Author Archives: russellmckinney

Does God Hear the Prayers of Lost People (part 3)

Posted on September 23, 2022 by russellmckinney

The New Testament stories of God hearing the prayers of Cornelius (Acts 10:1-48) and the tax collector from Christ’s parable (Luke 18:9-14) shouldn’t surprise us. I say that because even in the Old Testament we find examples of God showing … Continue reading →

Posted in Brokenness, Children, Grace, Humility, Mercy, Prayer, Salvation | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Does God Hear the Prayers of Lost People? (part 2)

Posted on September 21, 2022 by russellmckinney

In Luke 18:9-14, we find another example of a lost man who, like Cornelius, had God hear his sincere prayer. His prayer is what some call “the sinner’s prayer.” Actually, the man isn’t a literal person but is, instead, merely … Continue reading →

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Does God Hear the Prayers of Lost People? (part 1)

Posted on September 19, 2022 by russellmckinney

Acts 10:1-6 tells the story of a man named Cornelius: There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment, a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, … Continue reading →

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The New Testament, Prayer, & Jesus

Posted on September 16, 2022 by russellmckinney

The New Testament era officially began with the birth of Jesus. As God in the flesh, He ushered in a new age and revealed God more intimately than any Old Testament Jew could have ever imagined. The “one” Lord God … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible Study, Doctrine, Prayer, Prayer Requests, Salvation, Scripture, The Holy Spirit, The Trinity | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Wilted Roses

Posted on September 14, 2022 by russellmckinney

Somewhere along the way, I picked up a little story about a Sunday School teacher’s efforts to win one of her young students to Christ. I doubt that the story actually happened, but maybe it did. Even if it didn’t, … Continue reading →

Posted in Children, Parenting, Salvation, Sunday School, Youth | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Conflict Within the Church

Posted on September 12, 2022 by russellmckinney

W.B. Riley, who served as the pastor of First Baptist Church of Minneapolis, Minnesota, for some fifty years, told the following story: In my first pastorate, three of my church officials had refused for three full years to speak to … Continue reading →

Posted in Anger, Christian Unity, Church, Church Discipline, Confession, Deacons, Doing Good, Extending Forgiveness, Forgiveness, God's Work, Influence, Pastors | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

All You Need to Know

Posted on September 9, 2022 by russellmckinney

The teacher of a children’s Sunday School class gave her students one month to memorize the 23rd Psalm. Little Bobby gave it his best, but by month’s end he still couldn’t quote all the Psalm. So, when it came his … Continue reading →

Posted in Adversity, Comfort, Eternal Security, God's Love, God's Omnipresence, God's Provision, Needs, Problems, Sunday School, Trials, Trusting In God, Worry | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Different Way to Preach the Gospel

Posted on September 7, 2022 by russellmckinney

An army private became a Christian and began to experience some persecution from his fellow soldiers. One rainy night he came in very tired and wet, but he still got down on his knees and prayed before he went to … Continue reading →

Posted in Character, Doing Good, Evangelism, Extending Forgiveness, Humility, Influence, Mercy, Persecution, Perseverance, Personal Holiness, Prayer, Salvation, Trials, Witnessing | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Chain Is Off

Posted on September 5, 2022 by russellmckinney

A mailman was given a new route. His first day he approached the mailbox of a home that had a big German shepherd crouched on the porch. When the mailman put his hand toward the mailbox, the dog started barking … Continue reading →

Posted in Backsliding, Change, Choices, Disobedience, Personal Holiness, Rebellion, Salvation, Sin | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Should We Pray Silently to Keep Satan from Hearing?

Posted on September 2, 2022 by russellmckinney

A fellow preacher and I once had an interesting conversation concerning people praying aloud and Satan being able to listen in on those prayers. The question we kicked around was this: Is it smarter to pray silently so that Satan … Continue reading →

Posted in Demons, God's Omnipotence, Prayer, Prayer Requests, Satan, Spiritual Warfare, The Devil | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment