Pentecost: The Story You Didn’t Know
The High Holidays are upon us, and my upcoming posts will be dedicated to the Fall Feasts. This month, however, I can still indulge myself with my favourite topic: showing…
The High Holidays are upon us, and my upcoming posts will be dedicated to the Fall Feasts. This month, however, I can still indulge myself with my favourite topic: showing…
Electric vehicles have become more popular in recent years. There are many kinds of electric cars, but only three major types: hybrid, plug-in hybrid and all-electric. Plug-in hybrid and all-electric…
GETTING TO KNOW THE HOLY SPIRIT As a new believer in Jesus you have probably heard about God the Father and Jesus the Son. But have you heard of the…
The church at Corinth was very tolerant of certain kinds of evil behavior in their midst. And instead of being ashamed over this tolerance of evil, they were actually proud…
Almost every spiritual conflict is fought on a specific battlefield. This is because the Enemy, Satan, only has access to a specific area of our lives where we might…
Augustine said, “By hearing Thee I am happy; because of Thy voice I am happy.” There’s no place we can go to hear God speak authoritatively, to hear His voice…
When it comes to spiritual gifts, some people—even spiritual leaders and pastors—get a little bit nervous. They’ll say, “I’m afraid to open myself up to the gifts of the…
SO I SAY, WALK BY THE SPIRIT, AND YOU WILL NOT GRATIFY THE DESIRES OF THE FLESH. GALATIANS 5:16 One of the most dangerous heresies that confronted the Early Church…
Disciples commissioned by the divinely powerful Jesus are themselves divinely empowered by him to meet any need. “You yourselves give them to eat!” Mark 6:37 The crowds gathered are like…
Paul writes that we should refrain from quenching the Holy Spirit as He works to make us look more like Jesus. Preached at the Village Church.
Believers, increasingly conformed to Christ in faith by the Spirit, and comprehending, in community, the immensity of Christ’s love, glorify God who dwells in them. Ephesians 3:14-21 This pericope is…
Paul’s divinely empowered role in the administration of God’s plan forms a paradigm for the ministry of all believers, as God is made known to the cosmos through the church.…
Introduction Have you ever been involved with a remodeling project? It can be a very messy undertaking. Because the goal of remodeling is to make something better from its worn…
Hebrews 12:27 moment—everything that can be shaken will be shaken. God is shaking false securities and false identities, false assumptions, and false narratives, false idols, and false ideologies. But we…
Dear Roger, I grew up in a church that emphasized emotional expression in worship. If I didn’t have an ecstatic, exciting experience in a service, I felt like I…
The anointing of the Holy Spirit enables the believer to minister with God’s power. It allows us to discern truth from error. www.ocbf.org
Introduction God wants to see people look like Jesus. With this end in mind, He allows us to go through circumstances within His providential will so that we might be…
One of the ways the Holy Spirit ministers to a child of God is to help and give wisdom in every task God asks him or her to do.
The power of the Holy Spirit is unimaginable. He will allow you to carry out God’s work around the world.
So many of Solomon’s observations are horizontal musings—the bitter, barren, boring side of life as seen through his disillusioned eyes. But, in chapter five he zeros in on the remarkable…
Dear Roger, I’d like to increase the power of my prayers. Can you share with me some things that will make my prayers stronger and more relevant? …
Many of Jesus’ blessings were spontaneous. The wind of the Holy Spirit Jesus described in John 3, the fire by night in the desert in Exodus, the miracles of Jesus…
Dear Roger, We hear a lot about God the father and Jesus the Son but we seldom hear anything about God the Holy Spirit. The subject of the Holy…
Years ago, on the advice of an older and wiser Christian, I began trying to pray through the Psalms once every month. Don’t be too impressed—I seldom make it through…
Before Christ we are wired to consume. When we meet Christ we are wired to serve. We have been gifted to make a contribution vs. constantly consuming. The eternal consequences…
Without the Holy Spirit, we’re ordinary in every way. With the Holy Spirit, all things all possible. His anointing is the X Factor—it helps us do what we do better…
This is one of my favorite prayers, expressing the power and presence of God: The Prayer of Saint Patrick I arise today Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the…
How do you truly live a life filled with the Holy Spirit? Paul teaches to speak truth, make melody, always be grateful and yield in obedience. Preached at Chase Oaks…
1. Returning to God Spiritual awakening involves returning to God. When God seems distant from us, it is never God who has departed from the relationship. God urged His…
I was born in Fairbanks, Alaska. During the dead of winter, there are several weeks where the sun skims the horizon for a mere four hours a day. If you…
“Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” Psalm 27:14 NIV Margaret Feinberg explains why waiting in God’s presence is key to…
I had the most remarkable encounter with God today. I was meditating upon Jesus on the cross, and, after decades of being a Christian, God revealed to me an aspect…
In Revelation 1:4-5a we read: John to the seven assemblies located are in Asia: Grace to you and peace, from Him who is and who was and who is to…
Dear Roger, I have a spiritual warfare question. I pray for two of my kids to be released from Satan’s grip. I pray this on a daily basis. I fully…
Dear Roger, I know this is a loaded question. I don’t want to de-value the sacrifice of the men and women who have died for our country, but can a…
We learn to find joy in our walk with God as we remember who God is and what He has done for us throughout our lives. Matt Chandler gives us…
Dear Roger, My six year old son, William, had a question tonight to ask you: “If you have Jesus in your heart can you still get on Santa’s Naughty…
God is a Triune Being. He is one God existing in three persons, the Father, the Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit. “Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also…
What does John the Apostle mean when he penned these words? Revelation 1:9 I, John, your brother and the one who shares with you in the persecution, kingdom, and endurance that…
Dear Roger, I am a new Christian. I attend a weekly Bible study with men who have been Christians a long time. Someone mentioned about spiritual gifts but did not…
God is a Triune being. This means that he is one God, but he exists as three separate persons. The Father is God. The Son is God. The Spirit is…
Elijah called fire down from heaven. But in a moment of weakness, he doubted God and lost his way. How did God speak to him, and how does He speak…
We are filled with the Holy Spirit when we are controlled and influenced by God the Holy Spirit. Dr. Toussaint discusses the meaning of the filling of the Holy Spirit,…
The Brazilians taught me the beauty of a blessing. Here is a scene repeated in Brazil thousands of times daily. It’s early morning. Time for young Marcos to leave for…
Dear Roger, You have preached almost 50 Easter sermons. What Easter principle means the most to you? Sincerely, Julie Dear Julie, Jesus saw people, not as they were, but as…
Unspeakable tragedies. Infamous acts. Brutal terrorist attacks even in Sunday church services. Unlike us, many Christians around the world risk their lives to go to church. In the face of such…
Hi Roger, Here’s one I thought of after your series on the Book of Daniel and the End Times: You said that ‘discerning Christians’ will recognize the signs that the end…
Israel was hopelessly outnumbered. Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon “and all his army, with all the kingdoms of the earth that were under his dominion and all the peoples, were fighting…
For many years now, the Lord has put the issue of revival praying upon my heart. Initially, I must admit, my prayers were fairly generic: “O Lord, please revive us.”…
“There are times when I am so unlike myself that I might be taken for someone else of an entirely opposite character.” Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Confessions, 1782 Last night Mary and…
The disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! —John 20:19 Suddenly, their eyes were opened, and…
Spiritual gifts are given by God to build up the church and impact the Kingdom of God. The Holy Spirit empowers each believer with distinctive gifts and ministries.
The slick, successful American church may have missed Him altogether. What if Jesus was asked to pastor your congregation. Would anybody come? And would they stay? A scruffy homeless dude…
When will we dare to trust that Jesus is who he says He is, and will do what He said he will do? Self-dependence and fear can become daunting apart…
What are the biggest issues facing the Western church today? Timothy Keller has some insightful answer that challenge our thinking. We must be aware of who we are and what’s…
Behind the smoke and ash, behind the shattered glass, a groan in Ferguson remains. Whether justice was served or injustice actually occurred, the perception of injustice surfaced a real and present pain. On…
Like many younger ministers I worked far too many hours, never saying “no” to anyone’s request for my pastoral services. When salary increases were offered to me, I turned them…
What kind of person must I be to be used greatly by God? 2 Chronicles 16:9 says, “The eyes of the Lord search back and forth across the whole earth,…
Chris Dixon is an entrepreneur and a partner at the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz so he sees thousands of ideas—some that look like good ideas and some that look like…
How do we discern the effects of witchcraft? We must not be oblivious to the schemes of Satan, assuming that the practice of witchcraft is only used among primitive peoples…
Can you really argue that we are fearfully and wonderfully made? I became enamored with Science in a class in immunology at the University of Chicago. I know just about…
God wants us to pray specifically. Pray for your enemies, for the unsaved, for national and spiritual leaders, for your neighbors, co-workers and family. In praying for them, God will…
As a community of believers grows, its needs new leaders raised up to handle the increased ministry needs. This is true for churches that handle growth by multiplying into…
Elisha had a defining moment with Elijah when Elijah asked him to leave his life as a farmer and to follow him. We all have defining moments in our lives.…
Luke teaches in Acts that listening to the Holy Spirit requires that we are surrendered to God’s will, know Scripture and receive wise counsel from mature believers. We must be…
I am an out-of-the-box parenting problem solver. A clever method of getting little “ankle biters” to obey is less exhausting and more successful than ranting, raving, blaming, pleading, begging or…
Dear Roger, I am a 47 year old male, married for 18 years, with two teenage daughters. I have a 21 year old son with my ex. I married…
“Blessed is the person who is not offended by me.” ~ Matthew 11:6 To be offended means to stumble or trip. The Scripture tells us that Jesus is a rock of…
We are called to be a light of the world kind of community – as the Church. We must maintain a focus and a relevancy that allows the movement of…
Have you heard this one? It’s a relatively new claim by some in the Faith movement in the last few years, and it’s a whopper. In a nutshell, there are…
Christians are called to be surrendered to the leadership of the Holy Spirit and bring glory to Christ. We are no longer able to live according to what we want.…
Francis Chan continues his series on how the Holy Spirit operates in our lives and the life of the church. In this sermon from Galatians 5:16-26, he encourages to live…
Welcome with open arms fellow believers who don’t see things the way you do.ROMANS 14:1 MSG Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise…
The mysterious, magnificence of God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit is discussed through a number of Scriptures and segments of prayer and video are also included. God is one,…
The world as we know it will end on October 21st of this year. That’s the newest claim by Christian broadcaster, Harold Camping. Camping earned his 15-minutes of fame when…
The first part of the message deals with the passion and compassion a church should have. The second part of the message deals with the topic of the Holy Spirit.…
What is the difference between the baptism and filling of the Holy Spirit? How do you interpret the momentous events of Pentecost in Acts chapter 2? Pastor Chan gives his…
There’s plenty of internet buzz around the discovery of a new planet, Gliese 581g, some 20 light years from Earth. The buzz started with speculation that the newly discovered rocky…
The Holy Spirit sent from God glorifies Jesus, guides us into all truth, brings God’s Word and work to our memories, and tells us of things to come.
God’s Word spoke universes into being. He speaks to us Holy Spirit to human spirit. His revealed Word must be handled carefully with accuracy, background and context. The Word is…
We yearn for unity, have a drive for diversity and are eager for equality. The church is the ultimate reflection of the Trinity.
The Trinity refines our relationship with God. It aligns our understanding of the gospel It defines the uniqueness of Christianity.
The Bible has a great deal to say about hope. In 1 Peter 3:15, Peter writes “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give…
Benefit of the slop or benefit of the doubt? People, OK and Us magazines rake in bazillions of dollars by cashing in on our curiosity. Who did what to whom? The juicier…
In Ephesians 5, Paul encourages us to open our hearts to God the Holy Spirit so that we can be infused with the character and power of the Living Christ.…
Sometimes we don’t realize how “far down” Jesus had to go to save sinful man. I guess it’s because we really can’t get a handle on the holiness of God.…
Roger, I recently experienced something called “holy laughter” (as it was explained to me by a friend at church), but I cannot find any Scripture to back up what I…
The unnoticed women, the faces in the crowd that are overlooked are surprised by kindness. Most tourists step over beggars and the homeless instead of showing Christ’s love by giving…
Paul warns young Christians to be wary of legalistic pretending instead of grace-filled discipleship. Being obedient to the Holy Spirit means serving with a loving heart. We can do so…
God’s presence with man revealed in Christ is traced throughout scripture. God’s call in the Garden, the Tabernacle, the Temple, and the saints remind us that He is with us…
Dr. Toussaint teaches on the meaning of the filling of the Holy Spirit, the actual filling of the Holy Spirit and the manifestations of the Holy Spirit.
Three things are going on in the Acts ministry of Christ today. Christ is coming as the spirit to dwell in His followers. Jesus is engaged in His greatest work of…
To walk by the spirit is to live with a moment-by-moment dependency on, and sensitivity to, the initial promptings of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit intends to produce in…
We often cruise through life without asking for directions. Often we rush to make decisions without the GPS of God’s Word and will. Instead, we strike out on our own. We haven’t…