“but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness,” (1Corinthians 1:23). Paul is emphatic that the church only has one message – the cross. Not wisdom, not miracles, not Israel, not even the church, but the cross and the cross alone. Everything flows from, and must be subject to, the message of the cross. “For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” (1 Corinthians 2:2). His…
As Christians we live in momentous times. Everything around us is being shaken – politics, the economy, health, churches, and believers all around, are crumbling. Anyone who is a true believer living in 2020 is affected and if you are not, then you are living on another planet. I have never seen a time like this. It is not only the Corona virus and the many side-effects of this plague that is shaking us, but believers are facing unprecedented struggles…
In the 48 years I have been in ministry, I have seen much error and heresy. I have seen many fads come and go, and in the process these have drawn many into perdition. But I have never seen anything like what we are seeing now. There is a fight to the death for the souls of believers. The grounds of the struggle is truth. Not only doctrinal truth, but everyday truth. Lies and propaganda have become the order of…
(For the Dutch Version click here. We live in the most amazing times. In all my studies of books, Scripture and human nature, I could not have imagined seeing what is happening today. Truth and integrity has totally disappeared, both in the world and the church. We have seen a very deliberate and systematic process unfold in politics with profound results. A war has been unleashed against truth in every form. The term “fake news” is used to describe this…
The idea that there would be a faithful remnant in Israel is firmly established in the Old Testament. The word is used over 80 times, almost exclusively referring to a remnant of Israel. Even the New Testament refers to the Israelite remnant: “…I have reserved for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace.” (Romans 11:4-5). However, there is…
The endless debates around whether Kanye West is saved, or not, and the almost universal acceptance of him, not only as a brother, but a preacher and a great leader in the cause of the Gospel, has to be the lowest ebb of Evangelicalism, ever. The previous low was when over 80 million Evangelicals in the USA hailed Trump as a brother, fellow believer, and defender of the faith, and continue to do so. (This article has nothing to do…
This is how Jesus describes how things will be for believers just before the end: “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to…
Recently I started teaching through the first epistle of Peter. The letter opens with the words “…To the pilgrims of the dispersion”. Theologians argue as to who the strangers were and what was/is the dispersion to which he refers. I believe the answer is that he is writing to all true believers since true believers, in any age, are scattered among the nations and while we are in the world, we are not of the world (John 17) and therefore…
The State of Discernment – Physician Heal Thyself Please note: Any reference to “discernment ministries” (lower case) is not to be confused with “Discernment Ministries” (upper case). I am fully aware that this newsletter contains shocking statements and that there are many generalizations. We must, however, examine the general trends. Those ministries that do not conform to the general trend are an extremely small minority of less than five. The fact that there may be exceptions, do not prove the…
This is one of the first articles I wrote about 18 years ago. No one paid attention to it then and probably no one will listen today, but I felt strongly to republish it: Christians have been confused by the fact that there are Christian ministers and teachers who, in spite of serious sin, continue to teach the word in a doctrinally correct way. We understand that none of us is perfect and that we all sin. What I…