Facing Trials
I want to share with you three verses on the topic of facing trials, along with some brief pastoral commentary… 1 Peter 4:12-13 “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, … Continue reading →
Category Archives: Pastoral Notes
Historical Evidence for Noah’s Ark
As we looked at Genesis 7 and 8 this morning, I had two things regarding the historical evidences related to Noah’s Ark that I wanted to share with you but we simply ran out of time, so I will share … Continue reading →
Kanye West, End Times, and The Latter Rain
While most of us American Baby Boomers have been focused on the fake news coming out of a basement in the Capital Building of the House of Representatives, a remarkable cultural change is influencing the younger generation. Kanye West, a … Continue reading →
Why Satan is in American Politics
Yesterday morning I was reading a book titled “Preparation for the End Time” by Norman Gulley, a theologian that I had taken course work under, during my days in school. He was making the point that we have to keep … Continue reading →
The End is Near
The marque sign outside of the United Methodist Church in Tuscaloosa, Alabama read: The End is Near!! Just Kidding We Don’t Know. That signed humored me because in my understanding of Christianity, the only way a church would not know … Continue reading →
The Truth on the Turks and Trump
J.P. sent me a link to Amir Tsarfati’s Middle East Update video and I want to share that with you. The YouTube link is at https://youtu.be/csKQg2VKAe0. The video is an hour long, but the the first 30 minutes is Amir … Continue reading →
What About Unclean Foods?
Here are some things to consider on unclean foods… The Christian life is one of living by faith, and sometimes being obedient by faith is harder than being obedient by works (or law) because we feel accomplished by a behavior but … Continue reading →
Do You Have A Life Verse?
When I was baptized in 1981 as a new Protestant follower of Jesus Christ, the pastor who baptized me suggested that I pick a “life verse” and he would read it to the church as we stood in the baptistery. … Continue reading →
John 10:10 and Political Contention
Americans tend to think of themselves as independent, being free thinkers who choose to exercise their own political decisions. When we side with one political view over the other we generally find ourselves accused of not being independent and not … Continue reading →
10 Effects of Sin in Genesis 3
This morning at CrossHope Chapel as we looked at Genesis 3, I had mentioned that I didn’t cover something that I had noted to bring out in our study discussion, and that was 10 effects of sin on humanity specifically … Continue reading →
A Tribute to My Dad
My Dad, Louis S. Durkac, died this morning, September 4, 2019. He was 91 years old and the adopted father of 5 adopted children, and he himself was adopted. He died just 2 days shy of his 67th wedding anniversary … Continue reading →
Sweet, Sweet, Spirit
This morning was a great time together in prayer, worship, and God’s Word. I enjoy every week when we gather together, but this morning was just a sweet time of fellowship. There was a song that came to my mind … Continue reading →
1 Peter 3:7 and Weaker Vessel?
Last Sunday at CrossHope Chapel we looked at Genesis 3:1-8 and the account of Satan approaching Eve, but not Adam. We talked about the probability that Satan had studied these new creatures, man and women, and apparently he saw reason … Continue reading →
I Walk by Faith
I walk by faith and not by the world (2 Corinthians 5:7), I walk by faith because I have been adopted by God (John 1:12), I walk by faith because He has given me a new heart (Ezekiel 36:26), … Continue reading →
El Paso, Dayton, and the Return of Christ
This morning as I was enjoying my hotel breakfast waffle I found myself sitting in front of a TV and forced to endure its fake news. What I witnessed was an interview with the El Paso mayor and a CBS … Continue reading →
Creation Time and 1000 Year Days
In my last post, Days of Creation, I addressed the contextual evidence for literal 24-hour days of Creation. In this post I want to address a theory about “Creation Time” rendering of the days of Creation in Genesis 1. I … Continue reading →
Days of Creation
Sunday as we wrapped up Genesis 1, I found myself out of time to talk more about the literal days of Creation, but below I have listed out 7 things that I believe need to be considered about the literal … Continue reading →
God Said
When we look at the Creation account in Genesis 1 we find nine times that the phrase “God said” is used to describe the creation process. You will also see that after the record declares that “God said” to whatever … Continue reading →
The Blessed Hope
It is not for no reason that the Bible refers to the return of Jesus Christ as the blessed hope. Titus 2:13 says that believers are “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and … Continue reading →
Chapel vs Fellowship
I had a conversation with my family recently about the name change history of our church fellowship. Steph said, I never heard of churches changing their names until I was involved with ours. I responded, You haven’t been part of … Continue reading →
The Schemes of the Devil
As an introduction to the armor of God in Ephesians 6, the Apostle Paul says, “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11; ESV). Whether you … Continue reading →
Amir Tsarfati and Michael the Archangel
Last week Amir Tsarfati, whom you know from Jan Markell’s Prophecy Conference, got a lot of blow back on a teaching he did about recognizing the preincarnate Jesus in the Old Testament. In the video teaching, Amir mentioned Michael the … Continue reading →
Spinning, Redefining, and Hiding Truth
I was amused by something I heard on a radio newscast today. A politician commenting negatively about the many states passing heartbeat bills, referred to it as being “a cluster of fetal pulsation.” A cluster of fetal pulsation? We should … Continue reading →
“I will be with You”
Whatever the trial, hardship, or fear of persecution as our world rushes headlong into these last days, don’t forget that our Lord has promised to be with you. The final words recorded by Jesus in the gospel of Matthew are … Continue reading →
War in Heaven?
War was first known in Heaven, not because it is holy, but because sin is so unholy. Revelation 12:7 says “And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his … Continue reading →
The Doctrine of War
War was first known in Heaven, not because it is holy, but because sin is so unholy. Revelation 12:7 says “And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his … Continue reading →
The Hyphenated Christian
Hyphens are used to join two words that create a compound word with a two part meaning. We could say that I am an Italian-American. I don’t say that because I feel like being American has a great enough significance … Continue reading →
Our Beginnings
Our church fellowship began on January 6, 2011, meeting on Sunday morning at a community room of a Ryan’s Restaurant on Rangeline Road near I-10 in Tillman’s Corner, Alabama. The manager allowed us to use the room at no cost if … Continue reading →
Almost Mother’s
Many years ago I officiated a wedding for a couple at a beautiful home within a gated community along the Emerald Coast of Northwest Florida. When I arrived at the house the groom warmly greeted me and we walked inside … Continue reading →
Sealing Work of the Holy Spirit
We find the concept of the Seal of God in the book of Ephesians and in Revelation. There is a definite connection between the two books on the Seal of God. Let’s beginning by looking at Ephesians 4:30 where Paul … Continue reading →
Wednesday Crucifixion?
This past Sunday as we were discussing the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, we had a brief exchange on the possibility of a Wednesday crucifixion rather than a Friday crucifixion. I had mentioned that by the common literacy usage of … Continue reading →
Walking in the World, but not as the World
Today at CrossHope Chapel we opened to Ephesians 4:17-32 and in case you missed it, here are some notes… The Apostle Paul uses the metaphor “walk” as a way to express how we live our lives. Walk is a descriptive word … Continue reading →
Common Ground on Pre-Trib vs Post-Trib
In recent months voices have been raised in American Christendom criticizing the pre-trib position regarding our Lord’s return. (Perhaps church leaders are finally getting tired of arguing about Calvinism.) If you ask me if I am pre-trib or post-trib, I … Continue reading →
2 YouTube Videos
Last Sunday I mentioned that I would send out the YouTube link to the flash mob gospel singing with Hezekiah Walker and the song “Every Praise is to Our God.” JP originally sent it to me and it is a … Continue reading →
Ash Wednesday and Lent
Mornings in our home are usually filled with the sounds from a Christian radio station. This morning a caller asked one of the disc jockey’s “What is the reason for Ash Wednesday?” The disc jockey said something to the jest … Continue reading →
Retracing the Exodus
I want to share with you a video that James had shared with me. It is an hour long but a gentleman retraces the steps of the Exodus and it is just fascinating! If you can’t see the video below, … Continue reading →
Dear Church Friend in Mobile, Alabama
Dear Church Friend in Mobile, Alabama, Have you ever invited the guy you work with or the lady at that office or the couple in your neighborhood to attend your church but they just haven’t? Maybe you have great Bible … Continue reading →
Meanwhile, Back At CrossHope Chapel
In the morning, thousands of people will wake up and get ready to attend a church of their choice. Some will put on their best clothing, some will happily re-wear something from the day before, and some will be more … Continue reading →
But God…
Last Sunday we opened to Ephesians 2 but surprise surprise we only got through the first 3 verses. Here’s a recap if you recall and an update if you missed… In Ephesians 2:1-3 we find the Spirit of God convicting … Continue reading →
Behind the Abortion Decrees
Recently, the American public has been shocked and sadden by New York and Virginia’s plunge into creating a legal right to kill babies at birth. We’ve been disgusted with our own National government’s funding of the killing of babies through … Continue reading →
Globalism? Maranatha!
The early followers of Jesus, who faced trials, persecution, and uncertainty about their future, took heart encouraging one another with an Aramaic greeting, “Maranatha!“ Maranatha means “the Lord is coming!” or “come, Lord Jesus” as in Revelation 22:20 “Surely I … Continue reading →
Why Clemson Won
Well, let me say the title of this post should more accurately be “Why Clemson Won – Possibly, Theologically Thinking.” My thought is that Coach Dabo Swinney of the championship Clemson college football team did such a powerful job at … Continue reading →
The Word is Focus
In 2019 my word is FOCUS. Last year my word was STEADFAST and it helped keep me on course by reminding me to simply remain steadfast at teaching the Word and praying and being present as our church fellowship progressed … Continue reading →
As It Was When Jesus Was Born
“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship … Continue reading →
A New Year, Again
Someone once said, “A birth of a baby is God’s way of saying the world must go on.” I don’t know who said that or why that has stuck in my memory, but there is some truth to that. If … Continue reading →
Why We Christmas Differently
Since our first Christmas together in 2011 we have not met over the Christmas holiday, some years we took three weeks off and some years we took two weeks off, depending on the calendar. Typically, our last gathering of the year … Continue reading →
Top 5 Posts in 2018
Here are the top 5 searched and viewed posts in 2018 from our www.crosshopechapel.org website. That means that people searched the internet for a specific topic or question and our website post came up on that search so with our … Continue reading →
Fear at Christmas
Christmas time is nearly always portrayed in the media as a happy, positive, encouraging season but that is simply not always the case. The good news is that our God knows that. When the sun sets tonight and it’s Christmas … Continue reading →
After Thoughts
Last Saturday evening’s CrossHope Chapel’s Christmas Party was such a blessing! I have to admit that my knee was starting to really ache and just before everyone arrived I was beginning to feel like I would rather curl up in … Continue reading →
2018 in Scripture
I wanted to share a thought with you about where we have been in 2018, as a church in the Scriptures. We have been in 3 John, 1 Corinthians, and 2 Corinthians. We have systematically and intentionally journeyed through 3 … Continue reading →
Dumping the Dove
CrossHope Chapel is making two changes in 2019. We are adding “Bible Church” to our full name and we are discontinuing the use of the Calvary Chapel dove logo. First, let’s deal with our name… We will still be CrossHope … Continue reading →
Podcast: ABC’s of Prayer
Pastoral Podcasts are available at www.crosshopechapel.org/podcast A new podcast, “ABC’s of Prayer” – 09:21, is available direct at: https://www.crosshopechapel.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/ABCprayer.m4a … Continue reading →
Podcast: “ESV & Bible Translations”
Pastoral Podcasts are available at www.crosshopechapel.org/podcast A New Podcast, “ESV & Bible Translations” – 15:25, is available direct at: https://www.crosshopechapel.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/ESV.m4a … Continue reading →
Vote Biblically
In the elections here in America, I hope you will give your attention to voting biblically. When you are deciding your vote in terms of voting biblically, you will relieve yourself of the stress and defense of standing by a … Continue reading →
The Accuser’s Playbook
We may be dismayed by the behavior of the politicians and their protesting allies attempting to disrupt the Brett Kavanaugh hearings, but there is a bigger lesson here for Bible believing Christians. The lesson for those who stand for biblical … Continue reading →
More on Today’s Church
A few weeks ago I posted on 2 Corinthians & God’s Word and got into a bit of a rant on my observations on the waywardness of today’s church with a trend away from preaching from the Bible. You can … Continue reading →
2 Corinthians & God’s Word
Sunday was a good day in fellowship. It amazes me how God shows up even when we are few. That is the promise of Matthew 18:20 “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them” (ESV), … Continue reading →
1 Corinthians 14
Last Sunday, July 15, 2018, we opened to 1 Corinthians 14 and discussed two hot potato topics: speaking in tongues and women teaching in church. Thanks Paul. I could have gone the rest of my life in ministry not having … Continue reading →
Why Watch for Prophecy?
I realize that some Christians don’t get very excited when it comes to sermons about the end-time events, books about tribulation timelines, or even Bible Prophecy Conferences. However, there are biblical reasons to watch and recognize the signs of our … Continue reading →
Prophecy Conference
This year the Understanding the Times Prophecy Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota hosted by Jan Markell of Olive Tree Ministries will be live streamed at CrossHope Chapel in west Mobile, Alabama. The date is Saturday, September 29, 2018 from 8:30 AM to … Continue reading →
Why We Do Age-Integrated Church
I just watched a documentary video on the issue of children and youth leaving their parents faith and practices behind as they enter adulthood. The YouTube video documentary is embedded below and the link is too, because I am aware … Continue reading →
Prophecy Watch
I want to share with two video clips that are worth hearing if you have the time. The first one is by Amir Tsarfati of Behold Israel on the recent developments on the Korean peninsula and the Iranian – Syrian … Continue reading →
Prayer Needs & End-Times
Jesus is coming soon, and that’s the good news! I don’t want to call what I am about to share now as “bad news” but there are 2 things I want to drawer your attention to as needing prayer and … Continue reading →
Why We Will Easter Simply
At CrossHope Chapel we are all about doing things simply. We are different that way, but only because we want to be a church community that stays closely to the principles, practices, and patterns of the New Testament, as much … Continue reading →
Professional Pastor?
I read an account from a church pastor who recently had some work done at his home by an electrician. The electrician asked him, as the homeowner, “What do you do for a living?” To which he replied, “I am … Continue reading →
CSB, ESV, and Translations
I am going back to using my English Standard Version. Last August I bought a Christian Standard Bible and really liked it and I still do, but in recent months my enthusiasm for this new translation has developed into reservation. … Continue reading →
Easter Events Timeline
Here is a timeline of events (not original with me, but from a shared ministers resource [that means I have no idea where I got it from]). This timeline gives a good overview of Passion Week events… Thursday – … Continue reading →
3rd Tier Rowers
While we were looking at the 4th chapter of 1 Corinthians, I pointed out that Paul’s understanding of a minister was very different than today’s “executive” or “celebrity” image often assigned to today’s pastors. 1 Corinthians 4:1 gives us the … Continue reading →
What on Earth is Going On?
If you find the time, please take the 30 minutes or so to listen to Dr. Tony Evans, the founder and Pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, TX, discusses a theological assessment of what is happening in the nation. … Continue reading →
Florida Shooting
When I first heard the news about the Florida High School shooting, my mind was already pondering a few other disappointing news stories of the day. I was thinking about the Lutheran minister in New Jersey who had a name … Continue reading →
The Valentine Story
The St. Valentine story as shared by History.com… “On February 14 around the year 278 A.D., Valentine, a holy priest in Rome in the days of Emperor Claudius II, was executed. Under the rule of Claudius the Cruel, Rome was … Continue reading →
Prayer Therapy: How to Pray for Problems
In 1994 I had assumed the pastorate of a church where I had the opportunity to sit down with the outgoing pastor to discuss various issues of that congregation. As I was sitting with him in his office talking, he … Continue reading →
Christmas in Revelation
Merry Christmas to you and yours! One of my favorite Bible verses on Christmas is in Revelation 12:10, which says, “And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and … Continue reading →
128 Nations Vote Against God
The United Nations has voted 128 to 9 to make “null, void” the United States decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Our US Ambassador has said that we will be taking names and remembering those nations when it … Continue reading →
Jesus is God
Many years ago a sincere church member once asked me, Is Jesus really God? They went on to explain that they see where the Bible says Jesus prayed to God the Father, was called the Son of God, and they even … Continue reading →
In Jesus’ Name
We commonly conclude our prayers by saying “In Jesus’ Name” and rightly so. When you say, “Lord, in the name of Jesus I pray, Amen” you are sharing in His power by claiming His character, life, atonement, and righteousness – … Continue reading →
San Antonio, Texas
I am happy to be back in Mobile today after being in San Antonio, Texas this week. Memorial Service… The memorial service for Frank Wehrly went well and it was well attended as we celebrated and honored his life … Continue reading →
Love One Another
Please don’t let the haters of truth define what it means to “love one another” because they are pressing society to believe that love is equal to agreement with another’s sin and even celebration of another’s sin. We can love … Continue reading →
Introduction to 1 John
Yesterday at church, we backtracked just a bit to get a big picture look at 1 John by looking at the four stated purposes of why John wrote the book. First, we read in 1 John 1:4 “We are writing … Continue reading →
Making Sense of Evil
Evil is becoming common place in our society and it challenges us to wonder why. When we open the Bible we can find help in making sense of evil. In Isaiah 14:11-15 and Ezekiel 28:11-15, we understand that evil was … Continue reading →
Avoiding Malice in the National Conversation
There is a lot of chaos in our society and it is an intentional strategy of Satan, because we know from John 10:10 that he “comes only to steal and kill and destroy” (ESV) and Ephesians 6:12 reminds us that we “wrestle … Continue reading →
American Judgment
America may have finally squandered its moral stabilizing influence upon a world pushing for global Satanic rule, and the judgement of disasters may be God getting our attention. In 1948, God was able to use our president in the fulfillment … Continue reading →
Jephthah
Last Sunday as we looked through James 4:1-12, the topic of making our words mean something was discussed. We talked about a promise being a promise, and our words having worth. I had mentioned an Old Testament story that signified … Continue reading →
The Eclipse
Here is the video we watched today on the eclipse, and if you can’t see the video below, link to it on YouTube is https://youtu.be/Pce4-VbNAe. Remember, we are governed by “thus saith the Lord” not a “thus saith the signs” … Continue reading →
Forsake Anger
Satan is happy to incite anger among all that will yield to it, because anger can quickly and easily be inflamed into his mission “to steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10). But I say to you, forsake anger so you become … Continue reading →
To Love God
The mission statement of CrossHope Chapel is very simple: “To love God and make His love known.” If you think of it, it is the love for God that distinguishes the believer from the unbeliever, the saved from the unsaved, … Continue reading →
Light Shows at Church?
Lately, my social media feed has been full with video clips of live church worship music and something has struck me as an oddity regarding these numerous church worship programs — light shows. I’ve noticed that there appears to be … Continue reading →
Political Fear
There is no question, from a Christian perspective, that America has gone through a recent period of leadership that has trampled on our religious freedom. Much of the harmful effects of elevating social ideologies over civil security and sexuality above … Continue reading →
Walmart and Christians
Sam Walton, the founder of Walmart, had an employee policy that said every Walmart employee was required to verbally acknowledge every customer within a 10 foot distance of the employee, whether the employee was standing still or walking somewhere. The … Continue reading →
American Church
Here is another video clip from Francis Chan on “How to hear from God” where he deals with comparison between the American Church and Jesus, with a godly balance speaking the truth in love. There are many speaking against the … Continue reading →
Francis Chan
I’m sharing with you a brief post and video clip of Francs Chan from my own blog (www.stevedurkac.org) of Francis Chan talking with ministers and church leaders. The subject is right in line with some of the things we discussed … Continue reading →
Temptation
We dealt with the topic of temptation last Sunday at CrossHope Chapel when we read James 1:12-14 in our current teaching series through the book of James. I thought it would be good to reiterate our study points from our … Continue reading →
When We Sin
We had a conversation Sunday during our study of James about what to do when we have sinned, and I want to share those Bible promises that I referenced again here. First, I mentioned a verse that I couldn’t locate … Continue reading →
Self-Control or Gun Control
The solution to unprovoked firearm violence in our society is not gun control, but self-control. Galatians 5:23 tells us that self-control is the result of the indwelling Spirit of God in one’s life, and without the Holy Spirit there is … Continue reading →
Repent
What are we to do when we realize we have made the wrong decision, are going down the wrong path, or have chosen evil over righteousness? Repent. The message of Jesus in Mark 1:15 is as applicable today as it … Continue reading →
Tree of Life?
Q: So when we get into heaven, will we have to literally eat of the tree of life to keep living forever, or is the tree of life a metaphorical object meaning we already have eternal life? A: In Genesis … Continue reading →
Who is the Anti-Christ?
Last Sunday at CrossHope Chapel we spent a little more time on 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 and the subject of “the man of lawlessness” and who this man could be. I shared a thought I had, but I couldn’t recall if … Continue reading →
Creator of the Climate
What does the Bible say about the issue of climate change and global warming, of man destroying the seasons and the earth? In Genesis 8:22 the Creator of the climate says, “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and … Continue reading →
Trump’s Jerusalem Deal?
In our teaching series at CrossHope Chapel we are in 2 Thessalonians 2 which seems timely when placed as the backdrop to President Trump’s current trip to the Middle East. President Trump has traveled to Muslim Saudis Arabia, then to Jewish … Continue reading →
Fake Godliness
Today at CrossHope Chapel we took a cross-reference jump from 2 Thessalonians 2:5 to 2 Timothy 3:1-5 and read this: “But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, … Continue reading →