Exaltation of Christ in the Ministry

By David Wise “There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.” – John 1:6-8 John the Baptist was a very…

Pastors

By Michael Ivey “And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.” Jeremiah 3:15 When we think about the role of pastors, we likely think of preachers. We associate preaching the gospel to the duty of a pastor. Certainly, preaching the word is part of a pastor’s…

The Two Functions of the Holy Spirit

By Michael Gowens It is important to distinguish between what old preachers called “the two functions of the Holy Spirit.” In relation to the Everlasting Covenant, he is the agent of regeneration and has been functioning in that role since there was an elect on the earth (Jno. 5:25a — “The hour is coming and…

A Brief Look at Sign Gifts, Faith Healing & Tongues

By Michael Gowens The last century brought a significant change to the religious landscape of the West. With the upsurge of Pentecostalism in the early 1900’s and the Charismatic Movement it spawned, the configuration of the Christian community was significantly altered. No longer was Christianity defined by the two traditional categories of emphasis—Evangelicals and Catholics….

Justification By Faith: Historical Versus Biblical

By Joseph R Holder Is our eternal justification solely by the merits and grace of Jesus Christ? If so, where does justification by faith come into the picture? In this edition of Gospel Gleanings, Elder Joe Holder examines the concept in light of scripture, rather than Reformed or Arminian tradition. ~Editor Gospel Gleanings: July 8, 2007…

The Effectual Call and the Gospel Call

By Matt Jordan The Effectual Call and The Gospel Call The effectual call is a call to eternal salvation; the gospel call is a call to repentance and faith. The effectual call is a call to sonship; the gospel call is a call to discipleship. God speaks directly in the effectual call; God speaks through…

Which version of the Bible should I use?

By Josh Winslett For English speaking people, my preference and strong conviction is the King James (Authorized) Version. Here are some reasons why: Because it is a translation and not paraphrased. One of the today’s most popular versions, the NIV, is 10% paraphrased. In other words, 10% are in mans words and not Gods. There…

The Extent of the Gospel

By David Pyles This post concerns the question of whether all of the elect will hear the gospel. I contend they will not, yet at the same time, I contend that we have no authority to offer the hope of eternal life to anyone who has not heard the gospel and believed it. First let…