Dr Paul Allen

“And I intreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellowlabourers, whose names are in the book of life .” ( Philippians 4:3 ) Although the word “yokefellow” is out of use today, the meaning is easily understood. Most of us know a yoke is a device that connects two animals together to increase the power for the work that needs to be done. Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” ( Matthew 11:29-30 ). From a spiritual perspective, we labor together with the Lord Jesus . Among ourselves, we labor in the gospel. It is worth noting that God sees the marriage bond as “joined together” (same term) with a yoke ( Matthew 19:6 ). Interestingly, as Paul speaks highly of the women who labored with him, he uses two very different concepts to recognize their contribution. First, he...

“And I intreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellowlabourers, whose names are in the book of life .” ( Philippians 4:3 ) Although the word “yokefellow” is out of use today, the meaning is easily understood. Most of us know a yoke is a device that connects two animals together to increase the power for the work that needs to be done. Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” ( Matthew 11:29-30 ). From a spiritual perspective, we labor together with the Lord Jesus . Among ourselves, we labor in the gospel. It is worth noting that God sees the marriage bond as “joined together” (same term) with a yoke ( Matthew 19:6 ). Interestingly, as Paul speaks highly of the women who labored with him, he uses two very different concepts to recognize their contribution. First, he...

“But thanks be to God , which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ .” ( 1 Corinthians 15:57 ) There are innumerable things for which we could—and should—give thanks to God. But there are three notable gifts mentioned by Paul in his letters to the Corinthians in which he was led to use this particular exclamation: “Thanks be to God.” We shall do well to look at these great blessings, and then—like Paul—pour out our own thanks to God for them! The first is in our text above, giving thanks for God’s gift of victory. And what victory is that? “Death is swallowed up in victory” (v. 54), and death has lost its terrible sting for the believer, for Christ conquered death forever when He died for our sins and rose again. The second is similar yet goes beyond even the first gift: “Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place” ( 2 Corinthians2:14 ). Not only victory over death but v...

The Holy Spirit depicted as a dove, surrounded by angels, by Giaquinto, 1750s. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) "For they being ignorant of God 's righteousness , and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God." ( Romans 10:3 ) There are several important doctrinal truths about which unbelievers--and sometimes even Christians--seem tragically ignorant, with an ignorance affecting their very lives and destinies. Perhaps the most tragic is that mentioned in our text. Paul was writing specifically of the Jews, but the same ignorance is found in countless others--people who seek to earn salvation by their own religious and moral works rather than through faith in the imputed righteousness of Christ, who died for their sins. There is also widespread ignorance concerning death and life beyond the grave. "I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, ev...

English: Peresopnytsia Gospels. 1556-1561. Miniature of Saint Matthew. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) The apostle bookends his famous chapter on love ( 1 Corinthians 13) with these two (perhaps surprising) charges: “earnestly desire the higher gifts” and “earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy ” (1 Corinthians  12:31 ; 1 Corinthians 14:1). God means that we desire all of his gifts, not to glut our selfishness, but to selflessly strengthen others — “so that the church may be built up” (1 Corinthians 14:5). Here are ten ways and reasons from the New Testament to desire all the spiritual gifts, not just the comfortable ones. Desire all the spiritual gifts because you desire God himself. “To each is given  the manifestation of the Spirit  for the common good” (1 Corinthians 12:7). Desire all the spiritual gifts, knowing that “the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians  13:13 ; cf. 2 Thessalonians 1:3). Compared to other “highe...

English: Jesus Christ - detail from Deesis mosaic, Hagia Sophia, Istanbul (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) To avoid burnout you have to be spiritually, mentally, physically, and relationally healthy. This isn’t easy to achieve, of course—sometimes the ministry can be so consuming that rest seems impossible. That’s why Jesus’ words to His disciples are so important: “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while. For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.” (Mark 6:11) If you don’t intentionally schedule rest, it will not happen. Here is the rule that I try to live by: Whatever is on the calendar first wins. I don’t change the calendar unless it is an emergency by my definition. I recommend that you sit down with your spouse and schedule time for recreation, study, a day off, and your vacation. Then, when you get a request to do this or that, you can honestly say, “I am sorry but I have an appointment.” It’s important to maintain this boundary and...

If the Apostle Paul told the Corinthians , “You also must help us by prayer” ( 2 Corinthians 1:11) so that he could endure the hardships of ministry, how much more do you think your local church pastor needs your prayerful support? I’ve been noticing a lot (an awful lot!) of articles lately that call on people to do this very thing. What interests me is that nearly all of these have been written by pastors. The point is clear: Pray for your pastor! Pastors see the reality of the spiritual battle they face and they long for prayers—your prayers. Here are just a few of the articles that may help with the specifics of what you can pray about: ” How to Pray for the Pastoral Staff ” by John Piper ” Praying for Your Pastor ” by Ligon Duncan ” How To Pray For Your Pastor As He Steps Into the Pulpit ” by Stephen Altrogge ” How to Pray for Your Pastor ” by ReachLife Ministries ” How to Pray for Your Pastor ” by R. W. Glenn ” 31 Days of Prayi...

Wikipedia ) One of the most significant theological debates over the last several decades has been the controversy over “lordship salvation.” Central to this debate is the question of whether or not obedience to God is an inevitable fruit of genuine conversion. In the preface to The Gospel According to Jesus —the 1988 book that brought the lordship controversy to a new level—lordship advocate John MacArthur wrote: I have never taught that some pre-salvation works of righteousness are necessary to or part of salvation. But I do believe without apology that real salvation cannot, and will not, fail to produce works of righteousness in the life of a true believer. There are no human works in the saving act, but God’s work of salvation includes a change of intent, will, desire, and attitude that inevitably produces the fruit of the Spirit . This belief that regeneration inevitably results in a spiritually transformed life is one of the main tenets of lordship salvation. In contrast, ...

The Resurrection of Christ (Kinnaird Resurrection) (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption (1 Cor. 15:42). The Corinthians questioned the viability of the resurrection on two counts: “How is it possible for life to come out of death?” and “What is to be the nature of the resurrected body?” The first question is easily answered: If God is able to create life out of nothing, then He is perfectly able to bring life, order, and organization out of the chaos and confusion of death (which is not annihilation but the passing from one form of existence to another). But what will be the nature of that organization? “The Bible clearly teaches that our bodies hereafter are to be the same as those which we now have; but it nowhere teaches us wherein that sameness consists,” Hodge wrote. “In what sense is a sprouting acorn the same with the full-grown oak? Not in substance, not in form, not in appearance. It is, however, the same indivi...

Jesus Christ Crucifix (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) "I speak to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? no, not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren?" ( 1 Corinthians 6:5 ) The word for "shame" in this verse is the Greek entrope, meaning "turning inward" or "inversion." It is used only one other time, in 1 Corinthians 15:34 : "Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame." Evidently this special variety of shame is associated with taking controversies between Christian brethren to ungodly judges and also with failing to witness to the non-Christian community. Instead of bringing the true wisdom of God to the ungodly, such " entropic Christians" were turning to worldly wisdom to resolve their own spiritual problems. This inverted behavior was nothing less than spiritual confusion! The modern scientific term "entropy...

Stained glass at St John the Baptist's Anglican Church http://www.stjohnsashfield.org.au, Ashfield, New South Wales.  (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Will you be on fire for God or will you be in heaven having been through the fire with just smoke left behind? "Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is." ( 1 Corinthians 3:13 ) This key verse of Scripture gives the principle by which God will evaluate our works in that great future day when all believers will be assembled before "the judgment seat of Christ " ( Romans 14:10 ; 2 Corinthians 5:10 ).  The non-believer will be judged elsewhere, while this will be a judgment of believers only, for when the purifying fire tries our works, "if any man's work abide . . . he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself...