“You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: ruby, topaz and emerald, chrysolite, onyx and jasper, sapphire, turquoise and beryl. Your settings and mountings were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared. You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones. You were blameless in your ways from […]

“My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.” (Hosea 4:6) When I was a child, I often worried about the world coming to an end. I know it’s unusual for children to have such thoughts, but you have to remember that my childhood saw the death of an American president, who had only recently weathered the Cuban Missile Crisis. In fact, the explosion of television news brought all this drama right into our living room. It was a scary time for me. I can still remember those B-52’s […]

“In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.” (Acts 2:17) When I hear the word, revival, it conjures up a childhood image of going to church on nights other than Wednesday or Sunday to hear a visiting preacher. But the revival about which we hear so much today is altogether different. Instead of boring sermons with lonely invitations, today’s revival connotes a highly […]

“So, because you are lukewarm–neither hot nor cold–I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” (Revelation 3:16) That’s a pretty powerful statement, especially considering the fact that Jesus said it. It certainly begs the question: Could Jesus be talking about my church? Actually, the church to which Jesus was directly referring was the church at Laodicea. Laodicea was the last of the seven churches described by Jesus in Revelation. The Apostle John, now John the Revelator, was directed by Jesus in Revelation 1:11 to write down […]