Pure Religion—What It Is Not
I preached last Sunday night on “Give Me that Old Time Religion.” But my text wasn’t from Jeremiah 6 about the old paths. In fact, the message itself wasn’t about the “old time religion” in the sense of preserving a culture from earlier days of fundamentalism. From a...
7 Reasons for Adversity Part 2
In part 1 of this post, we saw that God does some of His greatest works in our lives through suffering, and we began looking at a list of seven reasons for adversity. For a quick recap, here are the first three: The glory of God The growth of His servant The...
7 Reasons for Adversity Part 1
Without hesitation, I can say that God has done His greatest works in my life through seasons of adversity. Sometimes, however, in moments of introspection we wonder, Why all the suffering? I truly believe that God does far more through suffering than we see at first...
How to Develop Faith
Growth and victory in the Christian life is the fruit of faith. Hebrews 11 records many of the heroes of the Old Testament, and it reminds us that all of these exploits for God were accomplished “by faith.” Faith is what enables us to live in the victorious reality of...
5 Ways to Develop a Spirit of Grace in Your Church
One of the greatest enemies to a spirit of grace in a church is criticism—from within or without. Our carnal nature is easily drawn into defending and taking sides, but doing so breeds a spirit of defensiveness and cynicism within a church. As a young pastor, I...
Questions to Ask When Criticized
Constructive criticism is an incredible asset. Proverbs 27:6 says, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend….” Some of the most helpful advice and counsel I have ever received has come in the form of such “wounds.” Yet, destructive criticism can be incredibly damaging to...
New Publications Available from Striving Together
I’m excited about the new resources from Striving Together Publications. It is a privilege to partner with pastors and churches around the world in making biblical and Christ-honoring resources for Christian growth available. We’ve had several new resources released...
A Concerning Compromise
The United Methodist Church strayed many years ago from the fundamentals of the faith and has long been ecumenical in affiliations. But a recent tragedy (reported in the Los Angeles Times) is a $40 million gift designated and being used by a United Methodist seminary...
How to Maintain a Walk with God through the Summer
Perhaps it was ingrained into our minds during elementary school, but there is something about summertime that seems to change people’s thinking. Even adults seem to develop a kind of “recess mentality” that focuses on self and lets responsibility slide. As a pastor,...
The Resilient Life
Overcome the Crises and Anxieties of Life through Christ
Order Now
Pastor Paul Chappell
Dr. Paul Chappell is the senior pastor of the Lancaster Baptist Church and president of West Coast Baptist College in Lancaster, California. His biblical vision has led the church to become one of the most dynamic independent Baptist churches in the nation. He has been married to his wife, Terrie, for over forty years and is the father of four married children all serving in Christian ministry.
No system of laws can change hearts. We hold the world’s only answer, but we must be faithful to share it. #DailyDevotion https://vist.ly/3n4mhfc