Tag: cross


  • Jesus, the Spotless Sacrifice

    But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means…

  • The Fellowship of Suffering

    I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead (Phil. 3:10-11). In the previous post (“Your God is Too Small”), I related my struggle to reconcile Jesus’ words about…

  • Your God is Too Small

    When the disciples saw [Jesus curse the fig tree], they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither at once?” And Jesus answered them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say…

  • Allow me to introduce you to my friend Billy Charles (not his real name, but we’ll get to that later). Billy has been in my life as long as I can remember. I can’t think of a time when he wasn’t there. Billy is the kind of friend that many people have. He’s very spiritual.…

  • And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold (Matt. 24:10-12). Few in the Christian community would doubt that we are seeing the fulfillment of these words…

  • Recently I witnessed several conversations on social media between believers and those who either might be considered “liberals” or out-and-out unbelievers. I was, to be honest, shocked by the behavior and words I saw—mostly from the Christians. I shook my head, and felt as hurt as the Lord must feel. Judging by the words, I…

  • In the previous post, we affirmed that there is something more needed in the believer’s life than correct doctrine. We said that the Spiritual Heart (the new heart received at salvation) longs to engage God and others in ways to show a new passion for Him. It’s the Holy Spirit who guides and directs the…

  • In the last post, we suggested that it’s indeed possible to have both sound doctrine and true heart-felt passion in our faith. We also suggested that what makes that possible is a changed heart guided by the Holy Spirit. In this follow-up post, we will consider how segments of the church can move from what…

  • “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”  he second is this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” There is no other commandment greater than these (Mark 12:30-31). One of the purposes of The Shepherd’s Voice…

  • Continuing in our series on the fundamentals of the faith, we’re going to talk about the church. The Church (also known as the Bride and Body of Christ) consists of all true believers who have placed their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. While local congregations may vary in size, makeup, and style, the worldwide…

  • We’re continuing our series on the fundamentals of the faith. Today we turn to humanity, being made in the image of God. God created humanity in His image. Adam and Eve were literal people who fell from their position of innocence into sin because of disobedience. Because of that, the whole creation has been contaminated…

  • So far in our series on the fundamentals of the faith, we have examined God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. Now we turn to the nature of sin. Sin exists in the world because of the fall of Adam and Eve. Sin is more than outward behavior or disobedience to God’s commandments. At…

  • Continuing on in our look at the core truths of the faith, we come now to Jesus. Now, we have talked about Him a lot previously. Specifically, though, we have discussed His being both God and Man as well as the purpose for which he came. (Listen to the podcast “The Centerpiece of the Gospel:…

  • “How can you support that person/group?” This question is heard often in Christian circles. So many churches and groups have sprung up with such wide-ranging views that it’s often difficult to determine just what makes one “a Christian.” Do you have to believe in baptism by immersion? Do you have to keep the Sabbath? Is…

  • Come Just As You Are–Or Not at All

    In Second Chronicles 30, we read an amazing story of celebrating the Passover.  What makes this story interesting is that neither Israel (the northern kingdom after the split) nor Judah (the southern kingdom) had celebrated the Passover in a long time. Passover was a big deal. It was instituted by God on the very night…

  • “She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:  “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel,” which means, God with…

  • What was the purpose of Jesus coming to earth, dying, and being raised from the dead? Was it only so that we could have a ticket to heaven? We’ve already said, in previous posts, that there is much more to the gospel than that. Jesus declared to the people, “I came that they may have…

  • When Jesus came to earth preaching the Gospel, He wasn’t preaching a message that was unknown to the Jews. Centuries before, several Old Testament prophets had predicted that God would usher in a new way of doing things. In fact, the Gospel really started off in the promise that God made to Abram. Now the…

  • What It All Means

    What does it mean to be a Christian? There have been many answers over the centuries, some of which contradict each other. Some of the most common answers today include: * It means I’m going to heaven.* It means I have a personal relationship with Jesus.* It means living by the Ten Commandments, Golden Rule,…

  • Count the Cost

    We’ve established that the road leading to eternal life is the Narrow Road. The Wide Road only has destruction at its end. To walk the Narrow Road requires that we relinquish all that we have and all that we are to Him, take up our cross, and follow Him. These are very serious things, and…

  • What the Narrow Road Looks Like

    Christ calls us to walk the Narrow Road in order to enter eternal life. He called this road “the hard way.” This is how Jesus described life on the Narrow Road, and why it’s called “the hard way”: If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and…

  • It’s good to take a break on this day from the stresses of life. Pause and reflect. Today is a day of “giving thanks.” That phrase is used often. In today’s world, with all the violence, division, stress and anger, we need to be thankful to God.  What are we to be thankful for? Yet…

  • Two Roads, One Choice

    Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few (Matt. 7:13-14, ESV). Jesus said that there…

  • Which Road Will You Travel?

    Now that we have discussed the Gospel and what it means, we must also discuss the cost. “Cost? I thought salvation is a free gift of God!” It is indeed a free gift of God; one can never earn it by doing good deeds or keeping the law. But there is a cost that those…