Sound doctrine originates with God, is recorded in the Word of God, is consistent with the whole revelation of God, and leads to both spiritual health and godly living. False doctrine originates with men or demons, is foreign to the Word of God, is inconsistent with the whole revelation of God, and leads to spiritual weakness and ungodly living. It must pass all of the tests in order to be sound. If it fails one, it fails all of them.

T.D. Jakes says that God eternally exists in three manifesta..

Widows have a special place in the heart of God. To remind us of who he is, God often identifies himself with certain people. He calls himself the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to remind his people of his covenant promises (Ex. 3:15-16). He is known as the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ so we know that he is Triune (Rom 15:6). Similarly, God identifies himself with widows. He executes justice for them (Deut. 10:18) and spreads his wings over them to protect them (Ruth 2:12). The psal..

Key Passage”What great blessings there are for the people that are sad now! God will comfort them.”
— Matthew 5:4 ERV (Read Full Text)
Key ThoughtPaul told Christians in Rome, “Weep with those who weep” (Rom. 12:15). Disciples face sadness for many reasons. Discipleship is not about always being happy. It's about following the path of Jesus who was “a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” (Isa. 53:3). He surrendered his rights to bless others. He surrendered his life to forgive the very..

“The Jesus of Scripture never showed partiality to the poor as over agains the rich. The Jesus of Scripture came into the world to redeem rich and poor. A brief survey of the Gospel record teaches us this important lesson–a lesson that we so desperately need to learn if we are to be faithful witnesses to the saving grace of God in Christ to all in in a day in which the rich are vilified by the poor.”

Many people have a conception of Jesus that is–to put it as bluntly as possible–substantively d..

Key PassageJesus saw the many people that were there. So Jesus went up on a hill and sat down. His followers came to him. Jesus taught the people. He said:
— Matthew 5:1-2 ERV (Read Full Text)
Key ThoughtA certain characteristic can define a family. Many members of the family can be distinguished by this special characteristic. It may be a physically prominent feature. It may be a phrase or a way of saying things. It may be certain traditions. It may be a similar nervous tic. The Sermon on the M..

Key PassageMany, many people followed Jesus. These people were from Galilee, the Ten Towns, Jerusalem, Judea, and the area across the Jordan River.
— Matthew 4:25 ERV (Read Full Text)
Key ThoughtIn many of our minds, this list of towns is just a collection of Jewish hamlets. This was not so. Greeks, Romans, Samaritans, and Jews all made up the people who interacted with Jesus in his earthly ministry. Jesus carried out his ministry in a hotbed of hate and suspicion among different races and socia..

Key PassageThe news about Jesus spread all over Syria. And people brought all the sick people to Jesus. These sick people were suffering from different kinds of diseases and pain. Some people were suffering with very bad pain, some people had demons inside them, some people were epileptics, and some people were paralyzed (crippled). Jesus healed all these people.
— Matthew 4:24 ERV (Read Full Text)
Key ThoughtJesus healed them all! He could handle any kind of pain. He could handle any kind of pe..

It’s not an easy time to be a six-day creationist. For some time now, the weight of conviction within the Evangelical world has swung toward views that demand an old earth. While few Christians are full-out theistic evolutionists, more and more believers hold to an ancient universe with all the complications that come with it: the interpretation of the word “day” as used in the creation account, the necessity of admitting death before the fall, and the reality that in so many ways the early chap..

That phrase – “teaching hospital” – jumped out at me during a conversation with Geoff Surratt, then Pastor of Church Planting at Saddleback Church. As we discussed the vision of Grace Hills Church over lunch, Geoff helped me put words to the burden I kept feeling to plant more than a church – to plant a multiplying movement of reproducing churches.

I believe in church planting. I believe that the local church is supposed to multiply itself, birthing daughter churches, and that this is not only ..

What is the “word of faith” movement? Is it biblical?
Miracles in our Mouths?I remember hearing a pastor of a large megachurch say, “You’ve got a miracle in your mouth. You can speak things into being that are not yet.” When I heard it, it actually reminded me of a Bible verse where it says, “For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm” (Psalm 33:9), but the “he” wasn’t a man, it was God. It’s similar to when “God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light” (Gen 1:3). W..