David pastors First Baptist Church in Rockford, IL, serves as a chaplain for his local police department, and teaches as adjunct faculty at Bob Jones University. David holds a Ph. D. in Applied Theology from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. His concentration in Christian Leadership focuses his contributions to pastoral and practical theology.
There are some similarities between the pretribulational rapture and post-tribulational gathering of the saints. For instance, trumpets are sounded (pre: 1 Cor 15:52; post: Matt… Read More »Differences Between Two Gatherings of the Saints in the End Times
As with my last post, I realize that not everyone studies their Bibles and comes to a premillennial and pretribulational understanding of end times. However,… Read More »A Chronology for the Events in Daniel 9
I realize that not everyone shares my conviction of a premillennial and pretribulational understanding of what will take place in the future. I do, as… Read More »How Daniel 9:24–27 Helps Us Understand Mark 13:14–23
Mark 13:11 promises that followers of Jesus will be given words by the Spirit to speak when they stand before civil and religious authorities in… Read More »Prophecy: To Be Continued . . .
From Mark itself and no cross-references, here are my own notes in breaking apart and understanding Mark 13 as a whole. Jesus foretold the destruction… Read More »An Overview of Mark 13:1–37
Charles Hodge, a systematic theologian from days gone by, defined the phrase the means of grace in this way: “The phrase is intended to indicate… Read More »A Snapshot of the Means of Grace
In Mark 12:28–34, Jesus points out the greatest commandments are to love God with all our heart, soul, and strength and to love our neighbor… Read More »Giving One’s All in Fellowship and Ministry
Jesus stated of two commandments, “There is no other commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:31): “You shall love the Lord your God with all your… Read More »Of Loving God and Neighbor
Paul met some disciples in Ephesus and learned that they had not heard of the Spirit’s arrival at Pentecost and that they were baptized into… Read More »A Survey of Two Baptisms
The first question concerns Jesus’ whereabouts related to the healing of blindness in Matthew 20:29–34, Mark 10:46–52, and Luke 18:35–43. In Mark 10:46, Jesus enters… Read More »Mark 10:46: Where Was Jesus, and How Many Were Blind?
A couple of Sundays ago our church closed with a hymn I wrote as a response to the text we studied that morning. The passage… Read More »“Who Can Be Saved?”
Each gospel records one instance in which Jesus was beaten just before His crucifixion, but it seems that a comparison of these accounts indicates that… Read More »The Two Beatings of Jesus
Our church has been recently going through the end of Mark 9. Jesus teaches us to receive His people, whatever their social standing may be… Read More »Receiving Those Who Are for Us: the Thoughts of a Pastor of an Independent Church
Mark 9:33–37, 42, Matthew 18:1–5, and Luke 9:46–48 give parallel accounts of Jesus’ use of a child to illustrate His teaching to the disciples. These… Read More »Jesus, Children, and Humility
Our word church is comes from the older kirk (Scottish) or kirche (German), which in turn derives from the Greek adjective kuriakos, meaning “belonging to… Read More »The Meaning of the Word Church and What It Means for Us Today
In April of 1511, Martin Luther went to Wittenberg, a city of 2,000 to 2,500. Luther received his Doctor of Theology in October of the… Read More »The Rebirth of Martin Luther
I just finished reading Here I Stand, the biography of Martin Luther by Roland Bainton. I look forward to the day I feel the rugged embrace… Read More »Here I Stand
In Mark 6:4, Jesus is rejected by His listeners in Nazareth and quotes the well-known proverb: “A prophet is not without honor, except in his… Read More »When Belief in Christ Breaks the Home Apart
Last week I wrote about how pornography works. This week we look at how to reverse its effects from a biblical perspective. How to Reverse… Read More »Pornography: How It Works and How to Reverse Its Effects (Part 2 of 2)
Below is more or less a paper I wrote in preparing for a men’s Bible study at my church. I hope you find it helpful.… Read More »Pornography: How It Works and How to Reverse Its Effects (Part 1 of 2)