The term “open letter” is used to describe a message that is addressed to a certain individual or group, but is intended to be read by a larger audience. Someone might write an open letter to a politician or celebrity and, rather than delivering the message directly to the recipient,...

As a physician and orthopedic surgeon who specialized in the treatment of people with leprosy (Hansen’s disease), Dr. Paul Brand became convinced of the value of pain through a frightening personal experience.

While suffering is something we would prefer to avoid in the natural, we need to understand that pain...

The Lord has given each of us a measure of faith. Sometimes we feel like we need more faith, but maybe we could use what we have better. When we see athletes performing at their peak in a professional game or the Olympics, we are inspired. Isn’t that how we...

During a recent three-week trip to Nigeria, I found myself in the state of flying, in the state of riding in a car, and in the state of sitting in church. I experienced a variety of states with regard to sleeping conditions: I slept while traveling in a car, when...

(Click here to read Part 2 of this study.)

Overview Purpose: Paul’s intent in writing to the Corinthian church was to expose evil that persistently threatened to destroy true Christianity.

Author: Paul the Apostle

Date Written: About A.D. 55

Setting: Corinth was a large seaport city in southern Greece, and a major trade center. Its...

Manual typewriters are archaic in today’s world, but we had one in our house when I was growing up. It was a keyboard machine operated entirely by hand, used for producing characters resembling print. When a key was pressed, a little arm with a raised letter on the end flew...

(Click here to read Part 1 of this study.)

Overview Purpose: Paul’s intent in writing to the Corinthian church was to expose evil that persistently threatened to destroy true Christianity.

Author: Paul the Apostle

Date Written: About A.D. 55

Setting: Corinth was a large seaport city in southern Greece, and a major trade center....

Marriage is a sacred institution originated by God. According to Scripture, it is a covenant relationship which establishes a bond between a man and a woman that is dissolved only when death causes the inevitable separation.1

God’s design for marriage goes back...

The Word of God is instructive, encouraging, and full of promises. Some of the most beautiful and powerful of those promises are the words of Jesus himself. Over thirty times in the New Testament, the Lord stated “I will” do this or that. That number does not include instances when...

The Book of Job examines the problem of human suffering. It is the account of a man of integrity, Job, who was the instrument in this divine object lesson. In Job 1:1 we read a description of Job: “There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was...

The New Testament church at Thessalonica was established during difficult times. When Paul and Silas first went to that city with the Gospel, there was no greeting committee that we know of except those who opposed the men of God. However, there were some who wanted a way out of...

Overview Purpose: Paul’s intent in writing to the Corinthian church was to expose evil that persistently threatened to destroy true Christianity. The Gospel was applied to a host of issues, including immorality, marriage and adultery, intellectualism, public worship, and spiritual gifts.

Author: Paul the Apostle

Date Written: About A.D. 55

Setting: Corinth was a...

The Book of Revelation was written by the Apostle John while he was in exile on the island of Patmos around A.D. 95. Throughout the Book, it is apparent that the Lord looks at the Church and wants His people to have victory. He wants us to be overcomers.

John was...

The Sermon on the Mount begins with what is known as the Beatitudes. These are a list of blessings that result from having proper attitudes of the heart. We might think of them as the “be attitudes”; attitudes that we should have as believers. They were pronounced for the children...

Reach Out  The Bell System telephone company (later to become AT&T) came out in 1979 with the advertising slogan, “Reach out and touch someone.” That slogan resonated with people’s emotions and was effective.

The Bible tells of a woman who reached out and touched Jesus. She had been sick for twelve years,...

Recently a lady who was filling out a form for me asked what ethnicity I identified with. Her question reminded me of our culture’s confusion over gender identity. That confusion did not exist when I was born. In fact, the first words spoken in the delivery room upon my arrival...

In today’s world, spiritual mind invasion is prevalent in all age groups around the globe. It even impacts the church as the enemy of our souls seeks to overcome those who serve God. As Christians, we must guard our minds. We are instructed, “Let this mind be in you, which...

Who? What? When? Where? Why? And how? These are six questions considered foundational to good journalism. Let’s consider how these “Five Ws and One H” relate to Galatians 5:1, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of...

Most of us probably do not look in the mirror in the morning and say, “Lord, You did an amazing job here.” However, He did do an amazing job. He made you! God’s involvement with you did not begin at your birth, but at the moment when you were conceived....

Imagine playing basketball with a guy who is so tall he has to duck to avoid hitting his head on the backboard or getting his ears caught in the net—and with equally foreboding bulk and brawn. Then, imagine having to take on that guy in a wrestling match with a...

Have you ever wished your efforts for God were more effective? Have you ever felt the need for more boldness or strength or ability to work for God? The Lord has promised the gift of the baptism of the Holy Ghost and fire to give us the power we need....

Some years back when our three children were still living at home, my wife and I made plans to drive with another family from our home in Seattle, Washington, to our church’s Midwest camp meeting. The five of us and the five of them loaded into a fifteen-passenger van and...

Recently the question came to me, If I could go back to when I was a brand new Christian and speak a word of encouragement to my newly saved self, what would I say? I concluded that I would probably say the same thing my youth pastor said to me...

Recently a series of Bible studies on notable prayers in the Word of God was given by Ed Habre, who is on the ministerial staff at the Apostolic Faith Church in Portland. Following are brief excerpts from those sessions.

Prayer is a subject that is woven throughout the Bible,...

Jude wrote to Early Church believers, “Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 1:3). What...

Most of us hear many voices in the course of a day. Some we recognize; some we do not. Back when I was young—before video games, television, and air conditioning—the kids in the neighborhood would play on the corner lot until late at night. As the evening progressed and it...

There is a gem mine in Franklin, North Carolina, that offers a type of treasure hunt. Visitors can pay to sift through a bucket of dirt from the mine and then keep whatever they find. Most of the time the buckets are just full of dirt and rocks, but once...

I have in my possession an instrument called a plumb line. Brick masons and carpenters use this device to make sure the structure or wall they are building is straight. The plumb line has a sharp, weighted pointer at the end. When the weight attached to the plumb line stabilizes,...

This article was adapted from the curriculum written by Ryan and Iudita Trotter for the 2015 Northwest Youth Camp. If you do a Google search on “how to start a fire,” you will find that the process is actually very straightforward. First you need an ignition source to create the fire...

The Book of Proverbs is a collection of wise statements which are examples of the practicality of God’s Word. In this book, and indeed, throughout the Bible, two contrasting life paths are depicted: the path of the just and the way of the wicked. In Proverbs 4:18-19 we read, “But...