Written by James Burch
Have you ever been surprised at the number of titles some people in the body of Christ carry? Reverend, Right Reverend, Doctor, Apostle, Prophet, Priest, Father, Bishop, Archbishop, Primate (yes, that is an ecclesiastical title [!]), and so on…It seems like some folks almost need a second marquee in front of their church just to […]
Written by James Burch
2 Timothy 3:1-5: But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God, having a […]
Written by James Burch
A lot of times, life does not make sense. When a seemingly pointless tragedy happens it can be hard if not impossible to understand. Case in point: In July 2021 I lost an 18-year-old relative to gunfire. Taylor was a good, hardworking young Christian man just getting started in life, yet in his prime he […]
Written by James Burch
Not long ago I wrote a blog on whether or not salvation was by works. Of course, it is by faith. Our works give evidence of our salvation. They are incapable of producing or maintaining it. However, in addition to the fact that there are preachers and parishioners out there who make it sound like […]
Written by James Burch
When people argue or otherwise have issues with each other and then resolve the problem, things often go back to normal. In the future, however, when there is another dispute, sometimes one party will bring up what the other did the last time or even a long time ago. They may do this to each […]
Written by James Burch
Many people, at least among the older and middle-aged, know about the account of Jonah being swallowed by a big fish or whale and spending three days in its belly. Fewer know how he came to be there in the first place or what happened afterwards. God had told Jonah to go to the city […]
Written by James Burch
Throughout much of Church history, believers have had the mistaken idea that they have to force the lost to convert to Christianity. The emperor Charlemagne, for example, who lived from the 740’s to 814 AD, would have pagans executed if they did not convert to the faith. [1] Although the purposes of the Roman Catholic […]
Written by James Burch
We have this misguided idea of what “church” is supposed to be like, especially those comprising the youngest generations, those who were not around when institutional Christianity at least tried to be more Biblical—tried, not was. But it was still far better back then than the collection of seeker-friendly, profit-hustling, worldly churches dotting the landscape […]
Written by James Burch
Ephesians 2:8-9: For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. James 2:14-18: What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother […]
Written by James Burch
Proverbs 4:23- Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life. The very first word in the above sentence, “keep,” is, in Hebrew, natsar (naw-TSAR), which essentially means “to guard,” according to Strong’s Concordance. Chances are you have heard this verse quoted at some point, maybe even a […]
