Preaching Archives - By This Verse

Annoyingly Persistent Prayer is What God Requires

February 12, 2020May 14, 2017 by Jun P. Espina

Of an annoyingly persistent prayer: Who can do it? David’s prayer to God for the recovery of his sick son with Bathsheba is one biblical example of a persistent prayer. The Bible stated that the child “was very sick. David, therefore, inquired of God for the child; and David fasted and went and lay all night on the ground. The elders of his household stood beside him in order to raise him up from the ground, but he was unwilling and would not eat food with them.” (2 Sam. 12:1b-17) Only the real believers can do such agonizingly persistent prayer!

Preaching a Great Sermon or Cow Preaching — Yelling Minus a Working Outline?

February 12, 2020April 15, 2017 by Jun P. Espina

preaching great sermon cow preaching yelling

I have the opportunity of listening to a few (paid) public speakers and noticed their control of the audience. Jesus Christ, our Lord, Peter, John, the Apostle Paul, among other Bible characters, did not do cow preaching, did they? Good speakers don’t shout; neither do they bang their lectern habitually! For they can easily control their audience by their natural gift for public speaking; by their logic, their humor, their flawless eloquence, and oratory.

Extreme Pentecostalism Analyzed from the Biblical Standpoint

February 15, 2020April 8, 2017 by Jun P. Espina

extreme pentecostalism praise and worship

The core doctrine of extreme Pentecostalism is that we can experience God directly (and physically!) during a worship service. The question that is worthy of biblically answering is: Does God answer to people’s emotions in a worship service? This experience is dictated by feelings and the belief of God’s presence “in our midst” as experienced by Christ’s disciples in Acts, Chapter Two.

God’s Word Proves Faith in Christ Versus Bible Ignorance

February 15, 2020April 1, 2017 by Jun P. Espina

Liberal theologians are now advancing the false teaching of believing in Christ without necessarily taking the entire Holy Scriptures as God’s Word. You may have heard someone saying “I do believe in your Christ, but I don’t believe in your Bible.” Without a shadow of a doubt, if examined through the revelations of the Scriptures, such a doctrine is misleading and distorted. God’s Word proves that real faith in Christ only happens after a hugging conviction of the Bible’s truthfulness and dependability. Wrote the apostle Paul that “faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” (Rom. 10:17)

God Owns Everything Except Our Decision to Live in Heaven

March 24, 2021March 29, 2017 by Jun P. Espina

god owns everything except decision live heaven

By Jun P. Espina | Last updated on March 24th, 2021 at 11:38 pm

Where is the Arrogance About Life When God Owns Everything?

At the prime of his life, age 36, a friend of mine died of heart attack. Very healthy and robust, but his heart failed him one day during a party. Yes, the first symptom of a heart attack is death, the number one killer disease. Everyone attending the party was shocked, couldn’t accept seeing a healthy young man killed by a cardiac failure. From such episode of life, we saw how God owns everything. At His command, we may live or die. For in “his hand,” stated Job 12:10, “is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind.”

Christian Moral Values and How the Internet Affects Them

February 15, 2020March 22, 2017 by Jun P. Espina

christian moral values how internet affects them

Why is it that we are not improving, for example, in our Christian moral values and judgments, in spite of the explosion of knowledge and the endless establishment of school institutions? It seems we don’t advance ourselves. We are improving in many aspects of our life as we witness the advent of mobile phones and other technological wonders of our generation. But sad that we don’t heighten our Christian moral values!