View Articles | Gordon Ferguson

ICOC 3.00 by Jim McCartney

The energy and enthusiasm around the recent ICOC 3.0 initiative are impressive, and I respect and appreciate all the work that is going into it. As a local church Board member, I was able to participate in the New England/New York meeting in Hartford CT and was...

On Not Being Judgmental…An Introduction to “The Gospel Divide”

Being judgmental is an interesting concept. An over-used and often misapplied verse from Jesus is this one: “Do not judge, or you too will be judged” (Matthew 7:1). Jesus also said, “Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly” (John 7:24). Paul...

How Important Are Doctrinal Differences?

Introduction Let us begin by making it clear that doctrine is very important to God. The basic Greek term for doctrine is didaskalia, and is translated in the more modern versions simply as “teaching.” With either translation, the word most often refers to God’s...

The Mystery Solved!

The Mystery Solved! I first met the group of churches in 1981 that was later to be called the ICOC movement (International Churches of Christ). I was highly impressed with their evangelistic effectiveness and level of commitment, and figured out almost immediately...

Was Apollos Re-Baptized?

Most Bible readers assume that Apollos was re-baptized as a part of being taught the way of God more adequately by Priscilla and Aquila. Let’s begin by reading the end of Acts 18 and the beginning of Acts 19. 24 Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria,...

The Young Saul: Zeal or Anger?

Introductory Note: This article is actually an excerpt of the first few pages of my book, "The Apostle Paul: Master Imitator of Christ." The book is one of my longest (272 pages) and also one of my most in-depth. Greater spirituality must include greater knowledge,...

Facebook, Politics and the Bible

Like many readers of Facebook, I have tired of reading about politics long after the last election was held. Each of us has a right to our political views and preferences, and each of has the choice to vote or not vote as American citizens. We are never going to agree...

The Holy Spirit and Man’s Salvation

The Indwelling Spirit of Promise Ezekiel 36:26-27, in an apparent Messianic prophecy, gives a wonderful promise of the Spirit’s presence in our hearts and lives as Christians. “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart...

The Big Black Brother’s Club

You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:26-28). Spiritual...

What About Watchman Nee’s Teaching on Soul and Spirit?

My Introduction To Watchman Nee and Witness Lee In my first ministry job, I was one of several ministers on the staff of a local church. The main pulpit preacher was using terminology and concepts that were strange to my ears, which was significant, since I had just...

Paradigm Shift Evaluation

Based on Lessons by Jamie Robbins and Douglas Jacoby Evaluation by Gordon Ferguson: a Series of Articles The Genesis of This Evaluation At a fairly recent staff meeting of the DFW Church, our congregational evangelist, Todd Asaad, asked if I had watched the Paradigm...

Are We Saved By Faith Alone

Introduction The doctrine of salvation by “faith alone” (Sola fide in Latin, a historically popular usage) has its roots in the Reformation Movement, with men like Martin Luther emphasizing this concept in reaction to certain teachings in the Catholic Church. The...

Biblical Baptism Explained

BIBLICAL BAPTISM EXPLAINED The Commonly Accepted Viewpoint The standard approach of Protestant churches (including those who immerse adults) is that a person is saved at the point of faith (their definition of faith) and then baptized at some later point. Baptism is...

The Unnatural Leader

At first glance, that is an unusual title, isn’t it? It could bring to mind someone who was pressed into leadership out of pure necessity, although leadership wasn’t his or her gift (Romans 12:8). Sometimes the need does in fact call for such a decision and those who...

Second Chance Gospel — After Death?

SECOND CHANCE GOSPEL – AFTER DEATH? Will people get a second chance to be saved after they die? Certainly no one contemplates the idea of anyone being lost in eternity with anything but emotional pain. What could be worse than being separated from God and all that’s...

Protecting Relationships

Through my many years of preaching, I have often asked and answered this question: “What is life really all about?” The answer, of course, is relationships – not surprisingly the very focus of the Bible. God’s Word makes this focus clear as relationships in four key...

Objective Negativity

(The primary material in this article was taken from my book, Dynamic Leadership, Appendix 7, and later expanded.) We Live in a Negative World! The subject of negativity is a broad one, and although we are going to focus on a certain highly dangerous type of...

The Use of Instrumental Music in Worship

Distinct from other groups in the Restoration Movement, mainline Churches of Christ have been known for years for their stand against the use of instruments in accompaniment to spiritual songs. Historically, this position has not been held as a matter of preference or...

When Did the Kingdom Come?

(This material was taken from my exposition of Acts, entitled “World Changers,” Appendix 1) Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:10, King James Version) This brief verse has been used as the basis of songs, poems and quotations...

Congregational Autonomy

In discussing this subject, I can only attest to my own experiences in the Mainline Church of Christ. Although the Christian Church shares a common ancestry in the Restoration Movement, I don’t know exactly what their beliefs and practices are regarding congregational...

« Older Entries

Next Entries »

FACEBOOK FEED

Facebook Posts

GREAT Book #2!As I said in my previous post, I am rarely on Facebook these days. This means that algorithms used by FB will ensure that not many of my FB friends will even see this post. Therefore, please share these posts with your FB friends and help spread the word.Tom Jones has written many books, all very outstanding. His most recent book is like nothing he has ever written. In the Introduction, he expressed the thought that this difference might cause some to wonder if his mind had checked out on him!I don’t know what genre to put the book in, but I do know that it is a book that has left me where the title suggests: Captivated. I have read the book at least three times and my wife has read it twice in a two day span this week. It introduces Jesus in a way that all those in the younger generations need to see. It shows those of us in older generations the Father through Jesus, correcting erroneous and damaging views of God in a most unique way.To borrow a phrase from cyberspace usage, this book should go viral. I’m buying copies to hand out to those who need to see God clearly, whether they are currently religious or non-religious. It is truly a “must read.” ... See MoreSee Less

CAPTIVATED

ipibooks.com

Your One Wild and Precious Life and the Loving Outrageousness of Jesus A fresh, even surprising and sometimes provocative look at our own lives and the Jesus we might not know. In a brilliant, compell...

View on Facebook

Two GREAT Books!The last two books I have just read are amazing! I will make a post about each separately. Since I am rarely on Facebook these days, and algorithms being what they are, not many of my FB friends will even see this post. Therefore, please pass these posts on to your FB friends and help spread the word.Book #1 is written by my friend, Dr. Michael Messina, a clinical psychologist with a large practice in several locations. His credentials are impressive. Mike and I shared a lunch and long conversation recently and he gave me a copy of his book. I assumed that it would strongly reflect Dr. Michael Messina as a psychologist with a great deal of education and widely varied experience. Instead, it strongly reflected Mike Messina as a serious Bible student and disciple of Jesus. He has quite a grasp of both psychology and scripture.Of the hundreds of books I have read, those by Christian counselors have been some of my favorites and the ones which have helped me the most personally. I would put this one at the top of that list. It is my favorite. Mike’s understanding of the Bible and people is combined in a truly remarkable way. It should be a “Must Read” for everyone. Despite his credentials, Mike just wants to get the book into the hands of people, a goal reflected in the price of the book. I just downloaded the Kindle version for Theresa – 99 cents! Buy it and pass the word on. You won’t be sorry! ... See MoreSee Less

Death, Disease, Disaster, & Despicable Evil

bit.ly

We offer easy, convenient returns with at least one free return option: no shipping charges. All returns must comply with our returns policy.

View on Facebook

Several months ago, I posted an announcement about a new book written by Theresa and me, published at the request of Toney Mulhollan of Illumination Publishers. As I explained, Toney discovered a number of previously unpublished articles that he asked us to update and edit into brief chapters, twenty by each of us, plus add some thought questions and action items at the end of each chapter. Now he has asked us to choose one chapter by Theresa and print it on Facebook to give you a better idea of what this 40-chapter devotional book is like. So, here ‘tis! Enjoy (and buy the book)!Hungry and Happy! —Theresa Ferguson “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” (Matthew 5:6)In looking at the high calling of the Beatitudes spoken by Jesus, some questions are in order. Do you really want true happiness? Are you willing to do whatever it takes to get true fulfillment? It is our response to Matthew 5:6 that will determine our joy level now and for as long as we live. From a worldly perspective, being hungry and happy at the same time does not seem correct. However, in the kingdom, we cannot be truly happy (blessed) without first being hungry—hungry for God! But what does this phrase mean in a practical sense? In the preceding context, Jesus had been performing miracles and meeting many physical needs (Matthew 4:23-25). The people were happy and impressed with both his message and his miracles. They were hungry and thirsty to have their physical needs met, but like most of us, their spiritual interest may not have been their primary focus. He wanted them to know that they could have lasting fulfillment only if they were hungry and thirsty to be filled with God. Our Food Must Be Christ Jesus himself was the Bread of Life (John 6:35), and the one who could give them living water (John 4:10). In John 4, after he offered the woman this living water, she was so happy that she went to share this new nourishment with all of her friends! Right after she left, Jesus told the disciples (who had just returned with food) that he had already received food. When they responded in a puzzled manner, he replied that his food was to do the will of God who had sent him and to accomplish his work. He was so happy about impacting this woman’s life, and so caught up in doing God’s will that he literally lost his appetite! The kind of hunger and thirst being asked of us is not that of simply enjoying a nice little meal – it suggests an all-consuming craving for a relationship with him. It is seeking him with an urgency and a feeling of being absolutely starved without him. Can you remember going without food or water for a prolonged period of time, and how you could think of little else but satisfying the cravings of your body? Jesus is telling us that we need to live in this sort of state spiritually, not that we are to go around unsatisfied, but that we will stop at nothing to continue eating and drinking of God! The Psalmist understood well what Jesus was discussing: “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?” (Psalm 42:1-2). Just how excited are you about getting time to be with God every day? Do you make time? Are you looking for more time? Is your heart yearning to be with God? Consider another passage in Psalms: “O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water…My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you” (Psalm 63:1, 5). Not only must we be hungry in our souls for an ever-deepening walk with God, we must also be hungry and thirsty for the word of God. For a deepened conviction about loving the Word, just read through the 119th Psalm. Over and over, the writer talks of loving God’s law and meditating on it day and night. He is completely delighted with it, devoid of any sense of duty in reading it (for a Quiet Time) but overjoyed at the privilege of being able to commune with the expressed heart of his Creator! As we feast on the word of God, we will also hunger to please him, to obey him, to become more and more like him. This desire to please him will find a direct application in loving others as he does. Jesus hungered to serve others, to even give up his life for them. The things of God (Matthew 16:23) were all about serving and saving others for the glory of God. When our souls really do hunger for him, we will also hunger to bless the ones for whom Jesus died! An Eternal Longing for Him One of our greatest needs in growing spiritually is to keep an eternal perspective on our lives. We are not talking simply of being happy in the sense of enjoying our lives on this earth. Christianity is not another self-help approach to life or another “find yourself” philosophy. It is a religion teaching us how to live so we will know how to die. Christ is telling us how to live in our day so we will live in eternity. My own determination to hunger and thirst for righteousness was strengthened tremendously in the past by watching a dear sister, Suzanne Atkins, face death with an amazing hunger to see God. At age 32, with two small children, she discovered that she had a serious malignancy and would die in a matter of weeks. When I went to see her in San Diego just a few days before her death, I went for the purpose of encouraging her. However, she did most of the encouraging! As the pain of cancer racked her body, her eyes were lit up with the thought of seeing the God for whom she had hungered and thirsted. Each morning when she awoke, she was disappointed that she had not yet gone to see him. As we talked and laughed and prayed and wept, the real issues of righteousness came into clear perspective. The only way to hunger to be with God in the next life is to hunger to be with him now—every day! He is not simply a part of life—he is life itself. “When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory” (Colossians 3:4). Suzanne left behind a family and many friends, including me, who are more determined than ever to hunger and thirst for God. My prayer is that her example of dying with the joy of Jesus will help to create a thirst in you that will lead you to live and to die as she did. If you were to die today, what would others be able to honestly say about your hungering and thirsting for God and his righteousness? When we live out the beatitude of Matthew 5:6, then we can die with the beatitude of Revelation 14:13: “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.” QUESTIONS FOR THOUGHT 1. How intense has your hunger and thirst for righteousness been over the past several months? How do you feel about your answer? 2. Do you have a plan for Quiet Times with God and are you carrying out those plans? 3. The Bible speaks of longing to be with God in eternity. How does this idea impact your heart? ACTION ITEMS Select two of your Christian friends who seem to have a real hunger and thirst for God and talk with them about what inspires them. ... See MoreSee Less

Living to Please God

ipibooks.com

Forty Short but Powerful Devotionals on Christian Living Gordon and Theresa Ferguson have both been walking with God for a long time now, starting in their 20s and continuing into their 80s. Through m...

View on Facebook

Categories

Most Popular

Helpful Links

ICOC 3.00 by Jim McCartney

On Not Being Judgmental…An Introduction to “The Gospel Divide”

How Important Are Doctrinal Differences?

The Mystery Solved!

Was Apollos Re-Baptized?

The Young Saul: Zeal or Anger?

Facebook, Politics and the Bible

The Holy Spirit and Man’s Salvation

The Big Black Brother’s Club

What About Watchman Nee’s Teaching on Soul and Spirit?

Paradigm Shift Evaluation

Are We Saved By Faith Alone

Biblical Baptism Explained

The Unnatural Leader

Second Chance Gospel — After Death?

Protecting Relationships

Objective Negativity

The Use of Instrumental Music in Worship

When Did the Kingdom Come?

Congregational Autonomy

FACEBOOK FEED

Facebook Posts