Serious About Scripture

Mentoring and motivating Christ’s people to live his words

The “I Pray That” Prayer

What are we saying when we pray like this — “I pray that you will make yourself known to us in this meeting”? We intend to ask the Lord for something, but we are actually telling the Lord what we are asking. Perhaps it is hard even to catch this problem because it so ingrained in our methodology. It would be wise to correct this. There is a difference between prayer which is direct from believers’ hearts to the Father…

Why Should I Join a Church? — Christ Fellowship Elders

The title of this introduction raises a good question, doesn’t it? Even among those who support the idea of church membership, there are valid reasons to wonder why most churches have established membership roles as well as procedures for welcoming people into membership. For example, we cannot overlook the fact that the word “membership” is not used anywhere in the Bible. No matter how hard you look, you will never find a verse or passage in the New Testament that…

Memories of Apartheid

Memories of Apartied Years ago in what was then called a “Colored Township” in Capetown, South Africa, I wondered at the hatred that caused that circular black burn mark on the street close to the front door of the gentle believers who had opened their hearts and home to me. What causes a person to “necklace” another with a flaming tire? In those days of both Apartheid and tribal strife, nerves were strained. Many mornings in that enchanting country we…

7 Ways to Develop Younger Believers

At the end of his life, Paul wrote these warm words to Timothy: “As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy” (Second Timothy 1:4). When Timothy first joined Paul’s team (cf. Acts 16:1f), Paul was about 50 and Timothy was perhaps 20. By the time Paul wrote these words of longing to see Timothy, they had served together for over a decade, and Paul was close to death. Have you ever…