"Physical with limits. Mortal by creation." Thus, we bear the Image. Mark of our Creator indelibly imprinted. Autograph of Maker certifying product. Personal inspection gained his high approval. He pronounced it "very good." His signature now spoiled and smeared, the image yet remains; reminder of our origin and of his rightful rule. He formed the human first from dirt; from stuff of earth at that. Dirt-creatures, clay dolls, men of mud--to earth shall all return. Yet live for now, for life we have, life breathed by Life itself. In-spired, spired-in, nostrils flared with spirit, breath … [Read more...]
Obedience and trust as fruit and root
When I was a child, we often sang a hymn that admonished us to "trust and obey," assuring us that "there's no other way to be happy in Jesus." The two verbs go together: we obey because we trust, and because we trust we obey. Trust and obedience are well-suited companions, but more. Related, but more. They live in symbiotic relationship, each nourishing and being nourished by the other, each simultaneously drawing life from and contributing life to the other. Trust initiates obedience, activates and motivates it. Obedience expresses, affirms, and confirms trust. Neither is found in its … [Read more...]
God, the gospel, and the nations’ obedience
When God chose Israel as his special people and covenant partner, it was his intention through them ultimately to bless the world. "By your descendants," God promised Abraham, "shall all the nations of the earth be blessed" (Gen. 22:18). God blessed Israel so that, through Israel, all nations would be blessed. The chosen people prayed: "May God . . . bless us, that thy . . . [saving power] may be known . . . among all nations" (Psalm 67:1-2). Israelites who rightly understood their role as God's chosen people gladly invited other human beings everywhere to worship Israel's God, saying: "Praise … [Read more...]
Boy who told fibs about heaven
Titled The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven, this 2010 bestseller from Tyndale by Alex Malarkey and his father Kevin Malarkey has sold more than a million copies. And why not, we ask, for a book that purports to tell the story of six-year-old Alex, who sustained head injuries in a vehicular collision that left him comatose for two months and paralyzed permanently. While in the coma, said Alex, speaking through his father, he died but eventually came back. Alex' adventures while dead include a trip to heaven escorted by angels, topped off by a visit with Jesus himself. This month (January … [Read more...]
GOD’S SECRET REVEALED
Long before humans existed, God already knew that they would reject him and fall into sin and death, and he graciously planned in exquisite detail how he would rescue them and bring them back to himself. God imagined these details for his own joy and pleasure in contemplation, but he told no one his imaginations in great detail. When the time was right and God actually pulled off this Rescue, it would bowl everyone over in amazement, but that was far in the distant future. For now, God had a secret that would be his alone. Even then, the universe was filled with millions of spirit beings that … [Read more...]
Vimeo Videos
Now you can enjoy Edward's teachings in video at no cost to you. The venue is Vimeo, the growing favorite of professional quality videos by many of America's leading groups. This aspect of our ministry is the contribution of Mike McHenry, who generously edits, produces, uploads, and maintains the videos of Edward's teaching ministry as they become available. The following presentations were originally given at New Life Fellowship in Cross Plains, Tennessee (2008, Steve Farmer - Pastor), and at the Biblical Literacy Class at Champion Forest Baptist Church in Houston, Texas (2009-10, Mark … [Read more...]
A MAN NOT A PLAN
The original founders of the Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement (RM) had known, understood, and preached Jesus Christ. However, from the second generation forward, Jesus Christ himself gradually faded from view as the primary subject discussed week after week from the pulpits of Churches of Christ, to be replaced by "the Lord's church" (or "The New Testament church") and "the plan of salvation." In his book titled The Core Gospel: On Restoring the Crux of the Matter (ACU Press, 1992), the late Dr. Bill Love, a Jesus-man and Bible preacher of uncommon giftedness, painstakingly documented, … [Read more...]
vital Christian message long muted
Based on the little attention it receives in teaching and preaching today, one might suppose that the future return of our Lord is a fringe doctrine invented by extremists, a second thought hastily tacked on to resolve some alleged difficulty in the original Christian message. Instead, it is a foundational teaching of the faith, rooted in the promise solemnly given by angels immediately after Jesus' ascension. This "blessed hope" is part of the earliest Christian narrative as reported by Luke: "Repent therefore . . . that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from … [Read more...]
Walking through a strange land home
Do you ever feel a longing for home, but a home not of this world? If so, there is a very good reason, and First Peter just might be what you need to see you through this day. Written originally to Christians in five Roman provinces, it is clearly a legacy for the church at large, consisting of individuals Peter describes as God's chosen ones but strangers in this world. That double (and paradoxical) identity will follow us through the whole epistle. This world is not our home, as anyone who takes seriously God's calling and assignment quickly learns. What is this mission to which we are … [Read more...]
Ask God about Jesus-man in Kenya and you
ASK GOD ABOUT JESUS-MAN IN KENYA AND YOU I do not normally use gracEmail for this purpose (to do so could quickly consume every issue), but I come today urging you to consider a special need in Africa and to ask God if you are to be a part of the solution. George Odhiambo is a Jesus-man in Kenya in East Africa, with whom Sara Faye and I have had contact for several years. He and his wife Lilian have three children (full disclosure: one of whom is named "Edward Fudge Odhiambo") but like many of their fellow-Christians there, they also support his father, other relatives and some village … [Read more...]
