johnf@jfm.org.nz

The author has 70 posts

Share the Gospel

I feel an increasing urgency to share Jesus. Time is short. Some years ago, a pastor in Havana, Cuba, invited me and a Honduran evangelist to dinner. In their culture, many have servants. When their maid brought our first course, the evangelist asked her, “What’s your name?” “Maria.” “Maria, do you know Jesus?” “No.” “Would you like to?” “Yes.” And […]

How to have a secure heart

Psalm 112 speaks of a man whose heart is secure. “He will have no fear of bad news.” The reason may surprise you, for there’s a test. Will you pass? Our world is plagued with bad news—violence, war, famine, lockdowns, and bankruptcy. It’s hard not to be dragged down with disappointment, worry, or fear. Fear is faith in a bad […]

What will 2021 look like?

No one but the Lord and his servants, the prophets, could have foreseen 2020. What will 2021 bring? Will it be more of the same? Or worse? I believe the darkness will get darker, but the light will therefore shine brighter.  People will be more confused, seeking answers. Those who’ve been distracted by life’s pleasures, wealth, or worries will stop […]

Which mat are you standing on?

Two men guarded a modern building inside its glass entrance. The taller stood on a large, square mat—the shorter man on a smaller one. The mats overlapped where they touched. In my dream, the short man said, “How can you straighten the mat while you’re standing on it?” I have been puzzling over why intelligent people can be so deceived. […]

What is the prayer of faith?

In my last post I said Elijah cried out to the Lord for miracles, while Jesus just commanded. But a passage in James 5 stands in clear contrast to the rest of the New Testament. Since it’s all the word of God, it’s all true. Apparent contradictions conceal deeper truths. What’s going on? Here’s James 5:13-18  Is any one of […]

Do you have kingdom authority?

The widow of Zarephath’s son had died. “Give me your son,” Elijah replied. He (1) took him from her arms, (2) carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and (3) laid him on his bed. Then he (4) cried out to the LORD, “O LORD my God, have you brought tragedy also upon this widow I am staying […]

Death – the commercial

Is your channel-surfing age imposing its culture on your views of eternity? I’m told the attention span of the modern couch potato is four seconds. If it isn’t grabbed by then, down goes the thumb on the remote. (If you are still reading, either this is riveting or you don’t qualify for the couch potato Olympics.) But is that remote […]

Where is your home?

“I wonder how they’re doing back home?” I caught myself saying the other day. England has suffered badly with Covid, with still no sign of relief. We have friends there who’ve recovered from the virus. My wife and I moved to New Zealand in 2005. Surely, it’s home by now? How long do we live in a place before it […]

Seven Healing Ways of Jesus

Jesus came to show us the Father. He preached the gospel, cast out demons, raised the dead, and healed the sick. He also said, “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you” (John 13:15). Am I a disciple? Then shouldn’t I do what Jesus did, and not what he didn’t? What Jesus […]