The Beginning of the Church Age

Posted on February 9, 2026 by russellmckinney

(Series: “The Early Church of Jerusalem” post #1)

What we call the “church age” began on the Jewish feast day known as Pentecost that is described in Acts chapter 2. It was on that day that God the Holy Spirit began indwelling Christ’s followers. Jesus had said, “I will build My church” (Matthew 16:18), and what happened on that day of Pentecost was the official beginning of that work.

This new ministry of the Holy Spirit fulfilled four promises that Jesus had made:

  • On the last night of His earthly life, He had told His chosen 12 apostles concerning the Holy Spirit, “…for He dwells with (emphasis mine) you and will be in (emphasis mine) you” (John 14:17, N.K.J.V.).
  • Later in that same teaching session, He had told them, “…if I do not go away, the Helper (the Holy Spirit) will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you” (John 16:7, N.K.J.V.).
  • After His resurrection and in the last seconds prior to His ascension back to heaven, He had stood on the Mount of Olives just outside Jerusalem and commanded a group of approximately 120 of His followers to stay in Jerusalem and wait because, “…you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now” (Acts 1:5, N.K.J.V.).
  • Seconds later as part of those same departing words, He had told that group, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth (Acts 1:8, N.K.J.V.).

So, that group of approximately 120 stayed in Jerusalem and waited for God the Holy Spirit to “come upon” them, “baptize” them, and grant them “power” even though they didn’t have a clue what all that might look like or feel like. All they knew was that Jesus had promised that it would happen. That was good enough for them.

How long did they wait? 10 days. As for how we arrive at that number, let’s talk about three specific Jewish feasts.

First, the Feast of Passover was a one-night meal that commemorated Israel’s exodus from Egypt in the days of Moses. Jesus’ so-called “last supper,” which was a meal He shared with His chosen 12 the night before He was crucified, was a Passover meal. It is commonly believed that Jesus and His chosen 12 ate the Passover meal on Thursday night of that week and that Jesus was crucified the following day, Friday, breathing His last breath Friday afternoon around 3:00 p.m.

Second, on the first Sunday following the Passover, the Feast of Firstfruits was observed. In regards to the week of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection, that Sunday coincided with the day of Christ’s resurrection. The week’s timeline was as follows:

  • Jesus ate the Passover meal on Thursday night
  • He died on Friday afternoon around 3:00 p.m.
  • the weekly Jewish Sabbath day began at sundown on Friday afternoon and lasted until sundown on Saturday afternoon
  • the next day, Sunday, was the Feast of Firstfruits

This means that the Sunday morning upon which Jesus arose from the dead was also the Feast of Firstfruits. In other words, Resurrection Day was Firstfruits Day. This, of course, makes perfect sense in light of the fact that 1 Corinthians 15:20-24 calls Christ’s resurrection “the firstfruits” of all the resurrections of believers that will take place at the moment of the Rapture (1 Corinthians 15:50-58; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).

Third, the Feast of Pentecost was celebrated on the 50th day from the Sunday of the Feast of Firstfruits. The Feast of Pentecost was also called the Feast of Weeks because it was celebrated on the 50th day following seven weeks of weeks (49 days) from the Feast of Firstfruits. It was on that 50th day (The Feast of Pentecost/the Feast of Weeks) that Jesus fulfilled His promise to send the Holy Spirit to indwell those 120 or so believers.

Now let’s do the math. Jesus resurrected on a Sunday (the day of the Feast of Firstfruits), and then He spent the next 40 days making periodic appearances to His followers in His resurrected/glorified body (Acts 1:1-3). That left 10 days to be accounted for to get to the 50th day of the Sunday called The Feast of Pentecost/The Feast of Weeks. Consequently, those 120 or so believers waited in Jerusalem for 10 days before they received the Holy Spirit. That number of days also fits with Christ’s promise that those believers would be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from the day of His ascension (Acts 1:5).

As for what lesson we can learn from the beginning of the church age, the obvious one centers around the necessity of the indwelling Holy Spirit in the life of the Christian (the believer in Jesus). Putting it simply, if you haven’t been baptized with the Holy Spirit in this church age, the Holy Spirit does not dwell inside you. This means two things. First, no matter how long you’ve had your name on a church roll, how much Bible you know, or how much morality you showcase in life, you are not an authentic Christian (Romans 8:9). Second, you are like a car that has no motor under the hood in that you have no real power when it comes to living for Jesus and serving Him.

God the Holy Spirit coming to dwell inside the believer is the “born again” experience of which Jesus spoke (John 3:3). In Titus 3:5, this experience is called “the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,” and 2 Corinthians 5:17 says that it makes you “a new creation” for which old things have passed away and all things have become new. If all of that sounds not only eternity-altering but also life-changing, it is!

And unlike those believers who first enjoyed this experience on that day of Pentecost, no one who places saving belief in Jesus today has to wait for it. Now the new believer is baptized with the Holy Spirit the moment that God rates the person’s belief as real and saving. That’s why the apostle Paul could confidently write, “…Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His” (Romans 8:9 N.K.J.V.). It’s also why He could rightly describe the indwelling Holy Spirit as being the believer’s inner guarantee of a heavenly inheritance (2 Corinthians 1:21-22; 5:5; Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:30).

Therefore, in light of all this, I guess the only thing left to ask is, “Does God the Holy Spirit dwell inside you?” Rest assured that if you have placed legitimate saving belief in Jesus Christ, He does. But rest just as assured that if you haven’t placed legitimate saving belief in Jesus Christ, He doesn’t. The difference really isn’t hard to understand.

You see, there are various religions that teach that adherence to their rules can in some way make you either God yourself or very close to Him. Christianity, however, is the only one that teaches that God Himself — in the person of God the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Holy Trinity — will come to you and literally take up residence inside your earthly body. That’s a whole different ballgame, and it’s one in which Jesus wants you to participate.

Posted in Belief, Church, God's Work, Salvation, Series: "The Early Church of Jerusalem", The Holy Spirit | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Make Your Bed

Posted on February 6, 2026 by russellmckinney

Naval Admiral William McRaven served as the ninth commander of the U.S. Special Operations Command from August 8, 2011, to August 28, 2014. On May 17, 2014, he gave the commencement speech at the University of Texas at Austin. His 20-minute speech is now considered one of the best commencement speeches ever given.

McRaven’s speech featured ten life lessons that he gleaned from basic SEAL training. (SEAL is an acronym for Sea, Air, and Land.) It is the first of those ten lessons that I want to mention for this post. That lesson is: Make Your Bed.

McRaven said:

If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed. If you make your bed every morning, you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride and encourage you to do another task. And by the end of the day that one task will encourage you to complete another task and another.

Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that little things in life matter. If you can’t do the little things right, you will never be able to do the big things right. And if by chance you have a miserable day, you will come home to a bed that is made. A made bed gives you encouragement that tomorrow will be better.

When I read these words from McRaven, I’m reminded of three Bible passages. Each of the three speaks of the importance of doing the little things well, and each passage has a direct application to the Christian in regards to living all out for Jesus. I offer the passages (all from the N.K.J.V.) as the close to this post. Consider them well, Christian, and be honest about how the activities that fill your day are measuring up to them.

  • Ecclesiastes 9:10: Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.
  • 1 Corinthians 10:31: Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
  • Colossians 3:17: And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
Posted in Attitude, Character, Commitment, Doing Good, Faithfulness, God's Work, Leadership, Perseverance, Service, Work | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

What Lou Gehrig Can Teach Us About God’s Will

Posted on February 4, 2026 by russellmckinney

…Cause me to know the way in which I should walk, For I lift up my soul to You. (Psalm 143:8, N.K.J.V.)

Lou Gehrig was one of the most iconic players in the history of baseball. He played for the New York Yankees from 1923 to 1939, when the disease that now bears his name finally forced him to retire. Nicknamed “The Iron Horse” because he played in 2,130 consecutive games, Gehrig’s hall-of-fame career is the stuff of legends. As evidence of this, his Yankee uniform #4 was the first number to ever be retired by a baseball team.

One story from Gehrig’s career places him at bat, with the Yankees trailing by one run. A runner is on first base and another on second, which means that Gehrig has a chance to either tie or win the game. But with the count full at three balls and two strikes, the pitcher winds up and throws a perfect strike right past Gehrig,

Gehrig just stands there, never moving his bat as the umpire yells, “Strike three!” Then the embarrassed slugger heads toward the dugout. Before he leaves the batter’s box, though, Gehrig turns and says something to the umpire. This sends the sportswriters sitting next to the field into a frenzy. Never before have they seen Gehrig argue with an umpire.

Curiosity quickly gets the better of one of the writers, so he yells out, “Hey, ump, tell us what Lou said to you.” The umpire looks at Gehrig and says, “Lou, tell these men what you just said to me.” To that Gehrig smiles somewhat ashamedly and says, “I just said, ‘I’d give ten dollars to have that one back.’”

This world is filled with people who’d give much more than ten dollars to have a decision back. Many a man or woman thinks, “Oh, to be back in time, standing at that same crossroad again!” But we can’t go back, can we? Life gives us just one chance to get it right, and if we make a bad decision, we have to live with the unpleasant harvest. This is why it is so important that we tap into the mind of God when making decisions. The Bible tells us that His way is perfect (Psalm 18:30), His work is perfect (Deuteronomy 32:4), and His will is perfect (Romans 12:2).

So, are you facing a big decision right now? If you are, have you taken the matter to God in prayer and asked Him to show you His will? “Not really,” you say? Then it’s high time you did. And even if you have, then it would still be a good idea for you to ask Him again and make double sure that you heard His answer correctly. What you surely don’t want to do is miss God’s will and consequently have to say what Lou Gehrig once had to say: “I’d give ten dollars to have that one back.”

Posted in Choices, Decisions, Discernment, God's Guidance, God's Will, Prayer, Sports, Trusting In God | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

A Lesson Samuel Didn’t Learn

Posted on February 2, 2026 by russellmckinney

Of all of Israel’s great spiritual leaders, none rises any higher than Samuel. He was a prophet, a priest, and the last of Israel’s Judges. He personally anointed the nation’s first two kings (Saul and David), and two books from the Old Testament bear his name, even though they were originally one book.

But was Samuel perfect? Nope. In particular, there was one lesson that he failed to learn even though God enrolled him in the perfect class in which to learn it.

Samuel began his life as one of the Bible’s classic examples of God opening a barren wife’s womb and allowing her husband to father a child through her. The wife’s name was Hannah and the husband’s name was Elkanah. The promise Hannah made to God was that if He would open her womb and give her a child, that child would be dedicated to the Lord his entire life (1 Samuel 1:8-11). She made that promise while praying at Israel’s Tabernacle, the holy structure where the Ark of the Covenant was kept (1 Samuel 1:7). At that time, the Tabernacle was located in Shiloh (1 Samuel 1:9). The Tabernacle was where Israel’s priests served and offered Israel’s sacrifices to God.

Once Elkanah’s family returned home from Shiloh, it wasn’t long before Hannah became pregnant with Samuel (1 Samuel 1:20). She kept him until he was weaned (typically a two-to-three-year period), and then she and Elkanah took him to the Tabernacle and formally gave him to the priests there to be raised by them (1 Samuel 1:21-28; 2:1-11). Hannah and Elkanah would only visit him at the Tabernacle each year when they brought the sacrifices that were commanded by the law of Moses (1 Samuel 2:18-21).

Israel’s High Priest during those days was Eli, but he was very old (1 Samuel 2:22). Consequently, he delegated the primary responsibilities of the priesthood to his two sons: Hophni and Phinehas. That was a major problem because Hophni and Phinehas weren’t even saved believers (1 Samuel 2:12)! In keeping with their spiritual state, they made a mockery of the holy priesthood by offering sacrifices in ways that violated the Israel’s law but benefited themselves (1 Samuel 1:13-16; Leviticus 7:28-34; Deuteronomy 18:3). The manner in which they performed Israel’s sacrifices was so repugnant to God that He actually abhorred the sacrifices (1 Samuel 2:17).

Furthermore, Hophni and Phinehas were womanizers who had sexual relations with the women who served as menial helpers to the priests at the Tabernacle (1 Samuel 2:22; Exodus 38:8). Such shockingly scandalous behavior was even more than old Eli could ignore, and so when he heard the report, he made an attempt to rebuke his sons (1 Samuel 2:22-25). As could have been predicted, however, they ignored him and continued on with their sinful ways.

Finally, the time came for young Samuel to fulfill his destiny as being God’s true man there at the Tabernacle (1 Samuel 2:26). So, what followed was a sequence of events:

  • First, God sent a “man of God,” who curiously goes unnamed in the storyline, to speak a word of prophetic rebuke to Eli telling him that God was going to take the priesthood from Eli, raise up a new High Priest, and kill Hophni and Phinehas (1 Samuel 2:27-36).
  • Second, God audibly spoke to Samuel during a nightly encounter that served as not only Samuel’s actual salvation experience (1 Samuel 3:7) but also his official call into the ministry (1 Samuel 3:1-21).
  • Third, God allowed the Philistines to win a decisive battle over Israel, a battle during which the Philistines killed 30,000 of Israel’s soldiers and captured the Ark of the Covenant as a trophy of war (1 Samuel 4:1-11). Hophni and Phinehas were killed in that battle as well.
  • Fourth, when the 98-year-old Eli heard the news about the death of his two sons and the loss of the Ark of the Covenant, he fell off his seat backward and died instantly from a broken neck (1 Samuel 4:18).

Okay, now let’s fast forward to a time when Samuel himself has grown old. Even though he has never served as Israel’s High Priest, he has been the nation’s recognized spiritual leader for decades. No one is as respected in the land as he is. And yet there is a problem.

In addition to his spiritual leadership, the elderly Samuel is also still Israel’s Judge in the practical matters that arise between people. This role requires him to annually leave his home in Ramah and travel a designated circuit from Bethel to Gilgal to Mizpah, judging cases and settling disputes at each site (1 Samuel 7:15-17). But Samuel is now too old to be doing all that, and so he installs his two sons, Joel and Abijah, as Judges to help him with the job (1 Samuel 8:1-2). Herein lies the problem. Joel and Abijah, you see, are wicked men who seek dishonest gain, take bribes, pervert justice, and do not walk in Samuel’s ways (1 Samuel 8:3).

How bad is the situation? It’s bad enough that the elders of Israel gather themselves together, make the trip to visit Samuel at his home in Ramah, and tell him that they will not accept Joel and Abijah as Judges. As the elders see it, it’s time for Israel to have its first king, a ruler who will act as Judge over the people (1 Samuel 8:1-5).

That, ladies and gentlemen, was the beginning of the end of Israel’s era of Judges and the launching pad for its era of kings. And what was the root cause of that history-shaking transition? It was the fact that Samuel hadn’t learned from the parenting mistakes that he’d watched Eli make so many years earlier. Just as Eli had proven himself incapable of raising sons worthy to succeed him in his role as High Priest, Samuel had proven himself just as incapable in raising sons worthy to succeed him in his role as Judge. How sad!

The takeaway from all this for us isn’t hard to discern. We must not let ourselves make the same mistakes we have watched previous generations make. We shouldn’t fulfill that famous saying that tells us, “Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” Even if we make mistakes in raising the next generation — and we will surely make some mistakes — those mistakes should at least be new ones, not the same ones we watched the generation that came before us make. To repeat those mistakes is inexcusable. And that, unfortunately, is a lesson that Samuel didn’t learn.

Posted in Aging, Backsliding, Children, Discernment, Discipline, Elderly, Faithfulness, Family, Fatherhood, God's Holiness, God's Work, Headship, Husbands, Influence, Leadership, Marriage, Ministry, Motherhood, Parenting, Pastors, Sin, Youth | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Persistently Praying for Someone Else

Posted on January 30, 2026 by russellmckinney

And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will be given what you ask for. Keep on looking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And the door is opened to everyone who knocks. (Luke 11:9-10, N.L.T.)

An old saying in preaching circles says, “A text taken out of context is a pretext.” The saying simply means that the writers of the Bible didn’t pen down random thoughts in random order. To the contrary, each writer organized the content of his book in a systematic, intentional way that was inspired by the Holy Spirit (2 Timothy 3:16). In most cases, the order stems from the chronology of the events recorded in the book, but in some cases the order is topical rather than chronological.

Okay, so why am I bringing this up? I’m doing it because Luke places our text passage right on the heels of Christ’s story about a man who knocks on the door of his friend’s home at midnight and asks for three loaves of bread. The door-knocker needs the three loaves because another friend of his, one who is in the midst of a journey, has showed up very unexpectedly and very hungry at the door-knocker’s home.

Jesus says, “Even though friendship alone won’t compel the friend who receives the late-night request to get out of bed and give the bread, he’ll do it to end the door-knocker’s persistent midnight knocking.” Following this illustration Christ’s next words in Luke’s gospel are, “And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will be given what you ask for. Keep on looking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened.” You see, Luke wants the illustration and the promise to walk hand in hand. The illustration segues directly into the promise.

You say, “Well, what’s the big deal about that?” The big deal is that the context for Christ’s promise is one of intercessory prayer as the door-knocker in the illustration is doing nothing less than interceding (making request) for his hungry friend. It’s the friend, not the door-knocker himself, who needs the bread. As for the guy who is asleep in bed, he’s merely the person through whom the door-knocker gets the traveler’s need met.

Now, to be fair, this same promise about asking, seeking, and knocking is also given in Matthew 7:7-8, and in that passage the context has nothing to do with intercessory prayer. So, it’s not right to say that Jesus intended the promise to be used exclusively for intercessory prayer. It is clear, however, that the promise can and should be claimed in this way. (For the record, I’m in the camp of those who believe that Matthew 7:7-8 and Luke 11:9-10 are the record of two separate quotes from Jesus that were spoken in two different settings at two different times.)

The upshot of all this is that if you’ve been praying that God will meet the need of a certain individual, don’t stop praying. Don’t stop asking for that request. Don’t stop seeking that answer. Don’t stop knocking on God’s door. After all, God is the friend of yours who has the bread, and He’s the one who will at some point honor your persistence by granting your request so that the need of that other individual can be met.

Posted in Friendship, God's Timing, God's Provision, God's Word, Intercessory Prayer, Ministry, Needs, Perseverance, Prayer, Prayer Requests, Scripture, The Bible, Trusting In God | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Trouble with Power

Posted on January 28, 2026 by russellmckinney

Then the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders of the people assembled at the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiphas, and plotted to take Jesus by trickery and kill Him. But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people.” (Matthew 26:3-4, N.K.J.V.)

Evil can be shameless. Can you imagine the Jewish religious elite sitting around in the palace of the high priest, engaged in open conversation about killing a man? What would have caused them to do such a thing? One thing: power (or more precisely, their potential loss of it.)

Those chief priests, scribes, and elders saw Jesus for exactly what He was: the greatest threat they had ever known to the status quo in Israel. That status quo, of course, was to their overall liking because it allowed them to play the role of big shots. They had the stroke. They had the influence. They were in control of the Jewish way of life. Sure, the Romans held sway over the entire land, but those pagans were content to let Israel’s religious elite manage the commoners.

Some of the nastiest people you will ever meet are those who are feeling threatened by a potential loss of power. Such people don’t like change, are loathe to admit mistakes, and tend to be bullyish and vindictive. They talk a lot about the past and want the future to be nothing more than a grander continuation of it. When threatened they go for the jugular. And if they see someone as a big enough threat to their control, they’ll play as dirty as dirty gets.

This brings us back to those Jewish religious leaders. Not only was Jesus not impressed by them, He dared call them sinners who needed to repent. The nerve of that fanatic! Those men thought, “This man must be stopped.” But clear thinking was required. After all, it was the feast season of Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. That meant the streets of Jerusalem would be jammed pack with Jews from up and down the land, and a large percentage of those Jews considered Jesus to be nothing less than the Messiah.

If Jesus was to be killed, the situation had to be handled delicately. Those religious leaders didn’t want a riot on their hands. By the way, egomaniacs drunk on power always want to keep the sheep tranquil. Tranquil sheep never alter the status quo.

Now, just to be clear, let me say that the world does need leaders. The Bible, for example, features scores of characters who were great leaders. But the key to godly leadership is that the leader himself must be fully submitted to Jesus. Really, such leaders don’t even make their own decisions. What they do is allow Jesus to channel His decisions through them. That, needless to say, is a whole other way of operating.

Unfortunately, this style of leadership is all but extinct in our governmental offices, businesses, courts, schools, churches, and homes today. To the contrary, the prevailing attitude of the era can be summed up in the question: “Why should we come together in a palace and have a time of confession, repentance, and seeking God’s will when we can come together in that same palace and seek the demise of those who are causing us problems?” You see, the world still has its chief priests, scribes, and elders. If you are looking for them, look in places where people have the power and control over certain situations. There you’ll find them, and the chances are high that they’ll even be in the process of plotting someone’s demise.

Posted in Business, Character, Church, God's Will, God's Work, Greed, Headship, Leadership, Pastors, Politics, Submission | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

The People Had a Mind to Work

Posted on January 26, 2026 by russellmckinney

So we built the wall, and the entire wall was joined together up to half its height, for the people had a mind to work. (Nehemiah 4:6, N.K.J.V.)

The book of Nehemiah tells the story of a Jew named Nehemiah. He served on the royal staff of the Persian ruler Artaxerxes as the king’s cupbearer. However, that is not what made Nehemiah famous. What made him famous was leading an unlikely movement to rebuild the walls surrounding the city of Jerusalem. Those walls had been torn down over a century earlier by the Babylonian army that had conquered Jerusalem and burned the city’s temple in the process.

Thanks to the previous efforts of another Jew, Zerubbabel, a new temple had been erected in Jerusalem, albeit one not as grand the original one (Ezra chapters 1-6). But that new temple, which was now several decades old, stood in constant jeopardy as long as Jerusalem’s protective walls still lay in ruins. This was Nehemiah’s cue to volunteer himself to gather the permission, the resources, and the people to lead the effort to rebuild those walls.

Despite serious opposition instigated by local enemies, Nehemiah and his group of workers managed to completely finish the wall in just 52 days. It was nothing short of one of the most remarkable building achievements in history. The secret to their astounding success is stated in our text verse, Nehemiah 4:6, which reports the group’s progress at the halfway point of the project — when the rebuilt wall stood at half its desired height. The verse simply says: “the people had a mind to work.” Yep, that will get a job done.

It’s sad, downright tragic in fact, that our churches today are not marked by congregations who have a mind to work. Instead, we have congregations that have minds to (take your pick): argue, fuss, fight, obsess over money, play, be entertained, compromise, or be lazy. It’s no wonder that we can’t make a dent in shaping the spiritual, moral fabric of our times. Who wants to follow the example of a bunch of people who get together, claim to be members of the same spiritual family, and proceed to act like kids in a sandbox?

One notable preacher once said, “You can’t build a great church on spare time and pocket change.” How right he was. A great church requires sacrifice, not just the sacrifice of money but also that of time. This, of course, is to say nothing of the sacrifice of work.

Unfortunately, most church-members nowadays pour so much of themselves into doing the work of their secular jobs and their daily chores that they can’t muster up any work at church, too. That’s why they are content to come, sit, soak, and leave. They never really invest themselves into a church, which makes it easy for them to head down the road and find another one anytime things don’t go to their liking.

It is with all this in mind, Christian, that I ask you: How much work are you really putting into church? When it comes to your local church, do you have a mind to work? Do you have what it takes to lose some of your time, your energy, and your resources in helping rebuild a wall? Do you show up at church with rolled-up sleeves rather than a turned-up nose? One out-of-heart pastor said, “My people aren’t born again; they are born against.” That’s not you, is it, Christian? If it is, then you are standing in the way of God’s work rather than joining in with it. And that’s a real shame because, after all, there is always so much of His work that needs to be done.

Posted in Attitude, Church, Church Attendance, Commitment, Complaining, Deacons, God's Work, Ministry, Missions, Money, Pastors, Sacrifice, Service, Sunday School, Work, Worship | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Are You Taking Your Stand with God’s Revealed Truth?

Posted on January 23, 2026 by russellmckinney

One day a teacher set up a telescope in his classroom so that his students could view a certain planet and its moons. The students lined up to peer into the telescope, and one by one each student confidently affirmed that he could see the planet and the moons. The whole project was humming along nicely until one student looked into the telescope and said, “I can’t see anything.”

The statement angered the teacher a bit, and in a tone of annoyance he told the student to adjust the lenses. The student did so but still claimed to see nothing. At that point the teacher leaned over to the telescope and had a look for himself. To his complete surprise, he saw nothing. Upon investigation he discovered that the lens cap hadn’t been removed from the telescope. This is a true story, and the student who said, “I can’t see anything” was Benno Muller-Hill, who would go on to become one of Germany’s leading biologists.

This story reminds me of an experience I once had in high school. Stan Elkins, our Physical Science teacher, stood before our class one day holding two objects, one in each hand. I can’t remember precisely what the objects were, but one of them was obviously heavier than the other one. Stan said, “I’m going to drop these two objects at the same time, and I want a show of hands as to which one will hit the ground first.” The three choices were: the heavier object will hit first, the lighter object will hit first, or both objects will hit at the same time. I remember the hands of the entire class, except my hand, going up to vote for the heavier object hitting first.

As for me, I voted for the option that both objects would hit the ground at the same time. When Stan saw my solitary hand in the air, he grinned at me and asked, “Are you sure, Russ?” That’s when I started waffling, which was quickly followed by me answering, “No” and dropping my hand to about half mast. I mean, c’mon, it’s one thing to write down an answer that only the teacher will ever see, but it’s something else entirely to get horse laughed by a room full of your peers because you are the only idiot among them. When Stan saw me backing up from my answer, he just laughed and said, “Ah, he’s not so sure now.”

Okay, now it was time for him to drop the objects. Everyone in class grew deathly silent as he first made sure that the objects were at equal distances from the ground. Then he did the drop.

And what was the result? Both objects hit the ground at the same time. The whole class was astonished except for me. I was just mad at myself for not sticking to my guns under pressure. It also didn’t help that Stan smiled at me and said, “You see, Russ, you should have trusted yourself.”

By now you are probably wondering what compelled me to give that minority answer anyway. Well, I assure you that it wasn’t because I was so much more brilliant than my classmates. No, I gave the answer because I had an advantage over them.

Through no planning of my own, I had recently watched an old black-and-white television show in which a man had taught a boy a lesson by dropping two rocks, one heavy and one light, to the ground. (All these years later, I wish I could remember which show it was.) Like my classmates, that boy had assumed that the heavier rock would hit the ground first. But just as Stan’s experiment would prove a few days later, in the man’s experiment both rocks had hit the ground at the same time. The man had then explained to the boy that the famous Italian scientist Galileo had taught the world the odd fact that gravity accelerates all objects at the same rate, regardless of their mass or composition.

(For the record, Galileo’s discovery is now known as “The Universality of Free Fall” or “The Equivalence Principle,” and it’s a cornerstone of modern physics. Albert Einstein used the principle to formulate his theory of relativity. It should be noted, however, that the principle can only be perfectly displayed by items being dropped inside an airless vacuum. This is because if the air resistance is great enough on an object, it can cause that object to fall at a slower rate. For example, a bowling ball will hit the ground long before a piece of paper even though gravity is pulling on them at the same rate.)

Okay, now let me get to the point of this post, and it has nothing to do with physics. The point is that God had used that old television show to reveal truth to me, truth upon which I should have firmly stood in Stan Elkin’s class that day. Like a lot of Bible-believing Christians, though, when the pressure rose a bit, I folded like a cheap card table in regards to what God had revealed to me. All it took to get me to forsake what I knew to be true was some laughter from my fellow students and just a touch of questioning by Stan. That I admit to my everlasting shame.

But tell me, Christian, is there some God-revealed truth that you have forsaken lately? If there is, what was your reason for forsaking it? Did peer pressure get you? Did a potential loss of friends or even family cause you to fold? Did you fear being ridiculed? Or did you forsake God’s truth because Satan got you with the same lie that he used on Eve: “Has God really said…”?

Whatever it was that caused you to waffle on God’s revealed truth and lower your hand, let me encourage you right now to confess your sin to God, repent of it, and embrace that truth afresh and anew. That might require you to revisit some conversations you’ve had with people. It might require you to make some changes in how you’ve been handling situations. It might even require you to rearrange your entire world. But in the end the all-important question that you have to ask yourself is, “Am I going to take my stand upon the truth that God has revealed to me or not?” You see, it really does come down to just that. And if you answer that question wrongly, then get ready to live with regret for the rest of your life. Take it from someone who could have stood tall in a Physical Science class one day but wasted the golden opportunity.

Posted in Abortion, Belief, Bible Study, Choices, Courage, Criticism, Discernment, Doubt, Faith, Faithfulness, Fear, God's Guidance, God's Will, God's Word, Homosexuality, Personal, Rebellion, Satan, Scripture, The Bible, The Devil, Trusting In God, Truth | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Holy Spirit as Comforter

Posted on January 21, 2026 by russellmckinney

On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” (John 7:37-38, N.K.J.V.)

R.A. Torrey was one of the most famous preachers who ever lived. His resume would impress anyone. He graduated from Yale University and Yale Divinity School. He was a prominent pastor. He worked extensively with the great evangelist D.L. Moody in evangelistic work. He preached around the world. He was the Superintendent of the school that is now known as Moody Bible Institute. He founded Biola University in Los Angeles and served as its dean. He authored dozens of books.

Torrey and his wife had five children, four of them girls, but a tragic accident claimed the life of their twelve-year-old daughter, Elizabeth. The funeral was conducted on a rainy day, and the weather seemed to fit the mood of the family perfectly. As Torrey and his wife, Clara, stood over the gravesite, Clara said, “I’m so glad Elizabeth is not in that box.”

The next morning R.A. got up and went for a walk. As he walked, he began to think about how he wouldn’t get to hear Elizabeth laugh again or see her grow into a young woman. Even though he knew her soul was in heaven, the loss of future earthly memories with her was more than he could take. His grief became overwhelming.

Barely able to stand, and desperate for God’s comforting presence, Torrey leaned up against a light pole and began to pray. As for what happened next, I’ll let the man himself explain. He said:

And just then the fountain, the Holy Spirit, whom I had in my heart, broke forth with such power as I think I had never experienced before. And it was the most joyful moment I had ever known in my life! It is an unspeakably glorious thing to have within you a fountain ever springing up, springing up, springing up, ever springing up 365 days in every year, springing up under all circumstances.

Christian, there are two things that I want you to learn from Torrey’s experience, an experience that calls to mind Christ’s words from our text passage (John 7:37-38). First, you should learn that being a Christian doesn’t make you immune from life’s hardships and tragedies. If a great Christian like R.A. Torrey could have a young daughter die in an accident, none of us is safe from calamity.

Second, you should learn that one of the indwelling Holy Spirit’s most important roles in your life is that of Comforter. In John 14:26, the Greek word that is used in reference to the Holy Spirit is parakletos, from which comes the Greek proper noun Paraclete. Because the word parakletos literally means “called to one’s side,” various translations of the Bible translate the word as “Helper,” “Counselor,” “Advocate,” “Companion,” or “Friend.” None of these translations, however, is as heartwarming as the classic King James translation’s familiar “Comforter.”

Christian, the point is that when you need comforting, the indwelling Holy Spirit wells up inside you and does that comforting. This comforting is something that R.A. Torrey once experienced while leaning against a light pole the day after he had buried his daughter, and it’s something that you can experience as well. Obviously, you’d rather not experience any loss or tragedy, but unfortunately life makes that an impossibility. So, when those difficult times come, what you should do is pray to God and ask Him to have the indwelling Holy Spirit minister His sweet comfort to you. And then don’t be surprised when the Holy Spirit does just that.

Posted in Adversity, Comfort, Death, Depression, Disappointment, Encouragement, Fear, God's Love, God's Omnipresence, God's Provision, Inner Peace, Peace, Perseverance, Problems, Restoration, Suffering, The Holy Spirit, Trials, Worry | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

A Story About the Value of Waiting Just a Little Bit Longer

Posted on January 19, 2026 by russellmckinney

In his booklet When Everything Goes Wrong, Adrian Rogers tells the story of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. Solzhenitsyn, who was a Christian, was a Russian writer who was an outspoken critic of communism and the Soviet Union. In February of 1945, he was arrested for making disparaging remarks against Soviet ruler Joseph Stalin and was sentenced to the Soviet Union’s “gulag” system of forced-labor camps. He would remain a prisoner for the next eight years, being assigned to different camps and different work details over the course of those years.

As a prisoner, Solzhenitsyn was not allowed any mail, newspapers, magazines, or letters. He couldn’t write any letters, either. He had absolutely no communication with the outside world. The rules of imprisonment in the “gulag” camps were so extreme that the prisoners were not even allowed to communicate with each other.

Each day for Solzhenitsyn was filled with nothing but hard, physical labor that was carried out in either scorching heat or brutal cold. Guards stood in constant watch over the prisoners, and the food rations were meager. Even nighttime didn’t provide much relief as the beds were barely beds.

After enduring such conditions for years, there came a time when Solzhenitsyn decided to end his suffering by committing suicide. But the more he thought about that drastic course of action, the more he realized that he couldn’t go through with it. His Christian faith simply wouldn’t allow it.

Solzhenitsyn’s misery was so consuming, however, that his mind quickly hatched another idea. He would try to escape by breaking and running. He thought, “If I’m shot in the back, at least I’ll be free from this awful existence, and my death won’t be my fault.”

And so, the day came that Solzhenitsyn had decided would be his last, one way or the other, as a prisoner. After a period of the day’s typical grueling work, the prisoners were given a few moments of rest. Solzhenitsyn then made his way over to a tree and sat down under it. As he sat there, he intently watched the guard who had a rifle. That guard would be the one to shoot him in the back if the escape didn’t work.

Solzhenitsyn knew that the prisoners’ moment of rest wouldn’t last long, and so he figured that now was the time to attempt his escape. He put his hands to the ground and was ready to push himself up into his best run, but at that very moment another prisoner, one he had not seen before, walked up to him and stood directly in front of him. Solzhenitsyn couldn’t believe the man’s timing.

Since the guard with the rifle was standing right there, the two prisoners didn’t dare try to communicate. But the other prisoner looked into Solzhenitsyn’s eyes with such love and compassion that Solzhenitsyn entire demeanor changed. He would later say of the prisoner’s look, “Though he uttered not a word, there was a look upon his face that spoke volumes to my heart.”

Now that the prisoner had Solzhenitsyn’s unspoken attention, the man used a branch from the tree to doodle on the ground in such a childlike, harmless way that the nearby guard didn’t even bother to investigate. And what did the prisoner doodle? Solzhenitsyn looked down and to his surprise saw that the seemingly random doodle was not random at all. It was a cross!

The moment Solzhenitsyn saw the cross he knew that his plan to either escape or be killed was not of God. So, right there on the spot he asked God to forgive him. And it was only a few days later that Solzhenitsyn learned the reason why God had intervened so marvelously to keep him from attempting his escape. To quote Solzhenitsyn, “Little did I know that all over the world people were pleading my cause, and that in just three days I would be a free man in Geneva, Switzerland. Three days!”

Posted in Adversity, Choices, Conviction, Decisions, Depression, Faith, God's Timing, God's Foreknowledge, God's Guidance, God's Will, Impatience, Patience, Problems, Suffering, Suicide, Temptation, Trials, Trusting In God, Waiting | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment