By Allen Speegle on
2/19/2010 8:04 PM
When I read or think about the life of Joseph in the Old Testament I often ask myself a question that I want to ask you. What would somebody in your circumstances do if you were absolutely confident that God was with you? In each of these cases, Joseph acts with the confidence that God is with him. He doesn’t get dismayed that things don’t go according to plan. Most of us equate God’s presence with comfortable circumstances. When things are going good, God is good. When things are going bad, where did God go? God, what are you doing, taking a vacation? Are you resting? It leads us to ask this question – what would somebody in your circumstances do if you were absolutely confident that God was with you?
Read More »
|
By Allen Speegle on
2/9/2010 3:04 PM
George Santayana, the Spanish philosopher once said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it!” Solomon, the wisest man in the world, once said, That which has been is what will be, That which is done is what will be done, And there is nothing new under the sun. (Eccl. 1:9) Sadly, those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat the failures of the past.
Church history is one of those topics that the “hyper-spiritual” deem to have little value. Putting down the study of church history ranks right up there in the “ignorant Christian” poll with those who boldly declare, “I don’t want to study theology or doctrine; I just want to read the Bible!” Jesus knew the history of His people and He knew the doctrines of the day, as did the Apostle Paul. It was their knowledge of these practical areas that made t
Read More »
|
By Allen Speegle on
1/14/2010 2:14 PM
When you think Pat Robertson can't say anything more stupid than he has in the past he does... He has no doubt accomplished some great things but to keep blaming God for tragedies is beyond belief. He has repeatedly said through the years "God said" certain things would happen that did not so you would think he would learn to keep quiet in times like this. Don't be drawn into this thing Pat said about Haiti being cursed. Gal 3:13 says Christ has redeemed us from the curse by being made a curse for us... God never causes pain in our lives, NEVER! James 1:16-18 says; "Don't be deceived, my dear brothers. 17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."
Read More »
|
By Allen Speegle on
12/3/2009 2:17 PM
Any good thing we experience in this world is a grace thing. The Bible says in Eph. 2:8-9, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” These verses are very clear that we should not think for a moment that our goodness has earned us any good thing from God. There are some core statements and beliefs that I often share in our church that I want to share with you, all of which are made possible because of grace:
- God is GOOD all the time!
- God’s not mad at you no matter what you’ve done or where you’ve been
- Having a
Read More »
|
By Allen Speegle on
11/19/2009 7:52 AM
My interest is in the future, because that’s where I am going to spend the rest of my life! (Isa 43:18-19 "Forget about what's happened; don't keep going over old history. Be alert, be present. I'm about to do something brand-new.) Stop thinking about I should have and if I could do it over again… Whatever you focus on you get more of it. Look to the future!
Read More »
|
By Allen Speegle on
9/24/2009 2:25 PM
In my early years of ministry much of what I did like everyone else starting out was based on trial and error therefore I did not know what was really important in growing a ministry nor how to properly view things. There are a lot of things had known the value of and others had I known how to view them that would have saved me much pain and confusion in my life. In this issue I will list and briefly discuss “10 Things I Wish I Had Known”.
Read More »
|
By Allen Speegle on
9/16/2009 2:53 PM
Failing to plan is planning to fail. Planning ahead may not seem important but even God planned before He created the world. Ephesians 1 says, “Long before God laid earth’s foundations, he had us in mind. Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family. He thought of everything, provided for everything we could possibly need.” In other words, God anticipated and made provision for every need you will ever have before you were even born because of the value/importance He placed on us.
Read More »
|
By Allen Speegle on
5/21/2009 12:15 PM
Each of us have a unique time allotment. Time is God’s gift to us. What we do with it is our gift to God. Benjamin Franklin said, “Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that’s the stuff life is made of.” If you want to guard you time you need to leave a margin.
Read More »
|
By Allen Speegle on
3/19/2009 3:05 PM
I seldom call another minister’s name when I feel they are in error because I know any of us can and have missed it. While there are certain aspects of David Wilkerson’s ministry that I honor, and while I do not in any way question his commitment and love for God, I feel I must address something he prophesied on his blog on March 7th. Please read his prophecy with caution. Afterward, I will briefly address how I know that Wilkerson, without a doubt, missed it.
Read More »
|
By Allen Speegle on
2/5/2009 12:40 PM
One thing is for certain in a world filled with uncertainties and that is -- things are always changing. Because things are always changing, we as leaders are constantly being challenged to change both ourselves and our methods of ministry. One of the many things I have come to realize as a pastor is that if we as a local church do not change the way we do ministry, two years from now we will have very few new people in our church family. In this article I hope to identify a few simple truths that will enable you to “Find What Works” in your setting.
Read More »
|