"Jesus took him aside from the crowd, by himself, and put His fingers into his ears, and after spitting, He touched his tongue with the saliva; and looking up to heaven with a deep sigh, He said to him, ' Ephphatha!'  that is, ' Be opened!'  And his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was removed, and he began speaking plainly." (Mk. 7:33-35, NASB)     On Sunday nights at our church I am preaching through the book of Mark, and I have been looking forward to this text. When I read this passage, I am struck by the unique manner in which Jesus healed this man. Throughout the gospels Jesus healed people by speaking to them or about them, touching them, or commanding them to go and do a certain task. Some were healed when they approached and touched Jesus. There was also one incident in which Jesus smeared a mixture of dirt and His own saliva on the eyes of a blind man. And yet, among all of the recorded acts of Jesus in the gospels, this ...

    But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed.  (Is. 53:5, NASB)    I believe in supernatural healing. Period. The Bible tells us that God is the God who heals. (Ex. 15:26) He was healing people in the OT, Jesus and his followers healed in the NT, and countless testimonies of a Divine touch from God have been recorded through history. In addition, I have, with my own eyes, seen men and women supernaturally healed. However, there is a reality that we must face: Every person for whom we pray for healing will not be healed, at least in the manner we were expecting.    As a pastor I have been asked this question many times. The exact words are different, but the question is still the same. The answer is not a simple one and, quite frankly, there are some very poor reasons that well-meaning believers often cite that cau...

"But the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death also; because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and were believing in Jesus." - Jn. 12:10-11 (NASB)    The story of Lazarus miraculous return from the grave is one of the greatest miracles Jesus performed during his earthly ministry. Jesus allowed His friend to remain dead for four days until He showed up at the tomb and commanded Lazarus to live again. This incredible act showed his disciples, the onlookers, and even the unbelieving that He was God. What we often miss is the events that follow.    In chapter twelve, just prior to Jesus' entering of Jerusalem for the last time before the crucifixion, there was a plot to kill Lazarus. Yes, the same man whom Jesus had just raised from the grave. The religious leaders wanted to kill him for the simple reason that many of the Jews were coming to believe in Jesus. The miracle that Lazarus has received was extraordinary, but being brought ba...

 "And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance."  ( Acts 2:4, NASB)     There are three baptisms mentioned in the New Testament writings. Each is unique, and each has it's own meaning and significance. This post is the final  of four that looks at what Scripture says about each, although they will be covered in a different order than they chronologically appear in the NT.    There have been a number of arguments against Holy Spirit baptism, but they will not be addressed here. The New Testament revealed this experience to be the norm for all believers, whether Jew or Gentile. In addition, the NT gives no command, precept, or prophecy that this was to cease until Jesus returns (1 Cor. 13:10).      The baptism in the Holy Spirit is an empowering to witness and live.  (Acts 1:5-8) It is true that the day of Pentecost mentioned in Acts 2...

A Brief excerpt from yesterday's message.    The term "baptism" is familiar to most people, regardless of the particular church they may be involved in. However, as we read the Scriptures, we soon learn that baptism does not refer to one but three separate events. The first baptism is into the body of Christ, a.k.a. salvation, the new birth, or being born again. They all refer to the same. This is the process by which the Holy Spirit, through the regenerative work of Jesus, brings us from spiritual death to spiritual life, thus making us part of the "body" of Christ. Paul writes, "For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and were all made to drink of one Spirit.” (1 Cor. 12:12, NASB) I refer to this baptism as a baptism of position, because we have moved from an existence apart from God due to sin into a position with God due to the right-standing that is ours due to Jesus Christ's death a...

"You are the God who works wonders; You have made known Your strength among the peoples." - (Ps. 77:14, NASB)    Christians believe the Bible to be God's inspired word to mankind, and rightly so. There are a good handful of reasons that we can boldly proclaim the Bible to be the only inspired writing. Among these would be the unity of the writing through the hands of 40+ different authors in over 1,500 years of writing, the historical, geographical, and archaeological factual information, the fulfillment of prophecies, and others. However, to me at least, the most important is the "wonders," the supernatural manifestations and miracles that accompany the Bible. All the other reasons are vastly important, but miracles tend to be personal in nature as God does something mighty in an individual, family, or group of people. They also tend to get people's attention. This is one reason why Jesus told His followers "signs will accompany those who have be...