Curtis Going Several weeks ago, we watched the nation of Afghanistan fall into the hands of the Taliban. Images of thousands of frantic people crowded on airplane tarmacs, clinging to the exterior of aircraft, hoping to escape the unknown horrors of a future in the hands of an extremist Islamic regime will not soon be forgotten. But while much attention has been focused on the political and military implications of the situation in Afghanistan, one overlooked segment of the population has been...

A. Skevington Wood After citing well-documented evidence that the inception and spread of historic revivals has been independent of environment, organization, or leadership, Dr. A. Skevington Wood listed the following essential and constant characteristics of an authentic spiritual awakening:  1. An intensified awareness of God, when unbelievers and skeptics are compelled to acknowledge the presence of God. 2. An acute sensitivity to sin is always a noticeable feature in revival. 3. A jealous...

Andrew Stroud Activate your imagination for a few moments. The room you are standing in has two chairs side by side, both facing the same direction, and separated by a short distance. Keep your imagination going and have a seat in the first chair. Now, a quick explanation… the chair that you are now occupying represents your current spiritual condition. Not what you used to be, not what you hope to be, but who you are spiritually at this moment in time. Additionally, I want you to imagine that...

by Curtis Going The Apostle Paul is the greatest missionary to ever live, and the example of his ministry provides a dependable pattern for every aspiring missionary, pastor, Christian worker, and soul-winner. He was thoroughly convinced of the claims of the Gospel and urgently driven to carry that good news wherever the Holy Spirit led him.  One of the most extraordinary churches that Paul established was the church of Thessalonica. Paul was only in Thessalonica for a brief period of time to...

By Andrew Street The call of God has been neglected. It has been neglected because Christians have been expecting something that is, quite frankly, unbiblical: A dramatic, dynamic, special, specific call to a people and place before they engage in ministry. God calls people at all ages and stages of life. Amazingly, much of the conventional wisdom around God’s call is not rooted in biblical theology, but in personal experiences.  What does God want you to do with your life?  As holiness people...

By Dale Yocum The mere fact that a person has tried to win souls and for some reason has not been successful does not mean that he is defeated or that he is a failure. However, in the story recorded in Luke 5:1-11, Peter had tried and failed, and he was defeated. The disciples caught nothing, and Peter didn’t think they could catch anything, even with Jesus telling them where to go. Many people have this attitude of defeat. They don’t feel there’s any point in their trying. I know there are...

By Eric Kuhns The evangelical world has seen its share of fads and trends. The prayer of Jabez, WWJD, and the Left Behind series all saw their fifteen minutes of fame. Then came the hype about positive thinking, then it was how to be a leader, now the emphasis is on being relevant. Fads come and go. Many people would label church planting as one of those passing fads. In recent years we have been hearing more and more about church planting teams and church planting techniques. Multitudes of...

By Curtis Going Living along the Crystal Coast of North Carolina, it is not uncommon to see ships from around the world anchored in a local port, having sailed across the Atlantic Ocean to deliver their cargo to the United States. In order for these large ships to safely arrive at the docks, they must follow a specific channel, but many times, these ships are coming from parts unknown. In spite of modern GPS technology, they do not know exactly where the channel lies, so a channel pilot will...

By Everek R. Storms The Scriptures contain a grand total of 8,810 promises. How do I know? I counted them. I do not guarantee my count to be perfect, but it is the most accurate I know of. The Bible contains eight kinds of promises. There are 7,487 promises that God has given to man. This is about 85% of all the promises in the Bible. There are also 290 promises made by man to God. The majority of these—235 of them—are to be found in the Psalms, such as, “O Lord, open thou my lips; and my...

Larry Grile John the Baptizer came on the scene in Judea with a powerful message. He claimed to be the fulfillment of Isaiah 40:3-5. He told the inquiring crowds, “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Isaiah” (Jn. 1:23). He was the forerunner and herald of the Messiah. His message was a call to repentance for the nation of Israel in preparation for the Messiah and His kingdom. His method was a baptism with water, familiar to the...