Sermons and Biblical Studies

by Staff Forerunner, December 1998 Almost everyone knows that members of God's church do not celebrate Christmas or New Years' Day for several reasons. Among them are the absence of a biblical command to do so along with the divine injunction to have nothing to do with pagan practices, which these holidays possess in great … Continue reading “‘Tis the Season: Help for Our Young People”

by Richard T. Ritenbaugh Forerunner, "Prophecy Watch," December 1998 Genesis, the Bible's book of origins or beginnings, reveals the basic answers to many of mankind's most pressing questions: Who and what is God? How did life begin? What is man? What is his destiny? Why are sin and evil so prevalent? How can humanity transcend … Continue reading “The First Prophecy (Part Three)”

by John W. Ritenbaugh Forerunner, "Personal," November 1998 A popular hymn that received much acclaim several generations ago unintentionally derides our Savior as being “gentle Jesus, meek and mild.” Meekness is a fruit of the Spirit that seems very much lost in our aggressive, self-centered culture. Because people associate it with weakness, most today do … Continue reading “The Fruit of the Spirit: Meekness”

by Martin G. Collins Forerunner, "Ready Answer," November 1998 Are there varying degrees of sin? Is it worse to commit adultery than steal? Or to murder than lie? Or to commit idolatry than break the Sabbath? Does God make distinctions between different types of sin? Romans 6:23 tells us plainly that “the wages of sin … Continue reading “Are Some Sins Worse Than Others?”

by Mike Ford (1955-2021) Forerunner, November 1998 Have you ever had this happen to you? You are faced with a problem and are in a quandary, wondering which way to go. Several options are open before you or maybe none at all—at least that you can see. You pray for direction, “Which way do I … Continue reading “The Road to the Kingdom”

by Richard T. Ritenbaugh Forerunner, "Prophecy Watch," November 1998 Because Genesis is a book of origins, God includes many foundational events and principles within its fifty chapters. Beginning with the vignettes in the Garden of Eden, He sets down the reasons for many of mankind's historical—and chronic—problems. As explained in Part One, the blame for … Continue reading “The First Prophecy (Part Two)”

by John W. Ritenbaugh Forerunner, "Personal," September-October 1998 If any term catches the essence of mankind's character at the end of the age, it is “faithlessness.” Man is generally faithless to any standard that can be considered as truly godly. In II Timothy 3:1-5, the apostle Paul describes the spirit of people at the end … Continue reading “The Fruit of the Spirit: Faithfulness”

by Mike Ford (1955-2021) Forerunner, "Ready Answer," September-October 1998 At the end of last year, the Wall Street Journal reported that Michael Eisner, CEO of Walt Disney, had exercised $7.3 million in stock options. He then sold 4 million Disney shares for a pre-tax profit of $374 million. After taxes he netted somewhere around $130 … Continue reading “Why Do the Wicked Prosper?”

by William R. Gray (1941-2021) Forerunner, September-October 1998 When we were first called into the church and made some basic commitments to God's way of life, most of us were excited. Events in the world seemed to be unfolding rapidly. A whole new perspective on life and the afterlife opened before us. We seemed to … Continue reading “Service: A Key to Spiritual Success”

by Richard T. Ritenbaugh Forerunner, "Prophecy Watch," September-October 1998 The book of Genesis is rightly named; it means “birth,” “beginning,” “origin.” In it God has recorded the sources and foundations of many nations, events, ideas and principles that we need to understand the past, present and future from God's perspective. This book of origins contains … Continue reading “The First Prophecy (Part One)”