stephen-on-bible

We all are aware of the fact that Christian life is not always a mountaintop experience. There are times we have to walk through the valley, which, in the words of St. John of the Cross, is called, “Dark Night of the Soul.” When our soul is plunged into darkness, one most important commandment we find it hard to obey is 1 Thessalonians 5:17, “Pray without ceasing.” How painful are those moments when we are externally encircled by darkness and internally filled with dryness! What can we do when we don’t feel like praying? How can we walk with God when there is no inner desire to talk with Him? When prayer is an activity whereby we are enabled to get through life’s struggles and temptations, what can be done when our heart do not wish to open itself out to communicate with its Creator? When there is no passion in us to walk on the path of spiritual disciplines, how can we take a step? There is a song, in one of my vernacular languages, which goes like this, “The goal is in its place a...

Stephen David receiving a transcript and also Barnabas Award from Dr. David R. Willis in his first semester at Trinity Christian College, in 1997 Few people thrive in life without the lift provided by some godly people. My life is no exception. Whatever I am today, it is because God in His sovereignty and grace has used various people, books and situations to equip me in living and serving for His glory. One such person whom God used to make a remarkable influence on my life was Dr. David R. Willis. I am always grateful to God for saving a wretched man like me, or else by now I could have become a smuggler or a criminal. Just few days after I was saved in the year 1996, one day Dr. Willis came to our church to preach. I still remember his sermon. He preached on Ezekiel, the watchman. After listening to him for the first time, I rushed to him with great excitement and expressed my interest to get trained for ministry. He gave his visiting card and invited me to his Bible college ...

Suicide is one of the tragic choices many are opting in our day. It is not only a painful choice to the one who opts for it but also agonizing to those left behind. If the one who attempted or committed suicide is a person close to us, the pain is unbearable. Our mind is often haunted with these thoughts, "Why did he/she take such a drastic decision?; I wish I had done something to save him/her?" As important as it is to discern the symptoms of those attempting or committing suicide in order to save them, it is helpful to have an understanding about some of the myths on suicide. Knowing these myths will assist us to better understand the signs of suicide. H. Norman Wright, in his book Crisis Counseling , [1] describes some of the common myths which I believe people must extract from their mind. Myth 1: Suicide and attempted suicide are the same class of behavior. Norman clarifies that suicide is committed usually by one who wants to die, whereas attempted suicide is carried ...

It is no exaggeration to assert that this is an age of sensuality. We are constantly bombarded with erotic scenes, right from billboards to wall posters along the road, movies to television, magazines to newspapers, internet to mobile phones...etc. Considering the effortless accessibility to lustful stuff and people, to gratify one’s sensual passions in our day is as easy as breathing. Ah, in this world filled with lust and sensuality, living a life of sexual purity is no easy walk! With already an inner struggle with sinful passions, how can we combat the sensual pressure from outside? In most cases, whenever I am battered by sexual temptation, be it from within or without, one of the effective ways I have found to overcome this vice is by treasuring and claiming God’s word. The psalmist uttered, “I have hidden your Word in my heart that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:11). Treasuring God’s word in our heart and bringing it to mind is of immense help to holy living, especially...

(Continuation of Part 5) Now, what should our response be when the church leaders do not use the money appropriately? What decision can we make regarding our giving when they neglect poor and the needy, missions and other genuine needs, and lavishly spend money on things that are not truly necessary? There are numerous people who suppose that their responsibility is just to give the money and what happens to that money is not their concern. In my conversation with a young man, the issue was raised about how wisely the finance of the church ought to be spent. This young person said, “I give money to the church and if it is not used properly, it is God who is going to judge them. I can't do anything about it.” I then asked him, “If your sister is sexually abused in the church by a church leader, would you say the same thing?” He blurted, “No!” He was a bright guy—he got the message. Judging One of the major reasons for the abuse of God’s money in the church is because of lack ...

(Continuation of Part 4) I think it is important for us to have a clear understanding of - “Who are the poor?” and “Who are the needy ones?” Describing this would help us to have a better understanding of this message. Poor Randy Alcorn is one of the prolific evangelical authors of our day. His ministry, Eternal Perspective Ministries , is dedicated to teaching and helping the poor in the world. His generosity is such that he gives away 100 percent of the royalties of his books to support missions, poor and other ministries. Now Randy cites the statistics that if you have sufficient food, decent clothes, live in a house that keeps the weather out, and own a reasonably reliable means of transportation, you are among the top 15% of the world's wealthy. If you have any money saved, a hobby that requires some equipment or supplies (fishing, hunting, skiing, astronomy, coin collecting, painting), a variety of clothes in your closet, two cars (in any condition), and live in ...

The Day of the LORD like the Days of Noah - Part 1 The Day of the LORD like the Days of Noah - Part 2 To receive the audio message of "The Day of the LORD like the Days of Noah" on a CD with high quality sound, you may write to: friendsofchrist@gmail.com