Rev. Tony Cooke I was recently asked this question while teaching on Paul’s ministry in the Book of Acts. It wasn’t the first time I’ve been asked this, and the question has typically been connected to the interaction that Paul had with certain disciples in Acts 21 while he was en route to Jerusalem. Acts 21:4 says, “And finding disciples, we stayed there seven days. They told Paul through the Spirit not to go up to Jerusalem.” Paul did not submit to or comply with these warnings, but...

Rev. Tony CookeIn Psalm 37 and 73, frustration is expressed at seeing people “get ahead,” even though they’ve cut corners and compromised, while the righteous seem to not be making as much progress. Psalm 73:13 (The Message Version) even says, “I've been stupid to play by the rules; what has it gotten me? The truth is though, that it’s only those who play by God’s rules who are going to be standing in the end (the psalmist acknowledged the error of his frustration later in Psalm...

Rev. Tony Cooke Every time January rolls around, people begin speculating about what the New Year will bring. One individual said, "My interest is in the future because I am going to spend the rest of my life there." As understandable as that perspective is, Winston Churchill emphasized the importance of maintaining focus on "today" when he said, "It is a mistake to look too far ahead. Only one link of the chain of destiny can be handled at a time." Planning in life is important, but a great...

Rev. Tony Cooke What happens when scandal hits the church?  The following is not meant to be judgmental or condemning of any individual, but is simply meant to remind us of the seriousness of our Christian witness—especially for those in positions of leadership and responsibility in the church. I recently recalled the very sobering story of David’s sin and the resulting fallout.  We know that David received forgiveness (2 Sam. 12:13), and thank God for that.  If it weren’t for the mercy of...

Rev. Tony Cooke Have you ever noticed how many different stories and references there are in the Bible about God’s people encountering situations involving some type of poisoning? * Exodus 15 – God’s people encountered the bitter waters of Marah – The Lord showed Moses a tree – when it was cast in the waters, they were made sweet. * Numbers 21 – Serpents in the wilderness were biting the people – God had Moses put a bronze serpent on a pole – whoever looked on it was healed and lived. * 2...

Rev. Tony Cooke We just recently conducted a “second generation” In Search of Timothy seminar. This seminar builds on the concepts presented in the book and in the original seminar. One of the principles we cover in this new seminar involves an observation a minister friend recently shared with me about the usage of the words “disciple” and “church” throughout the New Testament. Of course, we know that both of these are good words, but the frequency and ratio with which they are used as the...

Rev. Tony Cooke Click Here to order the audio CD where Tony preaches this message. Dr. E. Stanley Jones, the great Methodist missionary, made the following outstanding statement: “I am inwardly fashioned for faith, not for fear. Fear is not my native land; faith is. I am so made that worry and anxiety are sand in the machinery of life; faith is the oil. I live better by faith and confidence than by fear, doubt and anxiety. In anxiety and worry, my being is gasping for breath--these are not...

Rev. Tony Cooke As we toured the sites connected with the ministries of Paul and John, I was deeply impressed with the toughness and tenacity of the early followers of the Lord Jesus. The Church was born and grew in an atmosphere of extreme hostility. Whether it was persecution from angry Jews, attacks from irate idolaters (such as the followers of Artemis in Ephesus), or vicious assaults from Roman Emperors (such as Nero and Domitian), the Church was a force that would not and could not be...

Rev. Tony Cooke Paul prayed for the believers in Ephesus that they (along with all of us) would “be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height” and “to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:18-19). Have you ever stopped to think about the multiple dimensions of God’s love—the breadth, length, depth, and height— that Paul mentions?The Message Version renders this verse:...

The people who make up your team are the most important part of your church after sensitivity to the Holy Spirit and obedience to God’s Word. Your leadership team molds the culture of your church and guides them for better or worse. And it is for this reason that you must create a great team before trying to create a great church. "Leaders of [organizations] that go from good to great start not with “where” but with “who.” They start by getting the right people on the bus, the wrong people...

Children’s ministry comes with its challenges, but statistically, it brings some of the greatest rewards. In fact, 85% of Christians accepted Christ between ages 4-14. According to Barna, the probability of accepting Christ is 32% at ages 5-13, only 4% at ages 14-18, and only 6% at ages 19+. While the Holy Spirit plays a key role in salvation, I believe that it is what we do that ultimately sets the stage for salvation and discipleship to be possible. That is our responsibility in the Great...

By Lito Garcia By 2005, my sister's ductal carcinoma had reached a terminal stage. Alicia’s illness had reached a point where even simple routines had become an impossible task. Though her failing health was a reality, I had learned to accept God’s will, knowing that my loving God knows best. Then like a sledgehammer, another crisis followed, shocking us not so much with its lack of predictability as with our lack of preparedness for it when it struck. Mark, her teenage son, had attempted...

It has been over a year since I blogged about Clover church websites. This year Clover has released 12 new features that make it an entirely new product. Clover has been generous enough to support ChurchRelevance.com for over 2.5 years, but this post isn’t an ad. Instead this post is my written admiration and appreciation for what I believe is one of the most user-friendly, powerful, and all-inclusive church website solutions available. New Greenhouse - Promo Video from Clover on...

By Lito Garcia They were once sinless. Knowledge of evil, they had not. Clearly, faith and blood-soaked grace were not necessary instruments to draw them to God, for faith in Him was part of their constitution from the very beginning. They saw God with physical eyes. You would think perfect compliance to a single command would be a piece of cake – a done deal cast in stone. Obey Me (eat the forbidden fruit not), you live. Disobey Me (eat the forbidden fruit), you die. Enter the serpent....

By Angelito Garcia God works in strange ways. Just ponder from the story of Gideon about the wet fleece and the dry ground and then reversing it later with a dry fleece and wet ground. It is a vignette from a faith-tested Gideon just before he was to embark on his greatest triumph or shall we say greatest act of obedience. In this story, yet we read of God’s apparent logic or illogic. When we begin to understand His mind a little bit, our eyes get wet and our lips run dry shouting endless...

By Angelito Garcia My uncle’s friend Pete almost always was the center of the party. He had a talent. He could work up a crowd by telling people their future from the intersecting and parallel lines on their palms. I am not sure how much people trusted his divinations but certainly they flocked around him to hear his foretellings. I thought Pete was cool because he could use lines and ridges in my palms to tell me of my appointment with destiny in some nebulous future time. In the book of...

By Angelito Garcia Be hospitable to one another without complaint. It is so easy to invite anyone we like into our home and give them our marvelous recipe and warm blanket. And then there are some of us who would go out of our way to become members of a meals ministry, volunteers to homeless shelters and visitors to those behind bars. More spectacularly, a church I attended in New York City that sits right in front of the epitome of sophistication and artful elegance, Carnegie Hall...

By Angelito Garcia Great thinkers have struggled to resolve the tension between predestination and free will. Historically, the debate has been carried out mostly between Calvinists and Arminians. In America, the emerging method for resolving this tension appears to be Arminian. In Europe and everywhere else that has been under a monarchical system of government where a sovereign king is in charge, it is Calvinist. In a nutshell, Calvinism states that God decreed, chose, and...

By Rev. Tony Cooke People who yearn to do God's will and positively influence others are always looking for ways to increase their effectiveness. I believe one of the most essential characteristics we have at our disposal-kindness-has often been overlooked. There may be those who think of kindness as somehow inferior to seemingly more dynamic or spectacular gifts, but kindness is an attribute of God that can produce amazing results when it is released through us. Bible commentator Alexander...

By Tony CookeI was talking recently with a pastor friend, and he introduced me to a Hebrew word, achariyth (pronounced, ahk-ar-eeth). This word carries the idea of “the final result of one’s ways, thoughts, and behaviors.” Other implications of this word include, “the end, the outcome, the conclusion, the end result.” It’s the word that’s used in such passages as:Psalm 37:37 - Mark the blameless man, and observe the upright; for the future (achariyth) of that man is peace. Proverbs 14:12 -...