Here are some verses that inspire us to pray for the increase of God’s church – both in holy love and in numbers of believers who are committed to the spread of God’s gospel in these trying times: Ezekiel 36:36–38 “Then the heathen that are left round about you shall know that I the LORD … Read more
“Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem.” –Psalm 51:18 A Simple Definition Church membership is a way of saying, “I am a Christian, and this is my church.” To flesh that out a bit more, church membership means saying, “I am a Christian. I care about the local … Read more
By Sam Caldwell Some Initial Helps The key to understanding the book of Revelation is this: there are seven main sections of Revelation that all picture the same period from different angles. This article is devoted to proving that this is the most biblical, faithful, and fruitful way of interpreting this Christ-exalting book of the Bible. … Read more
By Sam Caldwell Preliminary Thoughts Stepping into any official church office (elder or deacon) should be approached in the fear of God. And it should also be approached alongside regular church life. Being made a deacon (or elder) does not mean the man should stop being himself. In fact, it usually means that he needs … Read more
“Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes the brother…” 1 Corinthians 1:1 In the first verse of 1 Corinthians, we find that Paul is humble enough to co-author with a brother. He writes…with “Sosthenes the brother.” Sosthenes’s voice does not come through loudly in this letter, as far as we can discern, … Read more
“Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, an apostle called, separated to the gospel of God…” Romans 1:1 Paul – the simple name of a small man. “Paul” means “small.” Notice that all words pertaining to Paul in Romans 1:1 are passive. Paul is simply – and in everything – acted upon by Christ. He is the pawn and … Read more
Here is a brief devotional about an illuminating word in the New Testament. The one true living God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. What makes manifest is light, and our God has come to make our crookedness – and the way out of it – manifest. This pure Light teaches … Read more
The widespread version of the “Apostle’s Creed” says that Christ “was crucified, dead, and buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead.” Should biblical Christians affirm or deny the phrase, “He descended into hell”? Since this issue has deep implications for salvation, pastoral care, and discipleship, it is important … Read more
In the first article on predestination, we discussed how to approach a difficult doctrine (see: https://rgfellowship.church/predestination-election-and-reprobation-part-1). In the second article, we defined the terms “predestine, election, reprobation, God’s sovereignty, man’s responsibility, and compatibilism” (see: https://rgfellowship.church/predestination-part-2-defining-terms). In the third article, we looked at the major proof texts on the doctrine of predestination (see: https://rgfellowship.church/predestination-part-3-texts-that-prove-election-and-reprobation). Here, let’s consider some questions … Read more