Cutting edge for pastors and ministry leaders.
Why Did Jesus Have to Die by Crucifixion? By: Frank Tunstall Citizens of the Roman Empire who committed capital crimes were executed by beheading. Death for capital crimes as practiced by the Jews was by stoning. The penalty that awaited rebellious slaves, thieves, and common criminals was death by crucifixion, usually preceded by brutal floggings. […]
Joseph was an ordinary Jewish carpenter who was engaged to an ordinary Jewish girl about 15-years-old; her name was Mary. The New Testament writers tell us nothing Joseph spoke, not a single word, but he certainly can be admired for how he lived and what he did. Joseph was a man who liked to stay […]
ChristianityToday.com/ct/2019/November/cross-is-our-stairway-to-heaven.html Our salvation comes not from someone on our level, but from someone infinitely above it. The Cross Is Our Stairway to Heaven By: Jen Wilkin One of the most common evangelistic tools is a simple drawing of two cliffs with a chasm between. On one cliff is a figure representing the sinner, and on […]
By: Frank G. Tunstall, D. Min. “Jesus, being “full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River and was led by the Spirit into the desert, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry” (Matthew 4:1; Mark […]
https://www.christianitytoday.com/pastors/2019/august-web-exclusives/billy-graham-learned-art-of-preaching.html? The late evangelist called himself the “champion rambler.” By: Grant Wacker When I entered my small Methodist church one Sunday morning a few winters ago, Bob Maddry, a retired truck driver and old chum, walked over. “I lost a dear friend this week,” he said. “Billy Graham brought me to Jesus. He saved my […]
https://www.christianitytoday.com/women/2019/july/retirement-peak-life-now-face-career-decline-grace-faith.html? By: Michelle Van Loon I visited my hometown about a decade after I graduated high school and stopped at the local greasy spoon joint for a nostalgic junk food meal. I was surprised to see one of the most popular guys in school, star gymnast Tim, behind the counter taking orders. I asked […]
www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2019/july-august/elliot-clark-evangelism-exiles-sharing-gospel. THIS HAS TO BE ONE OF THE MOST CHALLENGING ARTICLES I’VE READ IN A LONG TIME. IT IS A MUST READ. EVERY PASTOR AND CHURCH CAN BENEFIT. Pastor Frank By: Elliott Clark I first awakened to this reality while doing language study in Central Asia. As I took a course in spiritual terminology, a missionary teacher […]
www.christianitytoday.com/pastors/2019/spring/no-easy-calling.html? Three honest stories about its rewards and challenges. BY: LINDA W. PERKINS The Turbulent Calling of Bivocational Ministry Ministry is changing, and so is the profile of those going into it. For many, it is no longer about leaving another life behind; it is about answering God’s call alongside—or even within—the vocation one […]
By: Frank G. Tunstall, D. Min. When Jesus wanted to teach about receiving the Holy Spirit, He chose to tell a story about a man who was on a journey and stopped about midnight at his friend’s house. Of course, the traveler was hungry, but the host was out of bread. So, he went […]
By: Frank G. Tunstall, D. Min. In a culture that is birthing more and more Biblical illiteracy, it is imperative that we re-discover the Holy Spirit who authored the Holy Scriptures. A foundational responsibility of the Spirit as a member of the Trinity was to give to mankind a written revelation of God that presents […]