“And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS” (Revelation 19:16). Over and over again, Scripture asserts the sovereignty of God, that is, God is the ruler of all nations, of all peoples. If God is sovereign, how is He Sovereign? If He is the King of our lives and we refuse to listen to Him, are we not dethroning God? If we insist that the message preached from the pulpit be pleasing to us rather than pleasing to Him, are we not on the throne instead of God? The apostle Paul spoke of a future time in the church at Ephesus. “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, having itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables” (2 Timothy 4:3-4). We would never openly dethrone God and reject His Word, but we might end up doing the same if we fail to discern “ear tickler” preachers and “itching ear” messages. In the name of church growth (and who does not want to grow?) messages that entertain are supposed to draw the crowds. This type of preacher might even quote Paul: “I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some” (1 Corinthians 9:22). Yet, “…being ‘all things to all people’ can be a prelude

Among the earliest Christian writings appearing after the New Testament respond to attacks on Christianity by pagan and Jewish authors. These writings had a two-fold aim. On one hand they wanted to prove Christians innocent of false accusations made against them. On the other, their purpose was evangelistic; they wanted to lead others out of error and into truth. In Church History, these writings are known as the Apologists. The Apologists took their cue from the New Testament (Gamble 84). The apostle Paul stated that he “was appointed for the defense of the gospel” (Philippians 1:17 NKJV). This word for defense in Greek was apologia, meaning “verbal defense, answer, reply.” To preach Christ included a defense of the truth. The Apologists followed the spirit of Peter as he said, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear” (1 Peter 3:15). By the second century, Christianity was winning converts from the upper levels of Greco-Roman society. Some of these converts were educated in the philosophical schools of their day and were taught the rhetorical skills of formal debate. They put their learning to good use as they answered the critics of Christianity. They were firm believers that the “pen is mightier than the sword,” and they utilized writing as a way to make public defense of their beliefs and practices. Among these writers were Aristides,

The first year we were in Italy, I had a Bible study with two teenagers in Cervignano. We were studying the parable of the Prodigal Son. I will never forget the exclamation of Michele Zanel, who having read Luke 15 for the first time ever in his life said, “Che Padre!” (What a father!) And the parable reveals the heart of the Father, God. It is the heart of the Father that Hosea experienced in the heartbreak of his marriage to his unfaithful wife Gomer. The name given to the second child born was “Lo-Ruhama,” which means ‘no mercy.” The name given to the third child was “Lo-Ammi,” which means “not my people.” They were terrible names! But they were names of truth, telling of the unfaithfulness of Gomer to Hosea. And they were names symbolizing the spiritual adultery of the Israelites who had forsaken God to follow the idols of the Canaanites. But the Book of Hosea doesn’t end with just an indictment of Israel’s unfaithfulness. No, the greatness of the prophecy is found in the revelation of God’s continuing love for his people. In Hosea 2:23, God declares: “And I will have mercy on her who had not obtained mercy; then will I say to those who were not My people, you are My people! And they shall say, ‘You are my God!’” Again God says,”I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely, for My anger has turned from him” (Hosea 14:4). Che Padre! It is