The storms of life

March 3, 2026

Is your house built upon a rock or has it been built on sand? In the Gospel of Matthew Jesus tells the following parable:

"Everyone who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it." (Matthew 7:24-27 ESV)

What we often miss when we read this parable is that the storms of life can affect all of us. Both those who follow Christ and those who follow the spirit of this present age are subject to sudden and unexpected happenings that can shake the stability of our earthly existence. The difference though is that when your life is grounded on following Jesus, the storms of life may shake your existence but it won't all come crashing down like it does for so many people around you.

Look at all the precious promises our heavenly Father has given us as his children:

The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all. (Psalm 34:19 NIV)

The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand. (Psalm 37:23-24 NIV)

Ingrid likes these promises which from Psalm 91:14-16. The translation here is from the Jerusalem Bible:

I rescue all who cling to me,

I protect whoever knows my name,

I answer everyone who invokes me,

I am with them when they are in trouble;

I bring them safety and honour.

I give them life, long and full,

and show them how I can save.’

And then there's this one, which is one of my own favorites:

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;

and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.

When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned;

the flames will not set you ablaze. (Isaiah 43:2 NIV)

Ingrid also adds the following words taken from an old hymn which perfectly sums everything up:

On Christ, the solid rock, I stand;

All other ground is sinking sand,

All other ground is sinking sand.

Both Ingrid and I can testify that God is faithful, that he always does what he promises in Scripture. So if you know God, you can always trust him completely. And if you don't know God yet, you can still meet Him through his son Jesus. Read my testimony to find out how you too can enter into a personal relationship with the living God.

Blessings in Christ,

---Mitch

Share this post with others on social media!

You can also subscribe to our newsletter to receive the latest updates about what's new on our website!

More tips on doing personal evangelism

May 28, 2026

In a previous post I outlined some tips on how to become more effective in personal evangelism. I learned these years ago from listening to John Wimber teaching on the subject. I've been finding these tips helpful lately as Ingrid and I try to tell the people we meet in the marketplace about Jesus. In this present post I'll list some more tips gleaned from John's teaching, and I've incorporated these additional tips into the PDF titled John Wimber on Personal Evangelism which can be found in the Resources section of our website . You're the bait! The way you live and act will open the door "You're different. Why?" (from Ingrid) Use the J-word in your response! Meet them where they are at spiritually Not everyone is hungry for God People are at many different levels in the process of coming to God Fill up their cup, but don't overfill Give them a Bible verse that relate to their present need This means you need to know the Scriptures! Remember that God is seeking them even if they aren't looking for Him Be sincere when answering their questions Admit that you don't know the answer "But this I do know..." Still more to come... —Mitch

Church is a lifestyle!

May 26, 2026

Guest post by Martin Buehlmann Church is not just a building and not just a worship service. Church is first of all a lived community and the following of Jesus! In the Bible, the word "church" is often understood as a community of people. Phrases that describe it include the Body of Christ, the People of God and the Fellowship of the Saints. This means that church happens in everyday life — in our relationships, in serving, in sharing, and in living out our faith together. In other words, church is not the place you go to, but the life you live together. The church should also be a community of love. For in John 13:34-35 Jesus said, "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." Love, mutual care, and community are therefore central marks of the church. In the New Testament, Christians often met together in homes (see for example Rom 16:5, Col 4:15 and Philem 2). The early church was therefore not primarily an institution with church buildings, but a community of faith lived out in everyday life. So church is not only a place you attend, but a community you live. Be blessed and encouraged! Martin Buehlmann Leader Emeritus of the Vineyard Movement in Germany, Austria and Switzerland

Shake off the dust

May 23, 2026

In a previous post I talked about some instructions that Jesus gave his followers when he sent them forth on their first ministry trip. One additional instruction Jesus gave to them was this: "Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, leave that place and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them" (Mark 6:11). This instruction — to shake off the dust from their feet — used to bother me, because it sounds like the disciples would be saying "To hell with you!" as they departed from towns that didn't receive their message. And since the message of the gospel is supposed to be good news (Mark 1:15) it seems somewhat discordant for them to say something like that. The key however to understanding Jesus' instruction is the phrase "as a testimony against them". The idea is that when harvest time arrives at the end of the age, God will send forth his angels to gather his wheat into his barn (see Matthew 13:24-30 and 36-43). And when the angels come to those who rejected the message, the people of that town will likely cry "But we never even heard about this good news! Give us a chance please to repent!" Then the angels will point to the dust still lying on the ground and say, "See? There is the evidence that you were given opportunity to repent! But you rejected those the Lord sent you!" And so they will have no excuse. Of course all this happened two thousand years ago and all of those towns and the people that were in them are long gone. So the focus here can't be on the final Day of Judgment, but on the judgment that happened a few decades later when the Roman legions under Titus swept across Judea and beseiged Jerusalem and destroyed the Jewish temple (see Matthew 24). For while with the coming of Jesus God's future kingdom now breaks through intermittently into our present age with signs and wonders and with healings and deliverance, so also the future judgement by the Son of Man breaks through from time to time into our present evil age. (Image: Sandals - from a Renaissance painting, artist unknown)