Life's Inanities and Ironies

Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, you who still cling unashamedly to the old Book, the old hymns, and the old-time fundamentals of the faith: grace and peace be multiplied unto you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, our risen, ascended, and soon-returning Saviour. The resurrection was never meant to be the end of the story. It was the glorious beginning. The stone was rolled away. The tomb stood empty. The angels declared, “He is not here: for he is risen, as he said” (Matthew 28:6). Mary heard her name spoken by the living Lord. The Emmaus road burned with Scripture opened by the Master Himself. The fearful apostles in the upper room saw the nail prints and heard the words, “Peace be unto you.” And then came the question that still echoes in every believing heart: **What happened next?** The Bible answers that question with crystal clarity in the opening verses of the Acts of the Apostles. Luke, the beloved physician, picks up exactly where his Gospel left off: “The ...

Beloved brethren and sisters in Christ, grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. In the previous message we stood on the firm ground of Exodus 20:1-3 and asked the penetrating question: **Who is on first?** The first commandment is not ancient history—it is a living, daily demand upon every blood-bought believer. “Thou shalt have no other gods before me” is still in force. Idolatry is not merely bowing to a statue in a pagan temple; it is anything or anyone that occupies the place of priority that belongs only to the Lord our God. Let us explore what idolatry looks like in real life—both in Scripture and in the everyday walk of the fundamentalist Christian in 2026. We do this not to condemn, but to examine ourselves, repent where needed, and return to first base.  1. Biblical Examples – The Pattern God Hates The Bible never leaves us guessing what idolatry is. It shows it plainly: - **The Golden Calf (Exodus 32)**: While Mos...

Beloved saints, fellow lovers of the old Book and the old paths, grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. In the hustle of daily life, it’s easy to lose track of priorities. We laugh at the classic Abbott and Costello routine—“Who’s on first? What’s on second? I Don’t Know’s on third”—because the confusion is hilarious on the baseball diamond. But when the same confusion creeps into our spiritual lives, it is no laughing matter. It is sin. It is idolatry. And it breaks the very first commandment God ever gave His redeemed people. Turn with me to Exodus 20:1-3 (KJV): “And God spake all these words, saying, I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” Notice the order. God does not begin with a threat or a list of rules. He begins with grace. He reminds Israel—and He reminds us—of who He is and what He has already done. “I am the LORD thy God… which have brought thee out...

In our recent reflections on John 21, we stood with Peter on the Galilean shore as the risen Lord asked, “Do you love me?”—then commissioned him with the sobering words, “When you are old, you will stretch out your hands… Follow me” (John 21:18–19). That prophecy was fulfilled under Nero’s brutal persecution. But Peter was not alone. The other apostles heard the same call. For conservative, Bible-believing Christians who hold the Scriptures as inerrant and authoritative, the historical deaths of the apostles are no mere footnote. They are living proof that these men did not invent a resurrection myth for personal gain. They saw the risen Christ with their own eyes—and they paid for that testimony with their blood. Only one apostle’s martyrdom is recorded in Scripture: James, the son of Zebedee. King Herod Agrippa “had James, the brother of John, killed with the sword” (Acts 12:2). He was the first of the Twelve to lay down his life. The rest of their stories come from early church trad...