Skip to content

Pastor Theodore Barthels

The Privilege of Prayer

“The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth.
He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He also will hear their cry and save them” 

(Psalm 145:18-19)

Wouldn’t it be nice if we could pick up the telephone and talk to the President of the United States and share our problems with him? Wouldn’t it be even better if he could actually give individual attention to each and every one of us?

Of course, there is no way the President could address the individual concerns of over 300 million citizens. The current President and others have gone to the scene of some calamity to share in the sorrows and to comfort the stricken, but even as the national leader arrives at one scene, other scenes of loss and distress are occurring elsewhere.

Now let’s consider that we do have the “open access” privilege with the King, the great God, our Father in heaven, who can indeed help us and who can and does care in a very personal way about each and every citizen of His Kingdom.

We have a Ruler in heaven who has power to deliver us from every evil, for He has loved us and sent His Son to redeem us. We can come to Him with all our hurts, all our concerns, and He promises to hear us. He sympathizes with us in our weaknesses and in our sorrows.

How wondrous it is that our Heavenly Father cares about and has compassion Read More »The Privilege of Prayer

The Miracle of Pentecost Continues

If I were to ask you what the greatest miracle of Pentecost is, what comes to mind?  The sound coming from heaven as of a rushing, mighty wind? Probably not so much. The tongues appearing to be fire that sat upon each of the disciples on that Pentecost morning? It’s likely more of us think of that miraculous sign since it happened only on that special Day. Many may think of how the apostles (whose mother-tongue was Aramaic)Read More »The Miracle of Pentecost Continues

The Amazing Power of God’s Word

“By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God, that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.” Hebrews 11:3

It is that time of year when we enjoy getting out in nature and looking at the beauty of God’s creation.

Family trips taken to national or state parks often become treasured memories. We recall the wondrous vistas from a mountain-top or even just a bluff, the grandeur of the vastness of the sea, the mysteries of a cave, or the beauty of canyon formations.

Even watching the sun set over a lake can call forth a confession of faith from the child of God who marvels at how God called all this forth with the power of His Word.

Of course, visits to publicly-run parks may also mean that we encounter the evolutionist’s view on the origins of the universe. What evolutionists see as a chance happening—that supposedly took place with countless millions of precisely accurate accidents occurring at the exactly necessary moments so that the world came into existence with all its wonders—we creationists see and know as the wonderful works of God!

The nature scenes which cause us to marvel as we make our way on our summer vacation trips are evidence of the majesty and power of God. With the power of His Word He called things as if they were—and indeed they were there in all their complexity, in all their beauty!Read More »The Amazing Power of God’s Word

Easter Joy and Peace

As we sing our “Hallelujahs” on Easter morning, we will be rejoicing with genuine joy from our hearts. We may think that feeling such a joy is only natural on the anniversary of the resurrection of our dear Lord Jesus. However, as we read the accounts of that first resurrection morning, we are reminded that the joy and peace of believing is anything but natural.Read More »Easter Joy and Peace

Behold the Glory of the King of Kings

As we come to the close of the Christmas season, we hear once again the remarkable account of how, by God’s guidance and grace, the Wise Men from the East came searching for the one “who has been born King of the Jews” (Matthew 2:2), so that they might bow before Him and worship Him. In this event we see the beginning of the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy regarding our Savior. “The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising” (Isaiah 60:3).

While it is unlikely that these Magi were kings, they were powerful men in the world who very likely had their place in the king’s court. And yet they were more than ready to fall down before the Child Jesus and worship Him. By faith they recognized the majesty and glory of their Savior and King in the young Christ-Child.Read More »Behold the Glory of the King of Kings