June 2021 Issue
Three angels, one gospel
Ángel Manuel RodrÍguez
I begin with a simple yet perhaps rhetorical question: What are you proclaiming from the pulpit every week? The answer should be obvious: The gospel of salvation through faith in Christ’s sacrificial death. His saving work should color and determine the content of…
Reflections on the pandemic and final events
Marco T. Terreros,
Signs that the end is near (Matt. 24:6–8) include pestilences, such as the 2019 novel coronavirus. Of this set of signs, Jesus said that “ ‘all these are the beginning of sorrows’ ” (v. 8).1 The end is not yet because, among other reasons, “ ‘the gospel must first…
Making appeals and getting decisions
David M. Klinedinst
I remember a conversation I had with Mike. He had been attending church with his wife for nearly 30 years but had never been baptized. I asked him, “Have you ever thought of being baptized?” He indicated that, at times, he had. “Mike, what’s stopping you from being…
Sweet communion
Joy Wendt
Participating in the rite of Communion four weeks in a row is one of the perks of being the wife of a man who pastors four churches. The danger is that the special service can become commonplace. When the kids begin to sigh, “Oh no, not Communion again,” it’s time…
If the Cross could speak
Hymers Wilson
I saw a cross at my local mall, made from stainless steel with black Swarovski crystals glued to the cross pieces. It was valued at just under $100, but if this little cross could talk, it would remind us that its symbolism has infinite value. Jesus Christ was crucified…