Harry Whitt on the Journey with Jesus
The world lay in the sway of darkness, sin, and death. Man’s journey from the Garden was marked by a trail of death and tears. Each tomb was a reminder of every man’s fate. Death reigned in the world by a cruel master, Satan, whose very name meant “Adversary”. The Hebrew prophets of old had prophesied approximately seven centuries before of a coming Messiah who would save and deliver.
Continue reading “Jesus: Born a Man for Men”
How do we respond when good things come our way? We tend to pat ourselves on the back and gloat just a little bit. Pride begins to rise like the morning sun.
I’m not sure when it happened. The notion hit me one day to be thankful when the gloat bubble was floating to the surface. It’s not that hard. When pride begins to rise, capture that thought, and give Jesus thanks for the happening. It takes the emphasis from us and puts it rightly upon the Lord.
Continue reading “Thankfulness is the Remedy for Pride”
I remember in the late 1990’s having good intentions about door-to-door visitation. I, along with some fellow ministry workers, knocked on every door of a nearby city’s government housing projects. We had good intentions but nothing tangible resulted from it. Maybe one person visited our church but no new converts. I know we encouraged a few people, but we never saw a harvest of our efforts.
I learned that building relationships is more effective than cold-calling.
Churches and mission organizations are full of good intentions. We have to be honest and ask ourselves the question. Are our good intentions bearing fruit or do they just make us feel better about ourselves? We often learn by trial and error.
Continue reading “Good Intentions”
Most of us have read accounts of religious martyrdom in historical books and the Bible. Few of us have witnessed it with our own eyes. Recently, we saw Charlie Kirk killed at one of his events. Some would argue that this was a political hit, not a religious one. Whether you loved or hated him, he was an adamant Christian who never minced his words.
The original Greek New Testament word for martyr is the word ‘martus’ pronounced [mar’-toos]. Its basic meaning is witness. A martyr is a person killed for his witness.
It is estimated that over 70 million Christians have been martyred since Jesus Christ himself was martyred on the cross. Most of those have been in the 1900s under fascist and communist rulers. Depending on the historian, some estimates say that since 2000 there has been an average of 100,000 per year. Martyrdom is not just in biblical times but also in relative modern times.
Continue reading “Christian Martyrdom”
Most of us watched in horror as Charlie Kirk was assassinated before our eyes. Many of us viewed the footage where Iryna Zarutska, a Ukrainian refugee was stabbed to death on a Charlotte train with no provocation. Those of us with any sense of morality or common sense, ask the question, “Why?”
I am relieved to know that so many of us can’t fathom how these things can happen. It seems such a senseless act to destroy another human being—a being made in the very image of God. Our hearts cry and our reasoning minds can’t comprehend the depths of hate.
Continue reading “Murder Grows from the Seed of Hate”
Jesus never promised us an easy life. He did promise to be with us. Listen carefully to these words of Jesus. “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation [trouble]; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33 NKJV).
How do we deal with the trouble of this world? Consider the next five points:
Continue reading “Five Spiritual Guidelines for Troubling Times”
When God called me to preach, he called me to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He did not call me to be a motivational speaker, telling folks to be a “Better You.” Yet, in the process of discipleship, we often guide our disciples in necessary life skills. But our overwhelming call is to tell the story of God’s love in the gift of HIs Son. This love is demonstrated in the sending and dying of His Son Jesus on the cross for our redemption. The resurrection of Jesus is a confirmation of His deity.
The main theme of our preaching needs to be Christ, crucified and resurrected.
Continue reading “Central Message of Christ, Crucified and Resurrected”
NOTE: This blog post was originally written and shared by me in 2018. I thought I would give it a quick edit and run it through the rinse cycle one more time!
How Much Does It Cost?
“How much does it cost?”, it is a question we ask when we shop. But life is a series of questions of, “How much does it cost?” It all comes down to value. Everything has a value fixed at a different level by different people. What do we really value?
Continue reading “How Much Does It Cost?”
There are thousands of self-help books promising how to be successful or how to be effective. The Bible, by far, is the most powerful book and instructive book ever written. It tells us how to live. It also shows us how to die.
I have made the Word of God a part of my daily life for many decades. It is one of the most important things I have ever done. The Word of God was delivered into our hands by His servants who penned them thousands of years ago. It is an ancient book that speaks strongly to us today. There are none like it nor shall there ever be.
Learn with me from a few verses from the Apostle Paul to his spiritual son Timothy.
Continue reading “How to Live; How to Die”
In the church world we throw around words and catch phases until they become threadbare of their meaning. Paul used the three terms of grace, mercy, and peace in his salutations to his spiritual sons. Here is one, “To Timothy, a true son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Tim. 1:2 NKJV).
Peace always follows grace and mercy. It is impossible to have true peace with God without the blessings of grace and mercy. Since we were born with a sin nature, it is impossible to have peace with God without them. We can’t outside of these two make ourselves compatible with God’s peace.
We can measure twice and cut once. We can fill the cracks with putty and sand until smooth. We can put three coats of paint on a stairway to Heaven. Still, it will not reach!
Continue reading “How Grace and Mercy Lead to Peace with God”
Pathway Journey 