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Nothing detracts more from the radiance of true Christian holiness than the judgmental spirit of legalism. Legality, the condition of conforming to law, is desirable. "Legalism," however, is a dependence on keeping law as the means of salvation. It is an excessive bondage to the letter of the law,…

Through most of his life, Samuel Carl Winston Vassel knew little of the cityscapes of New York. Born and raised in Jamaica, Vassel is the son of Christian ministers. Both his father and mother were clergy in the Caribbean holiness movement, pastoring congregations in Jamaica. Vassal followed in his…

What is the secret to unleashing the full potential of the church? How do we call forth a congregation's full measure of creativity and love so we can fulfill the Great Commission in our communities? The answer begins with the leadership team. Today's most effective churches are those developing…

"I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it" (1 Corinthians 11:18). Paul's first letter to the Corinthians gives the distinct impression that leaders and laity in the church of Corinth didn't like each other. You almost get the…

"The Will of God." The phrase has a rather solemn ring to it, don't you think? Maybe it's because most disciples of Jesus Christ I know are striving to understand and earnestly seek the will of God. Authentic disciples are serious about finding it, surrendering to it, praying according to it,…

“The years teach much which the days did not know” (Ralph Waldo Emerson, Experience). Bertha Munro’s autobiography was published in 1970 by Beacon Hill Press of Kansas City, a former publishing trademark of Nazarene Publishing House (now The Foundry Publishing). She titled it The Years Teach: The…

Superimposed over a picture of the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California, on the cover of the May 23, 2005, issue of Business Week magazine was the headline: "Evangelical America: Big Business. Explosive Politics." The feature article reported on the success of well-known mega churches,…

The school years may predispose many to think of testing as a scary prospect. While in school, I had a recurring dream that the instructor handed out tests the first day of class, and the terror of not knowing any of the answers haunted me through the night.  But here in Genesis, we see a…

“We can hardly stand the wait! / Please Christmas, don’t be late.” Most of you can hear the song in your head immediately, can’t you? Those squeaky, aggravating chipmunk voices singing the Christmas song we all love to hate. The song is a trite (and annoyingly persistent!) example of secular…

“We can hardly stand the wait! / Please Christmas, don’t be late.” Most of you can hear the song in your head immediately, can’t you? Those squeaky, aggravating chipmunk voices singing the Christmas song we all love to hate. The song is a trite (and annoyingly persistent!) example of secular…