Having shown that our conservative, traditional churches are not guilty of legalism, it is also necessary to show that our familiar form of local church polity is still closer to the New Testament pattern. Paul’s letter to the church at Galatia was written mostly to combat (true) legalism, but it was also written to expose […]
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Author: Rick Shrader
Let the Church be the Church (Part 1)
There is a common canard today that our conservative churches are full of legalists. We have been called grace killers, fighting fundamentalists, Pharisees, and a host of other colorful descriptions. The charge of legalism, of course, is not only false but is a misleading and sometimes dishonest accusation. The truth is that there is no […]
Jesus in the Midst
We often talk about Jesus being the center of our lives but we are not always so consistent in showing it. John was on the Isle of Patmos for the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ when Jesus appeared to him standing in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks (Rev. 1:12-13). […]
Is Prophecy for Today? (Part 2)
Prophecy was an important and primary gift in the Scripture. In the last issue I explained that the miraculous gifts which were given to the first century church ceased at the end of that century. Three reasons have been given and three more are given in the remainder of this article. God’s Church The […]
Is Prophecy For Today? (part 1)
Jesus warned that as the end times begin, many false prophets shall arise and deceive many (Matt. 24:11). It is not hard to find religious groups of all kinds offering prophetic words and predictions for the time in which we live. The twentieth century brought about the charismatic movement with its miracle workers, tongues speakers, […]
Pilgrims and Strangers: A Christian Cul...
A few years ago, R.C. Sproul wrote, “Adjusting to the customs and worldview of one’s environment is one of the strongest pressures people experience. To be ‘out of it’ culturally is often considered the nadir of social achievement.”1 Unfortunately, this bothers most Christians and, because it does, they have spent over half a century defining […]
The Coming Apostasy
Apostasy can mean different things to different people. To those of us who believe in the eternal security of the believer, it cannot mean losing the salvation that one once had, but rather (and most commonly among us) we believe it is the falling away by a mere professor of salvation. We often hear the […]
An End Time Scenario
The Scriptures tell us very plainly that we cannot predict when the rapture will occur or when the events of the tribulation period will begin. Jesus said, “It is not for you to know the times and seasons which the father hath put in his own power” (Acts 1:7). Similarly, the apostle Paul wrote, “Now […]
Keeping the Baptist Name
The practice of removing the name Baptist from Baptist churches has become increasingly popular. It seems that more and more Baptist churches are opting for displaying a generic name even though they may retain a legal title (as a not-for-profit organization) with the name Baptist in it. Some Baptist organizations are encouraging this as a […]
Will You Be Saved After the Rapture?
It has often been said that true repentance is seldom late but late repentance is seldom true. When it comes to repentance during the great tribulation period, this saying seems appropriate. Though this is a day when prophetic themes are not as prominent as they once were, there still seems to be quite a bit […]