There has been a recent trend to eliminate kneelers in liturgical churches. Some see the act of kneeling as demeaning. In many Pentecostal churches, the practice of kneeling in prayer has also virtually disappeared, as has the practice of tarrying at an altar, the congregation gathered before God on their knees. “Come, let us bow…
DetailsWe quote quite liberally the passage from Hebrews, “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). Let’s examine the passage: ‘Come’ – means to near worshipping, and the tense indicates our continuous action of approaching God. We…
DetailsIn the Old Testament, the fear of the Lord is connected to great joy. Proverbs 28:14 declares, “Happy is the one who fears always.” Psalm 130:4 notes, “Forgiveness comes from you – therefore you are feared.” Grace then, does not dismiss fear, it increases it. In fact, we are to develop, to grow in this…
DetailsPsalm 19:9 says, “… the fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever.” One common translation says, “… the fear of the Lord – keeps me clean.” The ‘fear of the Lord’ was a staple phrase, a component of the Old Testament piety. It was expected. Aquinas saw it as an essential for New Testament…
DetailsDo you ever wish you were a more talented person? More colorful? Clever? Perhaps even the ‘life of the party’. The witty one. There are those people who seem to shine. They glisten. Bubble. They get attention. They get our attention. They are cute, smart, and fashionable – they set the trend. Then there are…
DetailsThat Jesus was destined for the cross is rarely disputed by Bible believing Christians. He was ‘the lamb slain from the foundation of the world.’ He came to the earth to gather up our sins and take them to the grave, so that death, by sin, could not lay a charge against us. But Jesus’…
DetailsThe fear of the Lord is not merely an Old Testament matter. Peter urges, “Fear God” (I Peter 2:17). Jude, the brother of Jesus warned that infiltrators had penetrated the fellowship of the church and were virtually undetected. He called them ‘spots’ in the love feasts, dangerous apostates. The word is spilas, the term used…
DetailsGod’s grace has been sufficient and His peace has been in place, but we are in a struggle. We need a miracle. We need prayer! Prayer is the currency of our ministry – money can’t buy what is happening; but we need it to pay the bills. Our general operating receipts are drying up. This…
DetailsFrank Allen is a missionary to the poor in the Norfolk Tidewater area. Here is one day in his life! The call was not good news. A major community volunteer resource agency had to cancel volunteer relief promised. The man-power counted on to unload four trailers backed to the temporary furniture warehouse in Portsmouth would…
DetailsThe path to decadence and backsliding is rooted in the loss of reverence; and the gate to revival is a restoration of the fear of God. Peter reminds us that as we call upon the Father, we should remember that he judges without partiality. He urges us to live in fear or reverence before such…
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