What Christians Want To Know

What Happens When God Doesn’t Heal?

Jack Wellman — Mon, 26 Oct 2026 10:30:57 +0000

Why does God heal some and not others?

Why Lord?

How many of us have prayed to God that someone would be healed and yet God apparently has said “No.” Why does God heal some and not others? Many people who even live a godlier life are sometimes not healed when those who live like the world, are healed. Jesus’ physical healing was not universally applied to everyone who followed Him and we can read biblical accounts like Paul’s and others who God did not heal. Even though the Apostle Paul was perhaps closest to Christ in his ministry than most, God told him no. Clearly, God sometimes chooses to sustain believers through hardship with His grace rather than removing the physical trial by healing them. God loved His One and only Son, but He did not spare Him from physical suffering and death. God loved the Apostle Paul greatly, but God was somehow sovereignly orchestrating his faith through this painful thorn in the flesh. Paul’s passionate plea to God was that he be healed but he was turned down by God three times!

A Thorn in the Flesh

I believe God did not reveal Paul’s thorn in the flesh because if we had the same thing, nobody would ever hear the last of it. God was silent on this “thorn” I believe because everyone might endure some thorn in one way or another. It might not be a physical thorn. It might be a child betraying you, a spouse leaving you or a mortgage you can’t pay. So why does God sometimes decline our prayer for healing? Even if we don’t know, He does, and isn’t that all that matters?! I am very skeptical about claims that promise to reduce healing to a formula or a manageable cause and effect phenomenon in which we can know with certainty why God has allowed this to happen or why He has not answered our prayer.

Saint Paul Writing His Epistles by Valentin de Boulogne (public domain).

A Lack of Faith?

We must acknowledge the fact that some healings do not occur because of the absence of faith that God delights to honor. This does not mean that every time a person isn’t healed it is because of their lack of faith or has weak faith. Of course, faith is very important as we can later read about in the New Testament (Matt 9:22, 28-29; 15:28; Mark 2:5,11; 5:34; 9:17-24; Mark 10:52; Luke 17:19), but who could accuse Paul of having a lack of faith since he was not healed?

God-Glorifying Faith

True faith points us away from ourselves and directly toward God. Faith acknowledges that somethings we cannot do things in our own power or might. Our confidence is not in our faith but in the Person we have faith in…Jesus Christ. He can heal instantly or slowly or not at all…but He knows what is best for us. Turn to Him, cling to Him, and trust in Him and not in your own prayer efforts. Faith in God and His sovereignty is a denial of self while recognizing His ability to do things that are impossible for us.

Abiding Sin

God may allow suffering or physical disease because someone (or we) is living in sin. If there is the ongoing presence of sin, with no confession or repentance of sin, God may discipline His children with illness. James 5:15-16 clearly instructs us to confess our sins to one another and pray for one another that we may be healed. Healed from what? A sin that is causing us to be sick! To make it clear, not everyone who isn’t healed is living with unconfessed sin. We likely don’t know that. We cannot judge them. And we’ve got to deeply desire true healing and not just want this “thorn in the flesh” to be our idol so that we can receive the pity of others. Jesus asked the paralyzed man in John 5:6, “Do you want to be healed?” What appears on the surface to be a ridiculous question is, on further reflection, found to be profoundly insightful. It is possible that their whole identity is wrapped up in their physical illness and they don’t want to lose that “power” or are afraid to be healed and lose several benefits from their illness.

Paralyzed Prayer?

After a while, we can become paralyzed in our prayer life, because we have had no answer to our prayer for healing. When that happens, we begin to pray less and it is less likely God may answer our prayer. It is so easy to allow discouragement to paralyze our petitions for healing. We finally give up even asking and that’s bad because we are told that “you do not have, because you do not ask” (James 4:2). The tragedy is not unanswered prayer, but in un-asked for prayer.

Spiritual Growth

Perhaps more often than we realize, there are dimensions of spiritual growth and moral development in our ongoing suffering and this typically increases our knowledge of God. When afflicted, we often seek comfort in the Bible, and that desire becomes greater than our desire for physical healing. In the wisdom of God, He has determined a means to His ends, and it’s not usually perfect physical health. God is more interested in our holiness than our healthiness. This doesn’t mean our physical body is not important, but our spiritual growth toward holiness is a greater achievement than being healthy.

Growth in Holiness

More important to God than our physical health is our spiritual holiness. This isn’t to say the body isn’t important, but God desires an inner and spiritual conformity to the image of Christ that often comes only at the expense of suffering. The Apostle Paul tells us that “we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison” (2 Cor 4:16-17). If our affliction was not preparing us for eternal glory, then God would not have allowed it.

Our Very Best

God orchestrates everything in our lives…good, bad and the ugly, for our very best (Rom 8:28). God desires more than good physical health for us…He desires a hunger for Him, a desire for holiness, and a yearning for His Word. Perhaps our suffering and not being healed is the only means by which these things can be attain by God. It is often by the difficult means of physical affliction that we learn the lessons of submission, dependency, and trust in God. We find ourselves coming to the end of our rope, only to find God was waiting there all the time. Perhaps that’s what He was waiting for in the first place.

Living by Faith

In the end, we can only wonder why God didn’t heal us or someone else, but God does not owe us an explanation. We live by faith and not by explanations. If we had explanations for everything, how would our faith grow? Even if we don’t know the reason God doesn’t heal, we must continue to pray for healing or at least a lessening of the pain. Even if we never know why a person isn’t healed, don’t stop praying! The only reason Paul stopped praying after three times was because God told him that His grace is sufficient. If it was good for Paul to know, then it is also good for us to know that God’s grace is sufficient in all circumstances, so that “for the sake of Christ” (2 Cor. 12:10a), we might learn that in our weakness His power is made perfect!

Conclusion

I pray you have put your trust in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. If that has not happened yet, my friend, you are in real danger of hell fire. And I mean, in immediate danger. You’re one breath, one heartbeat…one accident away from eternity when it will be too late to repent. Today is the best day to believe (2 Cor 6:2) since tomorrow is no guarantee. If Jesus Christ came today, here is your fate (Matt 7:21-23). This is why I plead with you as you read this, repent today…and I mean right now. Put your trust in Jesus Christ. If you do not, you will face God’s judgment after death guaranteed (Heb 9:27) or at Jesus Christ’s appearance (Rev 20:12-15), which could happen at any moment.

Here is some related reading for you: Is By His Stripes We Are Healed a Promise to Heal Everyone?

Resource – Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version^® (ESV^®), Crossway Bibles. (2007). ESV: Study Bible: English standard version. Wheaton, Ill: Crossway Bibles. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

What Does It Mean He Who is a Jew is One Inwardly in Rev 2 and 3?

Jack Wellman — Thu, 22 Oct 2026 10:30:42 +0000

What Does It Mean He Who is a Jew is One Inwardly and who are the Jews in the Book of Revelation?

Circumcision of the Heart

The Old Testament prophets wrote about a time coming when God would circumcise the hearts of men and women and not just the physical act. It is about something within us and not without. It is not our physical bodies that God is interested in as much as our hearts. God sent Jeremiah the Prophet to warn Judah to repent and to “Circumcise yourselves to the LORD. And remove the foreskins of your hearts, Men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, Or else My wrath will spread like fire. And burn with no one to quench it, Because of the evil of your deeds” (Jer 4:4). That meant they needed to change or turn away from their sins and turn to God in broken humility; that is a circumcised heart. Notice the father of the Jews, Abraham, was never circumcised when called of God him, so outward circumcision was not required when God called him.

Father of the Faithful

The Apostle Paul writes that even before Abraham was circumcised (Rom 4:10), he “received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while uncircumcised, so that he might be the father of all who believe without being circumcised, that righteousness might be credited to them, and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also follow in the steps of the faith of our father Abraham which he had while uncircumcised” (Rom 4:11-12). So “the righteousness of the faith which he had while uncircumcised” would cause Him to “be the father of all who believe without being circumcised.” Circumcision didn’t make Abraham a Jew…it was God Who called Him who made him into a father of many nations. Paul writes in Romans 2:28-29, “For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from people, but from God.”

Abraham 1657 detail from a painting by Guercino, Pinacoteca di Brera

Children of Promise

The Apostle Paul continues in Romans 9:8 where he writes that “it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants.” That is the church; the Children of Promise. Paul later says that “if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive, were grafted in among them and became partaker with them of the rich root of the olive tree (Israel)” (Rom 11:17). This means that “if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise” (Gal 3:29) because we’ve been grafted in by faith. Stop and let that soak that in for a moment; “if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise” (Gal 3:29). It is stunning to realize that God says that “you, brothers and sisters, like Isaac, are children of promise” (Gal 4:29).

They Say They Are Jews

God did not choose us because of who we are. It is not about race, but about grace. Yes, God’s amazing grace, and this identifies those who in the Book of Revelation say they are Jews but are not. In other words, those who say they are Jews are actually false converts and have never had their hearts circumcised. They had a form of religion but not a relationship with God. When Jesus rebuked the seven churches, He said, “I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich), and the slander by those who say they are Jews, and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan” (Rev 2:9). Jesus warns another church by saying, “Behold, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—I will make them come and bow down before your feet, and make them know that I have loved you” (Rev 3:9). False converts have their own churches and sinister ministers (2 Cor 11:14-15) so they are they who say they believe, but “are not, but like.” Paul says that “such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ” (2 Cor 11:13). Shockingly, they are not Jews inwardly (those with circumcised hearts) but inwardly, of “the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews” but are most certainly not.

Summary

Sadly, many who think they are saved are actually headed to hell. Thinking they are too good to be damned. They are much like the Jewish religious leaders of Jesus’ day on earth. They looked good on the outside, but Jesus said, inside, they were “full of dead men’s bones” (Matt 23:27). They might have been circumcised on the outside, but their hearts were far from God, and not circumcised. They were not the Children of the Promise, but the children of the Devil who wanted Jesus dead (John 8:44)! For those who have placed their trust in Jesus Christ and been brought to repentance, they are the true Jews…Jews inwardly. They are those who have a circumcised heart: a new heart given by God (Ezk 36:26). They are now new creations in Christ (2 Cor 5:22). And now, they are a Jew inwardly, not being bound to the Mosaic Law, but set free to obey Christ from the heart and not out of obligation like circumcision once was. Thus, we are Abraham’s offspring; the Children of Promise…the promise of eternal life for all who believe in Jesus Christ (John 3:16-17). Now I can get used to an idea like that.

Conclusion

Here is some related reading for you: Do the Jews Believe in an Eternal Hell?

How to Sow Seeds for the Kingdom

Jack Wellman — Mon, 19 Oct 2026 10:30:51 +0000

So few witness to the lost and yet most don’t recognize that it’s not in the sower to save, but the power to save is in the seed.

The Theology of Sleep

The late Dr. John MacArthur sent out a small book called, “The Theology of Sleep.” It’s a short read, but an eye-opener. Dr. MacArthur’s main point is that the farmer plants the seed and then goes to bed. So it is with our witnessing for Christ. The seed does not need the farmer to cheer it on or have a pep rally, saying, “Let go Seed, Let’s go!” No, the seed has the power that the sower does not, but that’s actually great news. Isaiah the Prophet wrote, “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it” (55:10-11). After God’s Word is shared, we could call it, “Sowing and Sleeping” or “Snoring and Ignoring,” meaning we share the Word and leave the results up to God. The farmer sows His field…then he goes to bed.

God’s Word has effectual power…that is, the power to effect things and people. God says of His Word, “Is not my word like fire, declares the LORD, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces” (Jer 23:29). All we do as believers right now is simply sow the seed (Share the Gospel) because only God can give the increase (Acts 2:47).

Mystery of the Seed

Planting seeds is like having a funeral. There you are, burying a seed that appears to be dead, and yet hoping the seed sprouts, takes root and produces a crop. It’s like a funeral for believers who have died in the faith. Their bodies have been planted in the ground, and someday will be raised to incorruption at Christ’s return (1 Cor 15). Only God can give that increase! How the seed grows is a mystery even to farmers. In Mark 4:26-29 Jesus said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

Notice that the farmer goes to sleep, not worrying about whether the seed will grow or not, knowing “the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how.” His job is to sow the seed, not understand how it grows. So it is with sharing God’s Word. We don’t know how or even if it will sprout, but that’s okay. God is responsible for it sprouting and growing. It’s not our responsibility to save anyone…it is their response to His ability. It is our responsibility to sow the seed.

The Seed of God’s Word

So few believers witness to the lost today and yet most don’t recognize that it’s not in the power of the sower to save, but the power to save is in the seed. The Sower sows the seed and goes to bed for he has no control over making it grow. We are told make disciples by going into all the world (our neighborhoods, workplace, family, etc.), and we do that by sowing God’s Word. Sowing the seed (God’s Word) is the start of making disciples. Some might think, “My little light will shine,” but they are not saved by your “life” but by His death! Faith comes by hearing the Word of God (Rom 10). Here’s how it works: someone from God, shares the Word of God, then the Spirit of God, births a child of God, and for the glory of God. Sowing seeds is step one in making disciples, so sow as many seeds as you can, as often as you can and in as many places as you can, and leave the growth of it up to God.

The Great Omission

Did you know that less than 1% of Christians are willing to speak to a stranger about Jesus (Lifeway, 2022), even though 73% of strangers are at least willing to listen to you talk about Him. Further, 72% of unchurched people have never once been invited to church! Should we not be compelled to share the greatest news humanity has ever had. We already have an imperative command from the King to “go” (Matt 28:18-20; Acts 1:8). Remember that the power in the seed; not the Sower. God’s Word is like the the Rock that breaks the hammer, yet some might argue, “How about using a designer seed bag” or making people fill out a decision card. That’s not biblical. Remember, the farmer sows the seed and goes to bed. Only God gives the increase. There is no method…only the Message.

Ashamed of Christ?

Jesus once stated, “For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels” (Luke 9:26). Are we ashamed of the Gospel? The Apostle Paul said, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power [Lit “dynamite!”] of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Rom 1:16). Even though we’re commanded to share Christ, we must realize that “the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Cor 1:18). Even the Sower in the Parable only hit one of the four…but it was not the Sower who made the seed grow, but the seed itself was grown by God! It is not the sower’s power but the power of God that gives new birth (Eph 2:1-5). Even if it seems foolish to the lost, it is the wisdom and power of God that leads others to salvation.

Trust the Word

First Samuel 3:19-21 says that “Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established as a prophet of the LORD. And the LORD appeared again at Shiloh, for the LORD revealed himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the LORD.” Notice that God revealed Himself to Samuel “by the word of the Lord.” That’s how God works in revealing Himself and why Paul could write, “faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Rom 10:17). The God of the Word is revealed in the Word of God.

Joy of the Soul Winner

Our church has a prison ministry, and interestingly, we have an elder in our church who is a supervisor in law enforcement. I once joked with him, “You arrest them…I set them free!” Of course, God is the One Who sets them free in Christ, but you see the point. God can reach anyone, anywhere, in any circumstance. His Word is not restricted by barbeb-wire or stone walls or iron bars. For those who are already broken, it is easier for the seed to take root in their hearts. To be part of someone’s being saved…to be used by God to bring people to Christ, may be the greatest joy there is. The Psalmist seemed to know that too, in writing, “Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy! He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him” (Psalm 125:5-6). By the way, the sheaves came from the seed, not the sower, although he was a participant in the process. God used the Sower as a means to reach His ends.

Conclusion

Here is some related reading for you: What is the Parable of the Sower? A Bible Study

What is the Inclusive Bible, the First Egalitarian Translation?

Jack Wellman — Thu, 15 Oct 2026 10:30:03 +0000

Every year it seems we see another Bible translation come out, but are they true to the Scriptures? What about the Inclusive Bible, the First Egalitarian Translation?

The Inclusive Bible

Every year it seems we see another Bible translation come out, but are they true to the Scriptures? What about the Inclusive Bible, the First Egalitarian Translation? It contains both the Old Testament and the New Testament, but does it fairly translate the original Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic manuscripts; or is there a hidden agenda that seeks to make sexual immorality acceptable, as I suspect it is? The first problem with the Inclusive Bible is that this translation is an inclusive-language translation or a re-imagining of the Scriptures and our relationship to them. So it’s about us, and not about God?! I’m already not liking it. Objective truth (God’s Word) is being changed into subjective truth, and that means it is subject to error. And so it is with this translation. It is a dangerous one for many reasons as you can later read.

New Truth?

One wise pastor once said, “If it’s new, it’s not from God but if it’s from God, it’s not new,” and yet the Inclusive Bible is seeking new and non-sexist ways to express the same ancient truths. Why seek another way to express the truth when most modern translations already do this? Fine translations like the KJV, NKJV, NASB, ESV, and others are available. I don’t want to read what their reimagining of the Scriptures is…I’ll stick with what already works. While trying to remove barriers, they have put up yet more barriers…to the truth of God’s Word.

The Egalitarian Movement

What’s behind this translation and where did it come from? Priests for Equality are a movement of men and women throughout the world-laity, religious and clergy-who work for the full participation of women and men in church and society. Of course, that means they believe that women should be allowed to preach, even though this is contrary to Scriptures (Titus 1; 1 Tim 3). Their “reimagining” should not contradict Scripture, and here it does! Men and women do not have equal roles in the church, although they are co-equal before God, God has placed men behind the pulpit, and it wasn’t the men’s choice either! It was God Who determined where each member of the Boby of Christ should be. No reimagining allowed! Priests for Equality is a project of the Quixote Center in Brentwood, Maryland, and is a grass-roots organization committed to creating a culture where sexism and exclusion are left behind and equality and full participation are the order of the day. Sounds good, right…until we discover that there is a massive difference between Scripture and what they “reimagine.”

Gender-Inclusive Language

The Inclusive Bible translation removes male-dominated pronouns and traditional gender-specific terminology for God and humanity where the translators view the original text as non-gender-specific or patriarchal. As for me, I have a hard time speaking of God in a non-gender oriented way or pronoun. God is addressed in the masculine form in the Bible and we need to stick with that! Stop trying to improve what is already perfect! It is not biblical to use God’s name as a pronoun because if we understand what that word is, it is a word that replaces a noun or a noun phrase to make sentences shorter, clearer, and less repetitive. That’s the rub! Replacing and streamlining verses to make it clearer and less repetitive. The problem arises when, as conservative critics and traditional scholars have argued, the translation takes excessive liberties with the original Hebrew and Greek texts. For example, this translation alters the structural Pauline passages or inserts unmentioned names, and by doing so, sacrificing literal accuracy for an ideological framework. That means this is a product of the human immagination. It changes what was originally written in the Word, and God warns anyone who does that in a very serious way (Duet 4:2; Prov 30:5-6; Rev 22:18-19)

Crossing the Line

The Inclusive Bible crosses the line from translation into a heavy-handed interpretive paraphrase, sometimes altering or smoothing out the actual meaning of the original Hebrew and Greek texts to fit an egalitarian framework. That is clearly turning God’s objective truth into human ideologies. How dangerous that is, so my suggestion is stay away from this translation. You’re wasting your money and reading an unreliable translation. One that is tainted with human thoughts and philosophies. We need the pure and unadulterated Word of God (Prov 30:5-6; 1 Pet 2:2), not the ideology of man.

Creative License

The Inclusive Bible translation is taking far too much creative license, like inserting unmentioned names, and worse, how specific titles such as how “Son of God” or “Father” are treated, and that’s close to blaspheme in my opinion. I hope by now you’re convinced that this translation is no good and I would not recommend it in any way. We already have the full sufficiency of Scripture as is and it should not be messed with. You don’t try to fix what is already perfect…you’ll only mess it up, such as with the Inclusive Bible; the First Egalitarian Bible translation has done. We hope the First Egalitarian Bible will be the last.

Conclusion

Here is some related reading for you: What are the Best Bible Translations?

Teaching Children to Prepare For, Resist and Respond to Peer Pressure

Jack Wellman — Mon, 12 Oct 2026 10:30:08 +0000

Christian children are facing increasing peer pressure to make bad choices, so how can children respond when faced with peer pressure?

Peer Pressure

What is peer pressure? It is when someone or some group tries to make you do something you know is wrong, and peer pressure is very hard to resist when it comes from your classmates (or co-workers for adults). Peers are those who are your co-workers or classmates, but peer pressure can come from families too, not just the work place or in schools. Adults as well as children face peer pressure every day but it’s hard for Christians to face this pressure when it’s all around them. I too, like most children and adults, have caved in to the pressure from others to just “fit in.” I did this, even though I knew all along that it was wrong. Therefore, it is important to prepare ahead of time to resist peer pressure so children (and we) can resist it and when we are faced with it (we all are, daily!), they and we will know how to respond.

Prepare

When I was in the Boy Scouts, being prepared was perhaps the most important thing next to obedience to the manual. We had to be prepared for the unexpected. We even had a handbook that told us what to do under certain situations. So too must we and our children and grandchildren be ready and prepared when ungodly peer pressure comes; and it will come! First of all, ask your children (and yourself) the following questions:

What places is it easier to be influenced for bad?

What places is it easier to be influenced for good?

Am I thinking ahead of time about how I will respond when pressured to do something I know is wrong?

Have I rehearsed an answer ahead of time so I’ll be ready to resist the pressure?

How might these pressures be challenged ahead of time? Like being challenged to break a rule at school, to let someone cheat off of your homework or test, to drink or smoke anything, or if adult, to cover for someone who wants to leave work early.

Are you ready for and are you expecting pressure when around people who are not Christian?

Resist

Why is it so hard to say no? I guess we love fitting in and want to be accepted by the crowd, but when the pressure comes, what will they (and you) do? The Bible teaches that if we resist the Devil, he will flee from us (James 4:7), but that’s not enough. The first part of this verse tells us what to do: Submit yourselves to God, meaning we obey God. If you obey God, you are already resisting the Devil by submitting yourself to God. And real friends do not get you into trouble or try to get you do something you know is wrong, illegal or unethical. Real friends keep you out of trouble. God says that bad company corrupts morals (1 Cor 15:33). You cannot submit to God and do evil at the same time. You will do one or the other. Of course we will all fail (I have!), but we strive to submit to God’s laws as best we can. This often reduces the strength of temptation (like ungodly peer pressure). Even if we are able to keep from being caught, our conscience convicts us because deep down, we know it’s wrong (Rom 2:15), and the Holy Spirit will let us know (John 16:8). Now, ask your children or grandchildren (and yourself) these questions:

Are you willing to take the risk of people rejecting you because you would rather obey God?

What are the best ways you can say “No!”

Is it harder to say “no” at school (or work, or at family gatherings)?

Is it harder to say no to a person or to a group?

What is really most important? Is it to please God and be accepted by Him or to please the crowd where God is not pleased?

Gossip is sin, so don’t let the crowd pressure you into listening to gossip, because if you do, you are keeping this sin going.

I was once challenged to do something wrong and I turned the tables on the boy. I told the boy, “If it’s as easy as you say, why don’t you try it?” Then I walked away having defanged his challenge to me because he wouldn’t accept the challenge himself. It’s good to know that peer pressure doesn’t last for long, and if the crowd is disappointed in you and calls you a coward, it won’t last forever. The real coward caves into peer pressure. The brave stand for, stand up, and stand against obvious wrong. You might not be popular with the crowd…but you will be respected by the crowd, and that’s more important. It’s more important to be respected than popular. Ask Jesus. He is greatly pleased when you successfully resist the pressure to commit a wrong. Perhaps some in the crowd wished they had your courage.

Respond

How to say NO and mean it!

Use a strong, calm voice and say firmly, “No thank you.”

They may not like you then…but they might respect you later.

Just walk away! There is power in this response. Walk away and say, “No thank you!”

Find someone who agrees with your choice to say no to doing wrong things.

Calmly but decidedly say “No” and just walk away, or just change the subject if you can’t walk away (like you’re in a class or workplace and can’t leave).

Remember that Jesus sees everything. He is with you. Would He accept the thing you might do? Pleasing Him is more satisfying than pleasing the crowd. You might feel good about fitting in with the crowd for a short time, but you’ll feel miserably guilty later on after doing it (whatever it is). And you could possibly get into some serious trouble, so what is popular may not be right and what may be right may not be popular. Do the right thing anyway! God will surely bless you and strengthen you to resist this temptation through prayer and memorizing Scripture (Psalm 119:11).

Conclusion

Here is some related reading for you: How to Raise a Child in a Christian Home

Reasons to Believe in God, the Bible and Creation

Jack Wellman — Mon, 05 Oct 2026 10:30:40 +0000

Christians have faith in God but our faith has logical, valid reasons for us to believe.

Zero Transitional Fossils

If evolution is true, there should be multiple millions upon millions of transitional fossils…yet there is a roaring silence of evidence. Today, the only fossils we find are either existing specie or those that have gone extinct. Have you ever heard of the Cambrian Explosion? Why is it called an “explosion?” It’s because most of the present species that exist today or have ever existed are found in what is known as the Cambrian layer or explosion. This layer is consistent with creation of life as described in Genesis where all of life suddenly appeared, as if an explosion of life occurred (and it did!). You cannot find any transitional evidence in fossils of plants evolving from one plant into another, so evolution has no observable evidence from the fossil record.

Carbon Dating Flaws

There is strong evidence that fossil dating is not accurate. Carbon dating is only good through about 6,000 years and so it is not a reliable method to date matter into millions of years. All living organisms—like trees, plants, people, and animals— absorb carbon-14 into their tissue. When they die, the carbon-14 starts to change into other atoms over time. Scientists can estimate how long the organism has been dead by counting the remaining carbon-14 atoms…but….we have a huge problem with this. Cataclysmic events or great heat and pressures (underground) can speed up the release of carbon-14 atoms or…extreme cold or oceanic depths can slow the carbon-14 release way down. And carbon-14 can easily be absorbed by surrounding matter as to further complicate dating. That’s why carbon dating rocks does not work out well. It’s meant to test former living things. Some rocks from Hawaiian eruptions tested several thousands of years old, yet it was only within the past two decades that these rocks had formed.

Evolution’s Tree of Life

Evolution teaches that we all descended from one original source, although the Bible says God make each creature after their own kind (Gen 1). It’s very interesting that geological features are consistent with a worldwide flood as described in Genesis (causing rapid fossilization, i.e. the Cambrian Explosion). The oldest known plant is the Gingko Biloba, dated to around 270 million years ago, yet it is exactly the same today as it was some “270 million years ago,” although, once again, carbon dating methods cannot be trusted. You cannot find any transitional evidence in fossils of plants or creatures evolving from one species into another. Trying to find the “missing link” is ridiculous when the entire chain is missing! Monkeys have not evolved one bit since arriving on the earth! They remain exactly the same. It’s the same for opossums, crocodiles, and even cockroaches which are classified as being from the dinosaur age. The so-called evolution Tree of Life has the T-Rex on the same branch as the chicken!! So, fish, to reptiles, to mammals and to birds….monkeys…to man….has absolutely zero fossil evidence to support any transitions from any specie to another. Zero!

Fake Fossils

Since evolutionists can’t come up with evidence to support evolution due to the missing fossil evidence, they tried something else. The “discovery” of Piltdown Man turned out to be the biggest hoaxes in the history of paleoanthropology. For one thing, the jaw and skull fragments belonged to two different species. The jaw’s teeth revealed someone had filed them down to make them appear more like human teeth. And all of the bones had been stained to make them look old. It was actually called a scientific crime. Piltdown Man was found to be a modern ape that had been bleached and artificially weathered to look like a 500,000-year-old jawbone, so they actually built a whole model out of a jawbone!

Nebraska “Man” and Lucy

Then there was Nebraska Man which snowballed out of control after the 1920s announcement but it turned out to be from a pig’s tooth. Once again, they built a model out of one tooth! Then, there is “Lucy,” the renowned fossil skeleton claimed to be one of the world’s earliest known human ancestors, which was recovered in Hadar, Ethiopia, in 1974, but the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History refuses to show her. Several investigators, including Richard Leakey, have now concluded that two or perhaps three species’ bones and bone fragments have been wrongly combined in Lucy so they’re not all human bones. She was not a human ancestor. She was a form of extinct ape.

Missing Links

The chance for finding transitional monkey-to-man fossils is exceedingly high given their time frame of hundreds of million years. Sample evidence for fossils should grow exponentially with greater periods of time, but they haven’t. Charles Dawson, staunch supporter of Darwin, was responsible for at least 38 fake finds during his amateur fossil-hunting career according to the Telegraph (Great Britain), so fossil evidence is missing and what they do have, they’ve created fake evidence to support a theory that cannot be proved, tested or observed (via the Scientific Method). Their only alternative is to create fake evidence.

Archeological Evidence

Archaeology is a science. It is the scientific study of material remains that authenticates the remains of human activities, civilizations, and life. The mountainous collection of artifacts show indisputable evidence that the Bible is true and what was recorded actually happened in the places and times that the Bible states that they did. Let’s look at one example: Judges 16:29-30 tells about Samson’s end (die with the Philistines). Could one man really pull down an entire temple (Samson?)? Two Philistine temples have been uncovered by archaeologists. One at Tel Qasile, in northern Tel Aviv, and one in Tel Miqne, ancient Ekron, 21 miles south of Tel Aviv. Both temples share a unique design—the roof was supported by two central pillars! The pillars were made of wood and rested on stone support bases. One appeared to have collapsed from the center!!!!

Archeological Findings

Well over 50,000 digs at 30,000 different locations have been excavated and these finds continue to provide substantial support of the Bible’s written record. Some of the finds include Belshazzar, King Darius, and King Cyrus’ is mentioned by name. The Hittites, once thought to be mythological empires, have been found to have existed after all. King David’s reign was found recorded on ancient Egyptian inscriptions. There is evidence of the Regal House of Nebuchadnezzar. A stone tablet bearing Pontius Pilate’s name. A piece of broken pottery at Masada had an inscription that read, “Herod the Great King of the Jews” and dated to the time that he was ruling in 19 B.C. which fit’s the time period mentioned in the Bible (Luke 1:5, Matthew 2).

The bones of Caiaphas the high priest were found in Peace Forest, just south of Jerusalem in an ossuary with the name Caiaphas on it. They dated to be around 2,000 years old, just when the Jewish historian Josephus mentioned Josephus Caiaphas, a high priest who served around A.D. 18-36. A seal with the inscription “Belonging to Abdi servant of Hoshea” was found in Israel and dated to the 8th century B.C. Hosea was the very last King of Israel before the Assyrians invaded and conquered the nation. The inscription of the seal matches the date of Hosea’s reign from 731-722 B.C. which fits perfectly with that which is recorded in the Old Testament.

A team of archaeologists headed by Dr. Avraham Biran, working in the Upper Galilee region, found written references to “The House of David” in both the Hebrew and Aramaic languages. Dr. Biran commented that, “This is the earliest archaeological mention of King David.” ……. These inscriptions also mention part of the Royal lineage of Israel and other Jewish Kings mentioned in the Old Testament and in the exact order that they are mentioned in 1 and 2 Kings and 1 and 2 Chronicles. In the 1970 the Elba Archive was discovered in Northern Syria. Contained in this archive is a listing of the patriarch’s accounts of places that they lived. An ancient column that is credited to Solomon mentions Mizoram (Hebrew name for Egypt) and the words in Hebrew of death, water, Edom, Yahweh, and Solomon. Interestingly, this column was found near the Red Sea where tradition has it was the place where Israel crossed over at.

Bible Manuscripts

New Testament manuscripts are amazingly abundant. In fact, there are over 25,000 New Testament manuscripts of which 5,000 of these dated from the first century. There are about 6,000 complete or fragmented Greek manuscripts, 10,000 Latin manuscripts and over 9,000 manuscripts in various other ancient languages. One of the greatest supportive facts is that the evidence verifies the dating of Matthew’s Gospel as far back as A.D. 60. Most scholars agree that Mark wrote the first Gospel and places the composition of Mark to within 20 years of the events that took place and were recorded in his Gospel.

Regarding the Old Testament, the nearly 6,000 Dead Sea Scrolls are so close in agreement, contextually, that there is only 0.01% in differences and the main differences are only in the differentiation of vowels. All together there are so many manuscripts that it is impossible to ignore its historical and evidential veracity.

Summary

There is one reason most people don’t believe in God or the Bible. They suppress that knowledge (Rom 1:20-25). Same reasons a thief won’t try to find a police officer. We know God exists and the Bible is true, but it takes the Holy Spirit for unbelievers to finally get it. We cannot brag or boast about knowing God and they don’t. It is only by God’s good grace we were saved, and not of our own intellect (Eph 2:8-9). God opened our eyes, so we pray for those who believe to be bolder in their witness and pray for the lost that a person from God shares the Word of God and the Spirit of God can birth a child of God. We have absolute, concrete evidence and reasons for believing. But even that was not of our own doing (John 15:16).

Conclusion

Here is some related reading for you: The Importance of the Creation vs Evolution Discussion.

What is the Gospel of the Hebrews? Is it Heretical?

Jack Wellman — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 10:30:06 +0000

What is the Gospel of the Hebrews? Is it one to read or one to avoiding, being heretical?

A New Gospel?

One wise mentor, and retired pastor who is now with the Lord once said, “If it is new, it’s not from God; if it’s from God, it’s not new,” and I think he’s right. Every year it seems we find a new source of “truth” or another gospel. All of these were gospels of heresy as it turns out. And, do we really need another gospel? Is there anything wrong with the one we have now? Why do we need “another”gospel? We know that these “other” gospels like the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Mary and the Gospel of Philip have been shown to be false. They are heretical. That is, if they are not from God, so we don’t need a new gospel. These are clearly from Satan and they teach satanic things like Gnosticism, Arianism, and such. Same with the Gospel of the Hebrews as we shall see.

Rejected by the Church

The Gospel of the Hebrews is not and will never be accepted by the church and for good reason. This gospel is an ancient, now lost work that apparently contained stories about the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The problem arises when it conflicts with the Bible. Several of the early church fathers briefly quoted the Gospel of the Hebrews, but we do not have any copies of the book itself today to examine. There are no full or even partial manuscripts. Another work generally comes up in any discussion about the Gospel of the Hebrews and that is the Gospel of the Nazarenes, though it is possible, this was another name for the Gospel of the Hebrews. This book was never even considered to be included in the Bible, or canonized, at any time or at any council ever; this “gospel” has been rejected in the past and is today. At least what remains of the Gospel of the Hebrews.

Biblical Heresy

Some of the distinctive features from the Gospel of the Hebrews include the belief that the Holy Spirit is Jesus’ Divine Mother. Fragments 2 and 3 of the Gospel of the Hebrews identify Jesus as the son of the Holy Spirit. The very same idea is found in the Egyptian Coptic, and the Epistle of James, which are just as heretical as the Gospel of the Hebrews. This should convince believers that the Gospel of the Hebrews does not come from God and is not inspired. If it is inspired at all, it is of satanic inspiration. Like God the Holy Spirit is the author of the Bible, Satan is the author of these false gospels, including the Gospel of the Hebrews.

Insufficient Evidence

In actuality, the Gospel of the Hebrews is an ancient, non-canonical gospel that is now completely lost, surviving only through brief quotations and mentions by early Church Fathers. There are no manuscripts to examine to find doctrinal beliefs. It is surely and purely conjecture. It is subjective “truth,” but not like the Word of God, the Bible, which is objective truth. All we have today comes only from a few fragments preserved in quotations by the early Church Fathers, so even this is a second hand source. It would be difficult to preach a gospel message with only quotations from the early church fathers, preserved in fragments. And these are quotes from the early church fathers, not from Scripture! Any man-made source is not of God. This Hebrew Gospel apparently doesn’t know the real Jesus (the Holy Spirit is Jesus’ divine mother), and eternal life only comes through knowing the Son and the Father. Jesus said, “And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (John 17:3). The Gospel of the Hebrews does not know the true and living Son of God and if you don’t have the Father, you don’t have the Son (1 John 2:23).

Rightly Rejected

The Council of Nicaea, with Arius depicted as defeated by the council, written by Michael Damaskinos, 1591.

I am so thankful that the very earliest church fathers or leaders ultimately rejected the Gospel of the Hebrews. Christians can be confident that, under the sovereign guidance of the Holy Spirit, the early church made the right decision to turn this book away. Today, there are no “lost books” of the Bible, and all the books that are in the Bible are the books God intended to be in the Bible. The four gospels we possess accurately recount the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, who achieved victory over death and paid the price for our sin so that we might live forever with Him. That’s the gospel. Scholars determined that the surviving fragments and descriptions of the Gospel of the Hebrews point to a secondary, independent, second-century Jewish-Christian composition rather than a first-century apostolic eyewitness account.

Heresy

The Gospel of the Hebrews was never accepted into the New Testament canon because it contained heretical teachings. Early church leaders like Origen explicitly questioned its authenticity and reliability, treating it as a non-authoritative outside writing. The vast majority of its text was not found in canonical gospels, such as a passage where Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as “my mother”, which aligned with specific second-century Jewish-Christian theological communities rather than orthodox catholic (or universal) Christianity. Clear enough? It’s heresy. Don’t read it or waste your money. In fact, have nothing to do with those who oppose the true gospel.

Conclusion

Here is some related reading for you: What Are the Differences Between the Real Gospel and False Gospels?

5 Ways to Empower Sunday School Teachers and Classes

Jack Wellman — Mon, 28 Sep 2026 10:30:16 +0000

Here are 5 simple ways that you can empower your Sunday school teachers and students in your church.

Being Thankful

On occasions I like to single out those who serve in the church and sometimes do so during the sermon so that our church knows that we’ve been so blessed in this church to have 3 rock-solid adult Sunday school teachers, but also our Children’s Sunday school teachers have no equal either. I think it is proper and fitting to thank them personally and publically. I thank them after they’ve worked on and delivered another biblical lesson that we all needed. I have learned so much from them and I am not hesitant to tell them that. Being a pastor certainly doesn’t mean I have all the answers or know more than anyone else there. Iron sharpens iron and that’s good, because rust never sleeps. I think we take so many of our teachers and those who serve in the church for granted. We expect them to be there every Sunday. We expect air conditioning or heating when we get there and working plumbing and so on, when often some church member has fixed what was needed before worship services.

Recognizing Their Service

One of our church elders is an outstanding example. This man is there well before anyone else and he’s busy getting things ready for worship services, and usually, he’s the last one out the door. We often don’t give them a second thought at church that during the week our teachers have been diligently studying the Word to be prepared for their lesson for the purpose of building up and teaching the Body of Christ, the church. Be thankful. Thank them privately and in public. They deserve it and I believe it pleases them, but also pleases God. We are given an imperative command to “Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith” (Heb 13:7).

Acknowledge Their Labor

I think it is human to want to feel appreciated. Sunday school teachers need to be recognized for their laboring in the Word for the Body of Christ. For the most part, it is one of the most thankless jobs in the church that there is. Few of them ever receive any kind of special recognition, so if you are a Sunday school teacher, let me thank you publically right now. I thank God for you. If you are a student or a pastor, remember to thank them publically and give them the recognition that they deserve. Acknowledge their labor of love before others because their job is not easy, even at the early grade levels of Sunday school. It’s just as hard as or even harder than teaching adult Sunday school classes in some cases. Importantly, children’s Sunday school may be the greatest window of opportunity to share Christ because most believers were saved before adulthood. Send them a thank you card just to let them know you appreciate all that they do and that you were thinking of them. Teachers are under a greater responsibility than most in the church which is why James wrote that “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness” (James 3:10). Pray for your Sunday school teacher and thank them for all of their hours spent preparing the lessons. This will truly empower them.

Include Classes in Services

I remember seeing a Sunday school youth group give a Christmas skit just before the sermon, which was also a message about Jesus’ birth, and I thought, how appropriate. Not only did the Christmas skit fit into the pastor’s sermon, it made the kids in the Sunday school class so happy. To occasionally involve your children’s (or adult…why not?) Sunday school class in services gives them the public recognition for being in that class that they need, but also gives encouragement to their teachers that everyone is part of this church.

Put Them on Mission

I remember once when I was a young Sunday school teacher of a young children’s class (3rd/4th grade combined) we went to the local city park and picked up trash. That’s all they talked about the rest of the day (to their parents, grandparents, and such). It was a lesson on “tending the Garden” or stewardship of the earth. Other parents and their children at the park saw what was happening and joined in. That was a powerful witness of how the church cares about the community; to the unsaved parents at the part, but also to their children that God cares for His creation. It acted as a drawing card for those who are un-churched and un-reached by the gospel more than almost anything we’ve ever done as a church. God used children to draw people to the gospel! It was amazing how the parents responded and even though their children who were not in any church, joined in with the other children. Some of those students in that class of mine still remember that day, even though they are now parents themselves. We once held a Sunday school adult class in the park, and it was worth it too, but that’s for another time. That park excursion really had a powerful evangelistic effect on the local community, on the children of the class, and on the teacher too. They were obeying the great commission, without even knowing it (Matt 28:18-20). Both children and adults can invite people to their class or church services. That’s one simple way to be on mission for Christ.

Summary

We do need Sunday school teachers and we should remind them of that fact. Their labor for the Lord will not go unrewarded someday by Christ, but we must reward them today by publically thanking them for their service to the church and the children and adults; we must recognize them on special days or on days of no occasion; we must include them in church activities and in Sunday services. They must be thanked privately and publically before others, and prayed over, because they are essential to the church to be able to grow in the grace and the knowledge of our Lord, Jesus Christ (2 Pet 3:18). That sentence was the last sentence written before the Apostle Peter was crucified (upside down, likely). His last words were emphasizing the imperative we’ve all been given, and that is to “grow in the grace and the knowledge of our Lord, Jesus Christ.” Sunday schools can do that!

Conclusion

Here is some related reading for you: Why Every Adult and Child Needs Sundsay School and VBS

How to Teach Children to Pray

Jack Wellman — Mon, 21 Sep 2026 10:30:24 +0000

It’s hard enough to pray for adults, but it’s our duty to teach our children how to pray, showing them the necessity and power in prayer.

Talking to God

Essentially, talking to your parents to ask them for help is not much different than asking God for help. The main difference is, God always gives us what is best. Parents can and will make mistakes, but tell your children and grandchildren that prayer is just talking to God. Even though talking to God is like talking a parent, it is with a deep, abiding, holy, reverential respect and fear of God that we pray to. Parents don’t want their children to hold back on their problems, but rather come to them. It is the same with God. He doesn’t want us to go it alone, child or adult. Jesus says to all ages, “Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matt 11:28).

A Safe Zone

I used to play tag as a kid and we always had a “safe zone” or some object that if we were touching it, we were safe. Might be a tree or might be a rock. One way that makes it easier for children to come to parents with their problems is that they won’t be criticized or chastised for their problems, especially if it’s a problem they caused. There needs to be a “Safe Zone” where children can come to their parents when they’ve really blown it and know their parents won’t blow up! We pray to God in the same way when we’ve blown it big time, right? If children and grandchildren know they won’t be yelled at, their more likely to come to you with their problems. It is even more so for the children of God, at any age, coming to God the Father for help and for forgiveness. We must tell our children and remind ourselves that His mercies are new every day (Lam 3:22-23), so He is always a “Safe Base.”

Your Example

Parents and caregivers are commanded by God to teach their children about the laws and statues of God and what God has done for them in the past (Deut 6:7-9). In similar fashion, I believe teaching them to pray is also important. Do your children and grandchildren see you pray in public before a meal or at home? Have they ever “caught” you on your knees? Do they know you pray regularly? Children are watching…constantly. And they can’t hear what you’re saying if your actions are drowning out your words. That’s because more is caught than taught. They will do what you do more than what you say. If prayer is critically important to you, it will send them the message to them that it must be important to God. Maybe that will cause them to pray more often. That is the hope, anyway. Make sure to remind the children about all the answered prayers in your life and in others to show that God does hear and God does answer prayer…always, but in His way and in His time, which are always best for us (Rom 8:28). Tell them that is God’s promise.

A Prayer Closet

Just as we are told, we must tell our children to find a quiet place to pray so they’ll be interrupted fewer times. The best prayer time is solo-prayer; that is, praying in private where you can open up your heart without hindrance and pour it all out upon God’s broad lap. He can take it…when we cannot.

Praying Scripture

Martin Luther used to pray through the Ten Commandments in asking for forgiveness. Exodus 15, Psalm 103 are wonderful Scriptures where you can literally pray them back to God. I believe He is pleased with this, so when you don’t know what to pray, tell your children that you just find some great Bible verses or chapters and pray them back to God. For example, Psalm 103 and 51 are for forgiveness. And tell them to pray out loud in their “prayer closet.” God doesn’t want the prayers and praise of our thoughts, but from our own lips (Heb 13:15).

A Prayer Journal

I write down prayer requests from church members, family & friends.

For me, personally, it’s easier for me to stay on course in prayer if I have a prayer journal. It’s simply a small notebook where I put people’s prayer requests down, so I have a good place to begin praying. We pray for forgiveness, for parents, children, our church, the lost, and so on. If they do start a prayer journal, then ask them to put someone on the list that doesn’t treat them well because even Jesus asked God to forgive others, even though they didn’t really know what they were doing (Luke 23:34). They should do it because God has done it for us and forgiven us of our sins, even though we didn’t deserve it (Rom 5:6-10).

In Jesus’ Name

It should be made clear to children that we have no access to God the Father except through Jesus Christ. He alone is able to access the heavenly Mercy Seat. When we pray in Jesus’ name, we are praying in His Name and by His authority to enter into the Holy of Holies. Only Jesus can give us direct one-on-one access to God the Father (John 6:44). Tell children and grandchildren that when we pray in Jesus’ Name, it is by His authority and for His glory that we use His Holy Name. Any credit to any prayer that is answered must always go to Jesus and for His glory alone. It’s not that prayer warriors are not important, but the One who answers prayer that is. The Father loves to give Jesus more glory and by praying in His Name, we put Him above all principalities and powers (and even parents!). The more His name is glorified by answered prayer, the more God is likely to answer that prayer. Tell children the “why” we pray in His Name. It is not just an automatic no-feeling ending to our prayers like, “the end.” It is prayer that God will hear and will answer because the Father wants the Son to be glorified.

Conclusion

If we don’t teach chldren the way to pray and the importance of prayer, then they’ll try to overcome their problems on their own or rely on others and not God. Most of all, I pray you have put your trust in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. If that has not happened yet, my friend, you are in real danger of hell fire. And I mean, in immediate danger. You’re one breath, one heartbeat…one accident away from eternity when it will be too late to repent. Today is the best day to believe (2 Cor 6:2) since tomorrow is no guarantee. If Jesus Christ came today, here is your fate (Matt 7:21-23). This is why I plead with you as you read this, repent today…and I mean right now. Put your trust in Jesus Christ. If you do not, you will face God’s judgment after death guaranteed (Heb 9:27) or at Jesus Christ’s appearance (Rev 20:12-15), which could happen at any moment.

Here is some related reading for you: Teaching Children About Prayer: 8 Tips for Parents

How Christians Respond When the World’s Falling Apart

Jack Wellman — Thu, 17 Sep 2026 10:30:40 +0000

If you follow the news, it seems it’s all bad, and as if things are getting worse now than ever before, so why are believer’s not stressed about things?

Times of Trouble

It seems that every generation talks about this being as bad as they can ever remember, but if you know the facts about wars, death, disease, and rising crime and poverty rates these days, maybe it is getting worse. The facts seem to prove this out, but it doesn’t take long before you watch the news that it seems the whole world is falling apart. It seems to grow worse and worse each year. What we see today is more lucid, awful debauchery on TV than has ever been seen before. I refer it as “Slime Time TV” because it is. Morality is replaced by immorality, and it’s glorified. If we think things are getting better, we haven’t opened our eyes to the fact that the world is getting more and more dangerous to live in, but there are some who have peace amidst the storms. They don’t seem troubled at all by all the times we live in. They have peace (John 14:27). A calm reslove, and a restive peace, even in the storms. Maybe they know that what’s over their head is under His feet.

The Second Coming

If you read about the days of Noah and the days we’re living in, I don’t see a lot of difference. People ate, drank and were merry, up until the unexpected flood of God’s judgment came upon them unaware. Noah warned the people for over a century, that God commands men and women everywhere to repent, for no one knows “on what day your Lord is coming” (Matt 24:42b). That will happen again as Jesus said “that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into” (Matt 24:43). Jesus said, “concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only” (Matt 24:36), so we must warm people that today is the day of salvation (2 Cor 6:2; Heb 3) since Christ could even come today before people trust in Him. Then, tragically, it’s game over…too late.

Days of Noah

We know that God sees and knows everything that’s going on and sees all the corruption and evil going on in the world today, but this is nothing new. In Noah’s day, “The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Gen 6:5). Notice that all they thought about “was only evil continually.” That sounds like what you see on TV! It’s only evil…continually! Jesus said that as it was in the days of Noah (Matt 24:37-39), so it will be in the days leading up to Jesus’ return where “the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence” (Gen 6:11). Then, as it is today, “God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth” (Gen 6:12). Human nature doesn’t change…and if it does change, it only grows worse!

The Peace of God

The world knows no peace. All they know is “today.” Today they might have peace about things, but tomorrow, it’s all gone because suddenly they’re facing a divorce, financial troubles, health issues, or something else. Things are allowed to rob their peace, but not so with believers…at least it should not be so with Christians. Where does this peace come from that the world doesn’t have? It’s not from believers! It’s supernatural. The Apostle Paul writes that “since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom 5:1) because we have trusted in Christ. The Christian’s peace is on the top shelf where no circumstances can reach it.

At Peace With God

This is the peace of God, not our own peace, so it is permanent…that is, if we realize it. We have peace with God because we’ve made peace with God through Jesus Christ our Lord. No one can have the peace of God until they’ve made peace with God through Jesus Christ. There is simply no other way to having the peace of God. Incidentally, what or who can ever separate us from our Lord and our God and His eternal, immutable love (Rom 8:37-39)? The obvious answer from Romans 8 (from God!) is nothing or no one can ever prevent us from entering into the joy and presence of the Lord someday. That’s because the condemnation has been lifted in Christ Jesus to the glory of God (Rom 8:1).

Don’t Stress

What is the worst thing that could happen to us? We could die by an accident or by disease or whatever…but then, we are with Jesus. We can’t think, “Oh no, now I’m dying and I have to be in Jesus’ presence.” No, we ought to rejoice knowing that the best is coming and that even the worst that could happen to us, will still be for our good (Rom 8:28). Whatever happens has God’s seal of approval for He knows that through trials, troubles and tribulations, we grow more into the image of Christ. The good thing is, sometimes adversities bring people to their knees to where they reach the end of their rope…but it is only to find God had been waiting there for them all the time. God’s velvet vice has brought many to saving faith by destroying their pride, humbling them, and making them come to an end of themselves. Only when they’ve emptied themselves, can God till them. God cannot fix what is first not broken. Either we humble ourselves or God will do it for us. You realize which would be more painful, right?.

Conclusion

Hopefully you have peace even in the times we live in. We trust God, knowing He is still on His throne…still sovereign over all things that will work out for our very best. Above all, I pray you have put your trust in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. If that has not happened yet, my friend, you are in real danger of hell fire. And I mean, in immediate danger. You’re one breath, one heartbeat…one accident away from eternity when it will be too late to repent. Today is the best day to believe (2 Cor 6:2) since tomorrow is no guarantee. If Jesus Christ came today, here is your fate (Matt 7:21-23). This is why I plead with you as you read this, repent today…and I mean right now. Put your trust in Jesus Christ. If you do not, you will face God’s judgment after death guaranteed (Heb 9:27) or at Jesus Christ’s appearance (Rev 20:12-15), which could happen at any moment.

Here is some related reading for you: Why World War Three and the Threat of Wars Should Not Worry Christians