Salvation is a mysterious blessing! For a man to know Jesus Christ and to become His willing subject he must be born of "Water and the Spirit". It is not merited, come by naturally, but supernaturally as an act of God's Spirit, Who changes the heart!By Philip B. Strong

Salvation is a gift of God! It does not matter how intelligent an individual is, nor how sincere, nor how quickly he is to acknowledge various facts about Jesus...If he is not born from above he will never see the Kingdom of God. Man has no ability to recognize that Jesus is the Messiah apart from a sovereign act of God!…

Paul was a wise servant of the Lord. He offset the opinions of those who slandered him by demonstrating he was not encouraging the Jew to forsake Moses. He took a vow and kept it as an act of charity in order to help the Jew to be able to hear the Gospel. What the Law of Moses could not do, Christ has done!…

Why don't men recognize that Jesus is the Christ? Because men are incapable of doing so. Man is superficial and is content with superficial things. We want signs, we are enamored with show, and entertainment, but these things will never save man. We must believe that Jesus is the Christ if we are to be saved, not merely engaged in religiosity.…

Is there hope for the worst of sinners? What have you done that makes you think you are irredeemable? Jesus sought out Zaccheus and took up with him as he was a son of Abraham! Our sins are indeed great, but His grace is greater sinner! Look unto Jesus Christ and be saved!By Philip B. Strong

The Old Testament laws and types were never enough to change the heart of man! They expose, they point, they instruct, but they cannot change our hearts. Israel was a mess, Jesus judged the abuse taking place in the Temple courts. The Messiah has come to replace the old with the new. Jesus is the true Temple!…

The Lord means what He says. He promised Paul saying, "...I am with you, and no man will attack you in order to harm you...". Though the enemies of the cross tried to stop Paul from preaching, the Lord was faithful. The pit that his enemies dug to harm the Apostle, became the pit into which they fell!…

The first of Jesus' miracles demonstrated something more than His being able to physically turn water into wine...an amazing feat for sure! But that He has come for His bride (the Church) to turn our shame into rejoicing! He has come to do more than deal with our sin, but to give us abundant Life!By Philip B. Strong

Are you still wrestling with whether you believe Jesus is the Christ, the only way of salvation? Nathanael too was skeptical that anything good could come out of Nazareth. An honest man, Nathanael came to believe the truth of Jesus Christ. Christ is the Messiah the One who fulfills the promise of God!…

Wickedness abounds in this world. If the Christian is not careful he will become angry and bitter at the injustices done and done against him! We fight this by remembering the truth that the wicked will be judged and will be no more, but the righteous will be delivered, because Christ will deliver them!…

The Resurrection from the dead of our Lord changes everything! These dear women came like a funeral procession to the tomb on that early Sunday morning expecting to anoint His body. They left rejoicing to tell the others that He had risen!By Philip B. Strong

We are not only called to put forth effort in ministry, but are given the example to approach advancing the Gospel wisely. We find the Apostle seeing the great importance of being completely devoted to the Word, of not wasting out time on those who reject the Word, and not being intimidated into silence regarding the Word, but depending on the Lord…

If it were easy, it wouldn't be ministry! In this passage we are given the example of the Apostle Paul demonstrating an extraordinary and selfless effort when it came to the ministry in Corinth. He labored going above and beyond what a minister might normally do. An amazing love motivates death to the self.…

We must recognize that Jesus Christ is King, but not a King after the World's making or desire! He was esteemed and honored as He rode into Jerusalem as a King that would be deliver them from the Romans, but He came for so much more...To defeat our enemy and death!By Philip B. Strong

The Church is precious to the Lord. Attacks come at it from the World as well as from those within its walls. False teachers and people who love themselves more than the Lord and His people. Paul instructs the church to avoid such men as these for the well-being of the Church.By Philip B. Strong

Many in the Church know about Jesus, that He is God, infinite, eternal and unchangeable. We know with certainty that He is the Messiah (Christ). Knowing these things, what do you do with them? In this passage we are instructed by example how we should respond to the certainty of whom Jesus Christ is.…

We mustn't be timid about speaking of Christ to the World. They may have all manner of education and refinement, but without Jesus Christ the World remains in darkness! We are called not to induce conversions, but to faithfully hold up Jesus Christ. Our labors will not be in vain!By Philip B. Strong

In a World where there are so many religions and so many paths and ways, allegedly, to salvation, how can we be certain that Jesus Christ is the way? John tells us how we can be certain that Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world. Believe him!By Philip B. Strong

Being most devout or being most educated is no guarantee of your being enlightened, idolatry being a sure sign that you most certainly are not! The Apostle in Athens preaches the Gospel to those in the Aeropagus, telling the Truth of Jesus Christ to those who sat in darkness.By Philip B. Strong

Jesus Christ was tested by God in the wilderness. Tempted by the devil to turn stones into bread demonstrating that He was indeed the Son of God. Having fasted for 40 days, and though very hungry, yet He did not yield to the temptation! He indeed did fulfill all righteousness on our behalf.By Philip B. Strong

The Church need not and must not pull away from the World and worldly systems of thought, but instead must engage the World with the truth of Jesus Christ. The World in enslaved to idols because they do not know the Lord. Intimidated and so often un-welcomed by the World we are quiet. Paul was not intimidated by the philosophers of his age but took…

"Anxiety in a man's heart weighs it down, but a good word makes it glad." - Proverbs 12:25 We are commanded as the church to bear one another's burdens. Depression is a big problem, anxiety weighs us down. A good word, a true word, a timely word...speaking to one another Scriptural truth is one way we bear each other's burdens.…

John the Baptist was looked to as though he was the Messiah. He was not. He was a voice in the wilderness directing the attention of the masses to Jesus Christ. John could not save anyone, but he pointed them to Jesus Christ, Who alone can save. Will you listen to what John preached or will you discount his words because of who he denied being?…

Jesus Christ took on human flesh, becoming one of us in order that He might save His people. John the Baptist testified of Christ's eternality and His Supremacy. Christ came and fulfilled the Law of Moses doing what we could not do. Our God is a god of grace and truth.By Philip B. Strong

How great was the love of Christ for His people? His love was so great that the infinite and eternal Word of God took on human flesh, He became one of us! He dwelt among His people, and His glory was on display. One so great, and yet One full of grace and truth! He is no ordinary man, but the God man!…

Intimidated by how "smart" the world is, many Christians shy away from witnessing to the World. The Apostle Paul was not intimidated by the philosophers of the day in Athens. Why? Because the Scriptures reveal the Truth of Who Christ is, of man's need, of reality. The World and it's philosophies cannot hold a candle to the Truth! Don't be afraid of…

The World and the Jews did not, do not, received Jesus Christ. Some would view this as a reason to reject Him themselves. But Jesus Christ is the true light, testified by John the Baptist and received by those whom the Lord sovereignly saves. Listen to the Word as it testifies about Jesus Christ, come to Him and be saved!…

"Once bitten, twice shy" is an expression used to describe the phenomenon of going through a particular hardship that causes us to be reticent of moving forward! Ministry is such a thing where a bad experience can cause us to not want to engage in the future. The unbelieving Jews in Thessalonica persecuted Paul and Silas, but their love does not gr…

"Jesus is my ticket to success, my example of what a good person is, was a wise and enlightened individual"...and so there are many ideas out in the world concerning who Jesus is. Are they right? The Apostle John does not let his readers invent some idea of who they think Jesus is, but starts off his Gospel with making it very plain that Jesus Chri…

Christ Jesus is not only all powerful, but He is also all merciful! Friends, don't be afraid to come to Christ in your desperation, don't let what you think you know of Him keep you from coming to Him. He is powerful to heal and merciful to receive you!By Philip B. Strong

Christian take heed! It is not only your Pastor who will suffer for preaching the Gospel, but it is you the Christian in the pew who will also suffer for Christ, because you support those who are faithful too! Understand this so that you are not caught off guard when persecution comes to you too!By Philip B. Strong

"You've got to sell yourself! Be confident! Believe in your abilities! You are worth it!" ... All the things our culture tells us to think about ourselves. The Lord is so different. If we are to be righteous before God, we must think realistically about ourselves. We must come before Him broken and emptied of ourselves. Only in Jesus Christ will we…

Gospel ministry is laborious work. We see the ethic at which the Apostle Paul went at it. He was tenacious and dedicated to helping people see the truth concerning Jesus Christ. We must do no less. Sometimes we will see great fruit from it. Oftentimes there will be a backlash to it! Persevere in the work of making Jesus Christ known.…

Pornography..."Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways, do not stray into her paths. For many are the victims she has cast down, and numerous are all her slain. Her house is the way to Sheol, descending to the chambers of death." - Proverbs 7:25-27By Philip B. Strong

While the Christian will not escape tribulation in these last days, we are given peace of mind knowing that the Lord has promised that tribulation will not go on forever, but will be cut short. This tribulation will serve both to sanctify the Lord's people and to divide them from the wicked. The Christian's mission remains the same in times of peac…

The Christian Church will not escape tribulation, rather the Antichrist will arise in the end time, and, "There will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time;" (12:1). We needn't despair, for the Lord will help His people, those who are found "Written in the book". He will rescue them. He will come and r…

A new year awaits us and new beginnings! Often we make our plans and ask God to bless them. We do this because we want Him to make OUR dreams come true. The successful life is not the one we plan and ask God to bless, but it is the life that is lived in an intimate knowledge of and complete reliance upon the LORD!…

History will not continue to go on forever, but has an end date, a date that none knows. However, we are told here In this second installment of Daniels final vision what we will see before the end of time. The Antichrist will come on the scene, and the Lord's people will suffer terribly. The Antichrist will be an arrogant man and a man of conflict…

The best messages do not tell us what we want to hear, but what is necessary to hear. The message to Daniel was not a pleasant word of prosperity, but a sobering message of hardship which was to come upon the people of God. To be forewarned is to be forearmed. Know that hardship is coming, and trust in the Lord!…

A woman burned alive, a car hitting and killing innocent people in a Christmas market, a CEO murdered on the streets of NYC, and people celebrate?!? What an evil and sad world. The Son of God came into our World to deliver us from evil and the judgment upon our sin. Christ Jesus is your only hope!By Philip B. Strong

There are many in the Lord's church who wrongly believe that righteousness and holiness are the result of what one does rather than to Whom one belongs! The Apostle Paul fiercely defended the Gospel of grace against those who were teaching this heresy in order that the church would not place its confidence in the work of their hands.…

The Covid debacle revealed a serious weakness in the Lord's Church regarding a proper understanding of the role of Government and the Church. In this passage we are shown what a proper understanding of the role of Government is (or in this case isn't!). Paul and Silas use just laws and means to benefit the Church in light of evil perpetrated agains…

The true Church will ALWAYS be opposed by the World. Daniel 10 is the introduction to the last vision given to Daniel. The message is true and concerns the LORD's people and great conflict to come. The LORD's people need not be afraid of what is to come, as our sovereign LORD fights for His people! The battle is the LORD's!…

Wouldn't ministry be so much more successful if we had plenty of money, support, a better building, and less conflict and opposition? Our God is not limited in reaching His people, but in fact works through those difficulties we wish away to advance His Kingdom. Dear friend, do not let your trials dissuade you from faithfulness in your service to C…

When will the Lord's people be restored? When will sin be done and righteousness be established? When will worship and the name of the Lord be honored again? It happened when the Messiah came, was crucified and resurrected! Daniel's prayer was answered when Jesus Christ came! The Old has given way to the New!…

The Lord answers prayer. He answered Daniel's prayer. Sin will be done away, everlasting righteousness will be brought to bear, and the LORD will be esteemed...eventually. However, before it is accomplished there will be distress and hardship. We must trust and obey, even when things don't seem to go the way that we would expect and hope they would…

How easy it is to become discouraged in ministry, to do what is right before the Lord and to have such adverse reactions to it! We are given a wonderful example here in Acts 16 of men whose eyes remain fixed upon the Lord and whose hearts are not embittered by the injustices they endured. While it seems our labors so often are fruitless, the Lord k…

Familiarity with Jesus Christ does not make you a part of the family of God! Religious busyness does not make you a sharer in Christ. Religious heritage does not secure you a place in heaven. Faith in Christ is how we enter the family of God, and those who do the will of the Father are those who show their faith is real.…

Demons are real, and the ministry of the Gospel will be opposed. Servant of Christ don't be discouraged at the opposition you experience for the sake of making Christ known! Christ is greater than that which opposes you. Act with that authority with which you have been given to advance His kingdom!By Philip B. Strong

Daniel prayed for the people of God and the LORD answered his prayer...so too we as the LORD's people must pray with an eye towards the glory of God and we too will have our prayers answered because of Christ...but understand that the answer to our prayers may not be what we were expecting, so give heed to what the answer is!…