By Mike Peek

Whitney said, “Worship is focusing on and responding to God.” [1] I agree with him but think that I would state it in a different way. My favorite text of scripture is Exodus chapter 34 because the Lord has used this passage to help me understand all of scripture, especially the incarnation of his Word in Jesus Christ.  The Lord God told Moses to cut out two stone tablets like the former ones that Moses broke and bring them up to the top of Mount Sinai, there presenting himself to the Lord. (Ex 34:1-2) “The Lord descended in the cloud and stood there with him as he called upon the name of the Lord. Then the Lord passed by in front of him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to...

Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offense either to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God; just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit but the profit of the many, so that they may be saved. Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ. (1 Cor 10:31-11:1)  I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed! For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-serva...

The defining mission of the church is to make disciples of all the nations, initiate the new disciples into fellowship through the ordinance of baptism in the name of the Triune God and teach them to observe all that Jesus commanded the first disciples; doing so by the power of the Holy Spirit. For this reason, Matthew 28:18-20 has been called the great commission because Jesus, who has all authority in heaven and on earth (Mt 28:18) commissioned his disciples to do just that. There is an utterance of this great commission at the end of each gospel account and the beginning of Acts. (cf. Mk 16:15, Lk 24:46-48, Jn 20:21, and Acts 1:8) Why? Because evangelism and discipleship are the church’s purpose for existing. For this reason, evangelism and discipleship cannot be separated. They are wholly dependent on one another. Jesus did not commission his disciples at the beginning of his ministry, but at the conclusion, and before his ascension. However, He did send them out on pract...

Suffering: The state of undergoing pain, distress, or hardship. 1  Death: The end of the life of a person. 2   Intensive Care Unit: A department of a hospital in which patients who are dangerously ill are kept under constant observation. 3 These past 5 days are an example of what my work has been like for the past 21 years: I worked 4, 12 ½ hour shifts. I took care of 10 persons, all of whom suffered but some greater than others. A woman 10 years younger than I suffered a myocardial infarction (heart attack); a woman suffered greatly in the intensive care unit for over a month then died; a woman went into cardio-pulmonary arrest outside the hospital, was resuscitated at the scene but has no cognitive brain function; 2 men suffered coronary artery bypass surgery; a man greatly debilitated and in much pain; 2 elderly people with dementia in pain from fractures; and a woman learned that she has kidney failure.  For the past 21 years I have been a witness to unspeakab...