Perfect Love (St. John 17:26)

This chapter has often been referred to as Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer. My text is a record of the last words that concludes this prayer for His disciples. In the opening words of this prayer Jesus is praying for Himself, following which He prays for His disciples that He is leaving behind, and He further prays for all who “shall believe on me through their word,” which includes all Christians. He makes it very clear in this prayer that He is not praying for the world. The fact that the cross and His departure from this world was just hours ahead makes these final words so very important.

In the opening words of this prayer Jesus confirms to the Father that He had finished the work that He had come to earth to do and now He prayed that the Father would “glorify Him with the glory which He had with Him before the world was.” When Jesus said, “I have finished the work which thou gave me to do,” the work was not as yet completed for He had not yet been crucified. However He stated it as though it was already completed. The blue print for this great plan of salvation was laid out from the foundation of the world. Long before the morning stars ever sang together or the sons of God ever shouted for joy, it was recorded that Jesus was “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” (Revelation 13:8) With the fall of man in the Garden, the Father engaged His Son to undertake the task of providing both free and full salvation to its final completion. He knew that it would be finished to the everlasting delight of God and His saints and to the eternal dismay and defeat of the devil until Jesus could say, “I have glorified thee on the earth.” Indeed He did complete the task for again it is recorded, “When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, He said, IT IS FINISHED: and He bowed His head, and gave up the ghost.” (John 19:30) It was than that He laid the capstone on an uttermost salvation. Continue Reading >>

Upcoming Events

The following is a short list of upcoming locations where Dr. Nelson Perdue will be speaking.

July 8-18, 2010
Indian Springs Holiness Campmeeting
1518 Highway 42
Flovilla, GA 30216
For more information call: (770) 775-3949
Or visit: www.indianspringscampmeeting.org

August 7-8, 2010
Roxbury Holiness Campmeeting
Roxbury, PA
For more information call: (717) 285-5959
Or visit: www.roxburycamp.com

Christ’s Commission to the Church (St. John 20:21)

Christ calls the believer to partner with Him in reaching this lost world. The church is the only institution that ministers to man’s deepest needs in this world while preparing them for the world to come. We are His witnesses commissioned to go into all the world and proclaim the message of full salvation. The church must prepare herself for the work of evangelism so as not to fail in this most important task.

Both revivalism and evangelism are necessary in order for the church to accomplish her God called mission. Often times there is a misplaced emphasis on evangelism without revival but both are vital in winning the lost to Christ. Revival is a fresh work of the Holy Spirit among believers, bringing about a renewed dedication of zeal for the task of evangelism. Revival is for the people of God; evangelism is for the world, or the unsaved. Revival is necessary in order to keep the vision of the evangelization of the world fresh in the hearts of the believer. Nothing dims more rapidly than a religious vision unless it is kept fresh by repeated returns to the place of vision. Continue Reading >>

The Believer’s Rest (Hebrews 4:1-11)

There seems to be a restless spirit that hangs like a pall over this age. This spirit is characteristic of a deep dissatisfaction with life. We see it in the world where there is a constant demand for change, but now we are witnessing it within the organized church. Many of this post-modern age, while searching for the answer to the unrest of their soul are seeking for it in the wrong places. Many have turned to such experiences as yoga, eastern mysticism, new age teaching, contemplative prayer, and such like, and it has only served to numb their conscience of the real cause of their unrest. These are man made efforts to try to appease the restlessness they are experiencing. Often they are a mere façade that they use to try to conceal the fear and frustration of the sin within. Rather than heed God’s call to repentance and faith in the “Lamb of God that takes away the sin” of the world, many have resorted to the wresting of the Scriptures to try to diminish the saving efficacy of the blood of Christ and in so doing they never find the rest of soul they so desperately need. Continue Reading >>

The Woman at Jacob’s Well (St. John 4:1-30)

One day while the Syrian sun was beating down on the city of Samaria, Jesus sat down at the curb of Jacob’s well. The intense heat had taken its toll on Jesus as He was very weary from His journey. A Samaritan woman came to draw water from the well, and being thirsty, Jesus asked her for a drink of water. The racial and religious prejudice between the Jews and the Samaritans, let alone a man addressing a woman, would forbid such a request. He had to break down those walls in order to gain entrance into the woman’s darkened heart and mind.
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Dimensions of Life (Psalms 78:8)

We find ourselves once again at the threshold of a new year. With 2009 now history we are embarked upon the unopened tomorrows of 2010 with all of its uncertainties. If one did not know Christ as his Lord and Savior, and know Him as the one who orders his steps, the events of the past year should give him cause for grave concern. We, as a nation, are in a state of moral decline. We have ignored God’s commands such as “Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.” (Proverbs 14:34) We are facing national and international turmoil with the clouds of threatening terrorism of nuclear proportions hanging very low. We seem to be teetering on the edge of global economic collapse.

This modern chaos is an age old problem that was initiated way back in the fall of man in the Garden. What we are witnessing today is a reflection of the unending struggle between God and Satan, truth and error, and good and evil. The Psalmist is teaches us,  that we, as the children of God have a hope. That we can live through the various trials, and vicissitudes of life with great poise and peace as we face the future with all of its prospect and promise. However, we must not live a one-dimensional life. We are creatures of time and eternity. This being true we instinctively know that we were created for something infinitely nobler and higher than merely this sphere of time. Therefore we must live now in the context of something greater and eternal. Continue Reading >>

The Wonderful Christ (Isaiah 9:6-7)

Isaiah was the prince of prophets and his book is a poetic masterpiece of the Bible. He has been called the evangelical prophet. He was able to reach up and touch the time-line and convey to us not only the character but also the mission of Christ 700 years before it occurred.

Christ is the central figure in this prophetic book. He not only foretold of His miraculous birth in chapter 9 but also the passion of the conquering Christ is vividly displayed in chapter 53. The Bible unfolds the great plan of salvation throughout its 66 books (39 books in the Old Testament and 27 books in the New Testament). There are as many chapters in Isaiah as there are books in the Bible. The tone of the first 39 chapters has an Old Testament ring to them and the last 27 chapters resound the unfolding of the New Testament. If one was to divide the last 27 chapters into 3 even sections, each containing 9 chapters, he would discover that the center 9 chapters deal with the life and death of our Savior. Chapter 53 gives us a vivid view of the Cross of Calvary. Acts 5:30 the Apostle said, “the God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom ye slew and hanged on a tree.” That was the TRUE Christmas tree. Continue Reading >>

The Cry for Change (Acts 17: 21)

In recent days the shout has gone out for change. It doesn’t seem to matter what change will produce just as long as it is change. As a consequence our world seems to be adrift without a pilot or compass on uncharted seas. Change has produced grave uncertainty and the world is as restless as the sea when its tides ebb and flow.

I’m concerned that this same restless spirit has pervaded the church until, like the Athenians of Acts 17 we are spending our money, effort and “time in nothing else, but either to tell or to hear some new thing.” Many are trying to re-define, re-write, and re-vise God’s Word. Many of the old truths are being treated with suspect and modern thinkers are restating the doctrines of historic Christianity. We must ever remember that reality can be lost when reason and language is violated. Many have surrendered their fiber and are content to live merely with the finish. Everything is veneer and when it starts to show through we just put more and more varnish over it to hide its true material. Continue Reading >>

Fanning The Flame, Renewing The Passion

The theme, “Fanning the flame, Renewing the passion” is recorded in Leviticus 6:13 as we read, “A fire shall always be burning on the altar; it shall never go out”. This admonition is as relevant for us today as it was back then. We must Get the Fire and Guard the Flame at any cost.

FANNING THE FLAME:

The fire is a necessary ingredient to consummate a complete sacrifice. It was so on Mount Carmel when it descended on Elijah’s altar. It fell upon the altar of Solomon’s newly dedicated temple. Throughout the Scriptures, fire is a symbol of Divine purification. It symbolizes the holiness and justice of God as is recorded in numerous instances in His Word such as: Exodus 3:2, 19:18; Deuteronomy 4:24; Isaiah 6:4; Ezekiel 1:4; Daniel 7:10. In Malachi 3:2-3 the writer describes the coming and work of Christ by the symbol of fire. “Who may abide the day of His coming? And who shall stand when He appeareth? For He is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap: and He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and He shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.” Continue Reading >>

Did Jesus teach Sanctification?

The reason some people cannot find sanctification in the Word of God is the same reason that a burglar cannot find a policeman. They aren’t looking for it. There are those who say that Jesus never taught this doctrine and experience while He was in the flesh. The purpose of this article is to share some of the teachings of Christ on this subject and the necessity of all believers to understand the doctrine and seek the experience. Once we have done this it is imperative that we faithfully witness, teach, and proclaim this truth which required Jesus, the sacrificial lamb of God, to die on the cross. Continue Reading >>