sat in a U.S. high-security prison until his recent death on Feb. 18, 2017. Gabriel started questioning his faith while a professor at Al-Azhar University. Islam’s violent side in the Quran and in Islamic history lay heavy on his heart.  After a few questioning statements, he was arrested and tortured by the Egyptian secret police. He eventually fled his country and found it necessary to change his name after being stabbed, shot at, and repeated death threats on his life. However, he does not see Muslims as his enemy. Muslims are the very ones who suffer the most from Islamic radicals or jihadists according to Gabriel. In reading his revised and updated edition of ‘Islam and Terrorism’ … [Read more...]

By Rebecca Holloway When God's people pray, And take the pains of earth to the doors of heaven. When God's people pray, There is hope reborn, there is sin forgiven. And miracles you can't explain away, When God's people pray. (Wayne Watson, "When God's People Pray." If you'd like to hear this song, click here.) Forgive me for going to the "way back files," but I could not get this song out of my head for the past several days. From the moment we walked in the doors of Texas Children's Hospital in Houston, I knew things were going to be different. But I had no idea how God would massively blow my mind with how He answered my definite requests that I had posted earlier this week. Honestly, I had all but lost hope over our situation with Evan. It had just become so bleak. So dark. I just couldn't see a way that he could ever get better. And yet God had so much more that He wanted to do. He had told me that. Even though I had written about the "exceedingly abundantly" more that He wanted to do, I don't think I even believed it. Now I do. Here's why: when I started the "Prayers for Evan" page, I did it so that our church family and friends could keep up with us as we headed to TCH. I thought we may get as many … [Read more...]

By Waylon Bailey I bought my first personal computer in the early 80s. During that time I was professor of Old Testament and Hebrew at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. That early personal computer was a perfect fit for my work at the seminary. I was writing books, articles, and preparing notes for lectures. And while I wasn’t at the beginning of the personal computer revolution, I certainly was on the front end. It wasn’t long before I decided that I was ready for an upgrade. A number of my friends had a hard disc instead of the two floppy discs that I was using. As I talked with them I came to the conclusion that I really did need a hard drive and that I needed either a 20 meg, 30 meg, or 40 meg hard drive. The problem was I couldn’t decide which one. Finally, I decided to call IBM to get some advice. My call to the IBM Office was one of the most memorable conversations of my life. Not only did I learn a lot about  computers, but I also received advice about what size hard drive to purchase. I’ll never forget what the sales person told me. He said that I in fact did need a hard drive. That wasn’t hard to digest. The second thing he told me made sense at the time, but he couldn’t have been more wrong. … [Read more...]

By Jack Graham Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. —Hebrews 12:1-3 As Christians, one of the best ways to defeat Satan…the enemy of our souls…is to know how he operates. Far too many believers today are unaware of or don’t fully appreciate how deadly this enemy is…and to what lengths he will go, to thwart and destroy God’s people and God’s plan! So it’s important each of us know our enemy so we can better prepare ourselves for his attack. Of all the schemes and tactics Satan uses against the people of God, his greatest tool is probably the tool of discouragement. Satan knows that if he can pry open your heart with discouragement, he can make you quit. Galatians 6:9 reminds us, “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will … [Read more...]

By Joe McKeever Dear Lord, even if I pray in faith and dot all the i’s and cross all the t’s, but am praying something which I will regret forever and which is not what You have planned, please ignore me. Thank you for hearing this prayer!   Three men in the Bible–really godly men, the best of the bunch–prayed at one time or other for the Lord to end their lives. –Moses in Numbers 11:15 “If I’ve found favor in Thy sight, please kill me.” –Elijah in I Kings 19:4 “That’s enough now, Lord. Take my life.  I’m no better than my fathers (and they’re all dead).”  My paraphrase. –Jonah in Jonah 4:3 “Death is better to me than life, so please take my life from me, O Lord.” In each case, it was a prayer of depression and discouragement.  And what caused that?  They were brought on by– –too much responsibility (Moses).  He was tired. –too much opposition (Elijah).   He was stressed. –too little commitment (Jonah).  He was disappointed. From this we conclude the following: One.  It can happen to the best. Two.  It’s the result of too much work, stress, spiritual resources and strength. Three.  In such times, we may do unwise things and pray foolish prayers. Four.  We should give thanks God does not … [Read more...]