Tag: scharf
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Daniel: Revealer of Secrets, Part 2 :: By Paul J. Scharf
In the last installment, I introduced you to my friend from ancient Babylon, the prophet Daniel. I commented on some of the overarching themes of his book in the attempt to demonstrate its significance and further provide some structure that might aid …
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What Makes a Ministry Appealing? Part 1 :: By Paul J. Scharf
I marvel with gratitude at the wonderful opportunities that the Lord God has given me to learn from some exceptional teachers. My appreciation of this gift only grows as the years go by—and as I speak with other Christian leaders who, for one reason or…
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Revealed in Upper Room: Holy Spirit & New Testament :: By Paul J. Scharf
As Jesus taught His disciples in the Upper Room on the night before His death, He addressed them in light of their collective position as “the foundation” (Eph. 2:20) for the forthcoming church. The church age would begin on a specific “day” (John 14:2…
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Revealed in the Upper Room: The Rapture :: By Paul J. Scharf
We are fast approaching that time of year in which we remember the death of the Lord Jesus and celebrate His victory over death through His resurrection. Over these next three weeks, I would like to focus on Jesus’ ministry following the Passover meal …
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‘I Am Resolved’ :: By Paul J. Scharf
I experienced all kinds of weather playing eight years of high school and college football in Wisconsin—from the burning heat of August to the frigid cold of November. I only remember one snowfall, during a practice in my last season in college. But I …
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BFS Champions Scholarly Research :: By Paul J. Scharf
A crowd of roughly 40 Biblical and theological educators met at Maranatha Baptist University in Watertown, Wis., from Monday through Wednesday, July 29 to 31, for this year’s edition of the annual Bible Faculty Summit. Those in attendance represented the following colleges and seminaries: – Bob Jones University – Central Baptist Theological Seminary – Detroit…
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The Coming Transformation of Israel :: By Paul J. Scharf
There will be a great spiritual transformation of Israel before Christ’s final return. Those before us in Dispensational Theology developed the scriptural conviction that the people of Israel will one day be saved as a nation in their Promised Land. Dispensationalists taught this boldly—as was the case when The Friends of Israel was born in…
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IFCA Convention Calls Church Leaders to Proclaim… :: By Paul J. Scharf
‘Proclaim – Equip – Defend’ For the fourth year in a row, it was my privilege to oversee The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry’s exhibit at the IFCA International Annual Convention. This year’s gathering of pastors, ministry leaders and spouses took place in Springdale, Ark., at the Northwest Arkansas Convention Center, from June 24 to…
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Signs of the Times: Part 3 – No Signs of the Rapture :: By Paul J. Scharf
In our culture, it’s become the proverbial fifth wheel of holidays. Really, we don’t even celebrate it anymore. It used to be that we would pause for much of the day—to feast, spend time with our families, and, yes, to watch football … but, most import…
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What Does it Mean to Stand with Israel? Part 5 :: By Paul J. Scharf
While Israel faces the increasing potential of an expanding war in the Middle East, the world is clearly careening into a new era of unreserved antisemitism. How should we as Christians respond? If we are convinced Biblically that God still has a future for the people, nation, and land of Israel—that He will fulfill every…
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Two Years Later: Where Are We Now? Part 7 :: By Paul J. Scharf
Are you and your ministry prepared for the next crisis that will inevitably flow from these “perilous times” in which we live, “in the last days” (2 Tim. 3:1)? SermonAudio is preparing—which will allow all of its broadcasters to be better suited for th…
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What Does it Mean to Stand with Israel? Part 4 :: By Paul J. Scharf
What does it mean to stand with Israel? My wife Lynnette and I were challenged to think about that question in a completely new way on Friday, June 7, when we heard a firsthand account of the terrorist massacre that Hamas unleashed last October 7. Presenting were two survivors of Kibbutz Be’eri, an avocado farming…
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Without Faith :: By Paul J. Scharf
During my time as a student at Faith Baptist Theological Seminary, I learned that there was an old youth pastor’s joke, built on a misuse of Heb. 11:6. The verse states: “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must be…
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An Honest Evaluation of a Year :: By Paul J. Scharf
If I had it to do over again…. How many times have we thought that way? If you’re like me, probably more than you would like to count. If we had it to do over again—with an assurance that we’d do at least as well as we did—what efficient and artful use…
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Making Thanksgiving Real, Part 1:: By Paul J. Scharf
In these strange new “perilous times” (2 Tim. 3:1), it takes an awful lot to shock us. An unexpected trend has emerged, however, that is so unthinkably disturbing that we hate to even fathom it. It involves pushing a random stranger down onto subway tr…
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What Makes a Ministry Appealing? Part 2 :: By Paul J. Scharf
In the previous installment, I began building upon a statement by my professor of systematic theology at Faith Baptist Theological Seminary, Dr. Myron J. Houghton. Basing his thoughts on 2 Cor. 2:15-16, Dr. Houghton stated: “Your ministry is like a fra…
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When Freedom Scaled the Cliffs :: By Paul Scharf
Only a small fraction of the heroes of D-Day live on today to keep their memories alive, as we commemorate the 80th anniversary of that signal event, which, to a large degree, saved the world from tyranny. “Our sons, pride of our Nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve…
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What Does it Mean to Stand with Israel? Part 3 :: By Paul J. Scharf
What are some specific things that we can do to stand with—that is, bless (Gen. 12:3)—the people, nation, and land of Israel? As we documented in the previous installment, we certainly have good reason to desire to do so. As Jesus told the Canaanite woman, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of…
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When Heroes Abounded :: By Paul Scharf
I have always loved Memorial Day. In fact, I celebrate it every Saturday night. My ritual for the end of the week—normally as I am preparing to speak the next day on Sunday morning—involves watching Combat!, “TV’s longest-running World War II drama.”1 When I am at home—or even in a hotel if I can find it—I watch…
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What Does it Mean to Stand with Israel? (Part 2) :: By Paul J. Scharf
What are we really calling for when we entreat people to stand with the people, nation, and land of Israel? We’ve been pondering that question during this period of unprecedented, frightful, and downright dangerous antisemitism—the worst that the world has witnessed since the dreadful days of the Holocaust. We began last time by considering some…
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What Does it Mean to Stand with Israel? (Part 1) :: By Paul J. Scharf
My previous column challenged Bible-believing Christians—and all Americans—to stand with the people, nation, and land of Israel during these times of unprecedented hatred aimed at Jewish people around the world. During the past week, the animosity and hostility spouted against the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob have grown to a level that we might…
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If You’re Going to Stand, Now Is the Time :: By Paul J. Scharf
The United States was attacked in unprecedented waves of terrorism on Sept. 11, 2001. What followed was an immediate, passionate surge of patriotism mingled with religious fervor. Many of us remember those days very clearly. Our patriotism ran only so deep, however, and the spiritual connection was extremely shallow. After six months, the enthusiasm had…
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Making Thanksgiving Real, Part 2 :: By Paul J. Scharf
In our quest to make Thanksgiving real, we left off by thinking about ways to ground our Thanksgiving in Scripture, following the example of the very Pilgrims who left this treasure as a heritage to our entire nation. The next challenge I would offer i…
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After the Victory, the Battle Begins (Part 2) :: By Paul J. Scharf
Even God’s greatest servants may suffer extreme discouragement, as we are learning from a brief survey of the experience of the prophet Elijah. One of my seminary professors invented a name for his response to the threats he faced following his glorious victory on Mount Carmel—the Elijah Syndrome.[i] I define the Elijah Syndrome as a…
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After the Victory, the Battle Begins : Part 1 :: By Paul J. Scharf
On Mount Carmel, Elijah experienced one of the greatest spiritual victories recorded in all of Holy Scripture. His triumph over Ahab, Jezebel, and “the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal, and the four hundred prophets of Asherah” (1 Kings 18:19) devastated the wicked king and queen. Ahab offered a muted response to his embarrassing…
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Some Thoughts on Easter Monday By Paul J. Scharf
Another Easter season has come and gone. It’s Easter Monday (yes, that’s really a thing) as I write this, and I thought it might be a good time to share a few thoughts about the meaning and significance of the season as I understand it. These ideas rea…
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Getting Back to Good Friday :: By Paul J. Scharf
Not too many people think much about Good Friday anymore. There was a time when whole communities were virtually shut down on Good Friday afternoon. Businesses closed or at least allowed their employees to attend church services. I’m sure some still do this—but I wonder how many people in the general public would even know…
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Ministry is Bigger in Texas :: By Paul J. Scharf
“What do you think about going to Texas?” Chris Katulka, director of North American Ministries for The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, posed that question to me in the summer of 2020. “To live?” I think that was my response. Well, he explained, at l…
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Chafer Conference… Israel: Past, Present, and Future :: By Paul J. Scharf
The Chafer Theological Seminary Pastors’ Conference met for the 19th time at West Houston Bible Church this past Monday through Wednesday, March 4 to 6. In the aftermath of Hamas’ terrorist attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, the conference focused on “Israel: Past, Present, and Future.” Roughly 250 attendees came together on site, with…
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Why I Love To Write :: By Paul J. Scharf
I remember when I first realized that I loved to write. I was in high school, and I had a newfound fascination with the Bible—especially Biblical prophecy—and it dawned on me that I had somehow unexpectedly developed a love for writing. Growing up with a passion for sports, my first desire was to be a…
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Faith and Providence :: By Paul J. Scharf
This week, I made my annual journey back to Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary in Ankeny, Iowa, for the Refresh Conference. It was my fourth Refresh, so I realized that, in essence, I have witnessed another class of college students pass through Faith’s doors during these days. To me that time seems like…
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The Purveyors of ‘Peace and Safety’ :: By Paul J. Scharf
To me, one of the strangest oddities of the year 2020 was the call for safety in the face of COVID-19. “Stay safe,” we were cautioned. Here in Wisconsin, our governor even issued an order titled “Safer at Home.” This seemed to me to be an extraordinary choice of wording—because COVID-19 results from a virus.…