March 15
The gospel is free so everyone can afford it. Its terms are so simple that “wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein” (Isa 35:8). It is a universal offer: all are welcome. If someone asks, “What about Hindus and Muslims?” we answer, “Yes, He invites them too! The gospel is also easy to verify for any serious skeptic: “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!” (Ps 34:8). The provision is unlimited in its supply (although it is a limited-time offer) so there is no fear of a shortage in “the unsearchable riches of Christ” (Eph 3:8). And this gift...
Read MoreMarch 14
Warren Wiersbe, in his book, 50 People Every Christian Should Know, tells of an English merchant traveling in Scotland in the seventeenth century who “made this entry in his journal: In St. Andrews I heard a tall, stately man preach, and he showed me the majesty of God. I afterwards heard a little fair man preach, and he showed me the loveliness of Christ.” The first preacher was Robert Blair, the second was Samuel Rutherford. Rutherford ministered in the Scottish village of Anwoth for nine years. “I see exceedingly small fruit of my ministry,” he wrote after two years. “I would be glad of...
Read MoreMarch 13
Reconciliation means “to be returned to favor.” This is necessary only on our side; God does not need to be reconciled. “All things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ, and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Cor 5:18). In the same way, our message to sinners is on their part alone: “we pray you in Christ’s stead, be reconciled to God” (v. 20). Paul adds the prefix apo to the word in Ephesians 2:16 and Colossians 1:20-21 to mean fully reconciled. In Hebrews 2:17, the word should be translated “propitiation.” This word is the same used for “mercy seat.”...
Read MoreMarch 12
“For we have not followed cunningly devised fables…but were eyewitnesses of His majesty” (2 Pet 1:16). Amy Orr-Ewing writes: “Sceptics would be surprised by the number of extra-biblical writings which refer to events and places mentioned by the writers of the Bible. These writings come from a variety of perspectives and backgrounds, demonstrating that at least some of the content of the Bible is credible to the sceptic.” For example, concerning the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus, Orr-Ewing states: “Josephus claimed that ‘Pilatus condemned him to the cross’ (Antiquities, XVIII.63-64). The...
Read MoreMarch 11
“The Lord is near to all who call upon Him” (Ps 145:18). William James Taylor, alias Bill Hennessy, alias Ed Lynch, learned he couldn’t hide from God. At the age of three, at his father’s San Francisco bar he grew to like the taste of liquor by dipping his fingers into the used glasses. By twelve he was a drunken street urchin. After two years in reform school, he lived aimlessly. Gambling, drugs and drink both provided a livelihood and made him a constant fugitive from the law. On the night he arrived in Chicago, he hurried into Pacific Garden Mission to avoid what he thought were...
Read MoreCalendar Archive
