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 […]
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Author: Rick Shrader
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 […]
Our Baptist Missionary Heritage
Retracing the steps of our Baptist and Independent forefathers is always an enriching experience. Whether one learns of those brave souls who endured terrible torture and death, or those who languished in prison, or those who fought theological and apologetic battles for the faith, it is always good to be put in remembrance of our […]
Salvation and Godliness
Some people think they see contradictions in all parts of the Bible. Recently I attended a debate at a local school where a Christian apologist debated an agnostic over the validity of the resurrection of Christ. The agnostic (a graduate of Moody Bible Institute, Wheaton College, and Princeton Theological Seminary) is a professor of religion […]
Using and Abusing the Bible
I would think that anyone who values straight talk has a hard time of it during national election years. Now, more than ever, politicians are looking for the right buzz word or the right connection to the latest polling data which will up his/her chances of being elected. Every sentence, even every word, is scrutinized […]