Posts from February 2025
The Fear of Death and God’s Grip
Whatever hard thing you are facing may turn out to be more frightful in the projection than the reality of it. Like all things that bring us fear, there is truth behind that fear, however. The truth that chokes us is that all of us will die (unless escaping at the coming of Christ). It is only a matter of time. We’re sure, as well, that our lives could end in an unexpected way. And, beyond this, most of mankind…
My Father Said to Me
My father tried to teach each of his children those great lessons he learned in his long life, some from the crucible of failure. Here is one. His mother, an exemplary Christian, had a weakness in the area of worry. She fought it and worked to turn her worries into prayer. It was a besetting sin, often showing up to hassle her. My father fought against worry also. He considered worry to be a true battleground in his life. I…
The Believer’s NEW Relationship with Sin: Q & A from Romans 6:1-14
Romans 6:1-14 contains encouraging realities concerning who we are as believers in Christ and what we have experienced in union with him. These truths have significant implications for how we think about and relate to sin in our lives. It is the passage that I return to and prayerfully recall regularly to renew my mind and help me in the battle against temptation and sin. This portion of Scripture also contains dense logic. It requires time and careful thinking to…
The Place of Love in Evangelism: A Letter From Jim
Dear CCW family, We were by the water on a lakeside vacation when I was perhaps perhaps five or six years old. The four kids were playing in the water and our parents were on the grass in those kind of beach chairs that looked like hammocks. My father had a special camera around his neck which was called a Rolleicord. It was expensive and “the best.” He really liked that camera. And he liked to develop photos himself. All…
11 Ways to Enliven Group Prayer
We don’t have to settle for cold, lifeless group prayer. Here are some strategies to bring heat and life into those times together. [1] God looks not at the elegance of your prayers, to see how neat they are; nor yet at the geometry of your prayers, to see how long they are; nor yet at the arithmetic of your prayers, to see how many they are; nor yet at the music of your prayers, nor yet at the sweetness…
Qualifications and Duties of an Elder
The following is a list of the biblical qualifications that an elder must possess. No elder will be a perfect man, but if he is clearly and persistently lacking in any of these qualities, he cannot serve in the church as an elder. An elder must be: 1. above reproach (lit. “blameless”) 1 Timothy 3:2; Titus 1:7. This qualification is the summation of all of the rest. It means that there is nothing in his life that would justify a legitimate…
Seeking Assurance?
The “security of the believer” is the unchanging objective reality that God has forgiven us and has accepted us through Jesus Christ forever. The “assurance of the believer” is the sometimes shifting subjective confidence that God has forgiven us and has accepted us through Jesus Christ. Do you have assurance? And do you have good reason to have it? Faith is assurance, true, yet the faith of real believers is sometimes weak allowing doubts for a variety of reasons. An…
“Conversation About House Churches”Podcast
This is the Revitalize and Replant Podcast interviewing Jim Elliff about the basics on house church life. House churches are not the only way to be a church, but we need to be open about churches developed intentionally to replicate what we see in the New Testament form as one clear option for church starts. Enjoy!
Are We the Witnesses in Acts 1:8?
In Acts, the use of the word “witnesses” relates to the Apostles themselves, who were “witnesses of his resurrection.” It doesn’t seem to be used of the normal believer throughout Acts. Acts 1:8 was a commission and a promise given to the Apostles only, which was fulfilled in their missionary journeys (Mk 16:15; Col 1:23). See it in that light: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in…
Speaking Bible
There are a variety of ways to be obnoxious in our interactions with people. One of them is to always speak in holy tones as if we are super spiritual. Another is to use trite Christian phrases when we greet people, such as, “How’s the Lord blessin’ you today?” We may mean well with such words, but they often come across as disingenuous and sometimes create embarrassment. But, we should speak Bible truths. I don’t mean that we should quote…
Gospel Advance in Rome and an Ethiopian Hospital
When hard times come, what do people hear from your lips? Suffering in Rome Those who saw Paul in Rome under house arrest awaiting trial (see the end of Acts) probably didn’t think he was doing so well. After all, he was in chains! I can imagine the guards who were chained to Paul in four hour shifts initially thought Paul would be like any other prisoner. Even the believers throughout the Roman Empire who were aware Paul was in…
How Do You Recover From This?
When a child leaves the home abruptly and angrily, with a vow not to return, how do you recover? When you receive termination papers from your work with no prospects of another job, how do you keep from losing it all? When bills pile too high and the income is too low, where do you turn? When your companion of decades has a stroke and leaves you alone, what can help you keep balanced through the lonely days and nights?…
Leaving One Church for Another Close By
At least initially, no one who believed and was baptized and came into the membership of the church in Corinth could then leave that church and join another close by. That was not an option since there was only one local church in the area. Each Sunday, and possibly other days of the week, all of the believers in Corinth gathered at Gaius’ house (cf. Romans 16:23). Church shopping was still a future phenomenon. Times have changed. I live in…