Showing results by author "Marvin McKenzie" in All Categories

The book of Isaiah is considered by the Jews to be the most important of all the prophecies, not only for its volume but also for the content found within it. It was separated from the rest of the prophetical books into its own scroll. Apparently, the Lord feels like it is very important too because it is quoted directly at least sixty-six times in the New Testament and twenty of the twenty-seven New Testament writers reinforce their message by quoting Isaiah. Its value can be illustrated by a number of things. First, only Psalms contains more predictions of Christ than does Isaiah. In ...

Baptist Church HistoryA simple survey for anyone to understandLearn: The early history of Christian churchesTrace that history from the first century truth to early heresies The rise of universal church theologySee the destruction to Christian faith caused by the marriage of government and the church. The brave stand of faithful believersMontanist, Donatists, Paulicians and others stood through fiery trials to guarantee we have the pure Word of God todayAbout The AuthorMarvin McKenzie was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest and became a believer at the age of eighteen. He has spent his...

Church Dynamics Tuning your church to sound like a symphony It is the parts of music, combined together, that makes a musical piece beautiful and dynamic. So it is in a local church. The church, in order to be all that God has made it to be, must be a harmony of many parts functioning together. This book discusses the workings of those parts that make a church dynamic. Leadership Learn from Nehemiah the Biblical principles of leadership. Preaching God’s Word elevates the preaching of the Word of God as the means of saving souls and exhorting believers. Just what is preaching? ...

I remember when I first began to live for the Lord, Mike Riggs and I were doing a Bible study at noon on the job site, and Mike told me that I should underline the word faith each time it is used in this chapter. It is one of the most impressive chapters of all the Bible. You will notice with me that the chapter begins with the definition of faith. This is traditional Jewish literature in that the Apostle summarizes all that he plans on presenting to us in just the first few words. "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders ...

This is an intentionally fictional account of the American Revolutionary War traitor, Benedict Arnold. I have taken what I could learn from the historical records and woven a fictional story around those records. In fact, there are lessons to be learned from this man. Success is not always a sign of greatness. Success without humility might lead to a terrible fall. The pursuit of happiness and the pursuit of success are not often the same. Choose wisely. The Bible tells us, Proverbs 14:12 (KJV), "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." The ...

The Pursuit of HappinessThe founders of the United States called it an unalienable right. What is happiness, or the pursuit of it? Find answers in the Bible Discover eternal truths concerning happiness, joy and a contented life. See happiness in a whole new light.The Bible sheds light on all of the most important topics of our life. Doesn’t it seem reasonable it can give you the tools to pursue real happiness? This book contains the manuscript notes of a year's sermons preached to a wonderful Baptist congregation. About The Author Marvin McKenzie was born in the Pacific Northwest and ...

The Daily Visits Series is a collection of devotions written over more than fifteen years. These brief studies, collected together, now form a simple commentary of specific portions of the Word of God. My prayer is that they may be helpful to the reader for Personal devotions Bible study or perhaps Sermon starter ideas.

Roots Matter A Baptist’s Interpretation of Church history Learn: The consequences of right and wrong thinking concerning church history What we believe about the beginning and development of church history dramatically influences how we behave as Christians. It also impacts the testimony we have to the world around us. The worldwide influence of the Apostles With the supernatural enabling of the Lord these twelve turned more than the Middle East upside down for Christ. It is very possible that, by the end of the first century, much of the known world at the time, including Africa, India, ...

The Rapture and Return of Jesus Christ First and Second Thessalonians In this epistle the Apostle Paul teaches us The benefit of belonging to a New Testament Church Every Christian would benefit from belonging to a local New Testament (Baptist) Church. In the worst of circumstances, the support and fellowship, the prayer and encouragement helps us through those tough times. The importance of having a good testimony Though the church in Thessalonica was a young one, and had experienced terrible persecution, it had gained a testimony throughout their region. This church serves today to teach ...

The Song of Solomon Love in Five Acts Study the Song of Solomon as it relates to Christ and the believer. Much attention has been given to the Song of Solomon as it applies to a husband and wife. This book addresses the song of Solomon as the majority of Bible teachers did prior to 25 years ago. The Song of Solomon is a series of songs More closely resembling a drama. Various writers have assigned to it anywhere from two to thirteen separate songs. This study views the Song of Solomon as five separate songs of “acts”. Christ’s relationship to the believer Old Testament Jews viewed ...

After the Apostle's scathing rebuke to the church in his first letter, Paul was relieved to hear that they had responded well. They had repented. They had corrected their errors. They had received his message as it truly was, from God. They had, but not all. There remained in the church a segment who challenged Paul's authority as an apostle. 2 Corinthians is a celebration of the victories an instruction on giving and a confrontation with the Judaizers. The message is as relevant today as it was two thousand years ago.

Some years ago I engaged in a series of messages on the prayers of the Apostles. These men had requested of Christ that He teach them to pray. And He answered their prayer. It seemed to me that much could be learned by considering the recorded prayers of the Apostles in the New Testament. The series was a blessing to me and I created a graphic from the outline of the series as a whole. That graphic has been a prayer tool of mine for years. I am now able to release the message notes in this book format. May the Lord bless us all as we press ourselves to pray as the Lord taught His disciples ...

Exodus is an exciting book. It has all of the qualities of popular literature: Suspense Romance Murder Action Blood and Guts. Who can ask for anything more? Times change and there is little to nothing we can do about that. Our country is not the same place it was when the Declaration of Independence was signed. Very few people know or even care what were the: Struggles and Heartbeats and Passions and Motivations of men who lived, loved, fought, and died so long ago. Judges today do not really care so much about what the founders of our country had in mind when they framed our Constitution. ...

This book is designed to introduce basic Baptist principles involved in church planting. The authority for church planting is the local church. We do not presume that our ideas are infallible or unchangeable. We offer this to help and give them insight should the Lord lead the reader into that work through their local church. Within these few pages, the young preacher will also find bits of help for conducting weddings, funerals, and administering Our Lord’s Supper.

The Story of Liberty A Biblical study of the history and heart of human liberty Learn when and where men first yearned to be free. Discover the Biblical roots of the heart for liberty. Gain insights into the American Revolutionary War Discover comparisons between the Revolutionary War and events which are recorded in the pages of the Word of God. Find applications for personal liberty This book seeks to learn from the Bible and history and make personal applications any Christian may use in daily Christian living. Discover limitations to liberty Liberty is sometimes best surrendered. ...

In the annals of history, there are tales of courage, sacrifice, and unwavering devotion to the cause of liberty. The Herkimer Affairs is one such story—a testament to the indomitable spirit of the Mohawk Valley and its residents during the tumultuous days of the American Revolution. Through the pages of this book, we journey back in time to a land gripped by conflict, where ordinary men and women rose to become heroes in the crucible of war. Led by the stalwart leadership of General Nicholas Herkimer, the valley's militia stood firm against the forces of oppression, their courage and ...

I became a believer in the late 1970’s. It was a time when Christians spoke a great deal about prophetical subjects. There was a sense of urgency among Christians. We believed Jesus could come again at any moment. We spoke about it. We talked to unsaved people about it. We used songs, books and visuals to strike up those conversations to tell others about Jesus and to encourage them to be saved. We believed it to be a blessed hope. We prayed for it and, though I do not believe a lot of us were any more spiritual than most of us are today, the subject of Jesus’ coming again was on our ...

Philemon is one of the shortest books of the New Testament. This small letter is one of the Prison Epistles, written by the Apostle Paul at about the same time as Ephesians and Colossians and may have been carried back to Philemon by the same person and at the same time as Colossians and Ephesians. It is also considered to be one of the purest. This study will take us through the Book of Philemon with a magnifying glass; sometimes a microscope, as we discover practical insights into Christian and especially pastoral ethics.

Almost all thinking people know that this world is approaching some sort of climax. And people want to know the conclusion of this climax. The Bible is the only credible document that claims to answer man’s questions about human future. Christians should always remember that the book of Revelation is no mere speculation. It is the written record where God, Who knows no time, Who sees the future as the presentTells us what will happen in our future It is not a prediction. It is a record.

I am excited! There are few subjects that get debated as often as does that of repentance. Christians, even those who claim to be of like faith and practice (I mean independent, fundamental Baptists) split hairs and churches over it. The word repentance, in one form or the other, is found one hundred twelve times in the Bible. That’s plenty of material to discover what God has to say on the subject. This book is an attempt to do just that. If you are looking for me to give you all the answers on the doctrine of repentance, I am afraid you will be disappointed. I have my opinions, ...