A Second-Advent message: “Holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord!” Hebrews 12 In a season when we celebrate Advent — the first coming of Jesus — Pastor Percy Gutteridge reminds us that we are now in the time of the Second Advent — that is, we are in the days before Jesus’ Second Coming. This message is an exposition of the twelfth chapte…

The firstsfruits belong to God – materially and spiritually! Leviticus 23:9-14 There is much significance in the fact that the Feast of Firstfruits and the Feast of Pentecost were to be celebrated on the first day of the week. It signifies God’s law of firstfruits. The Lord Jesus Christ, “the firstfruits of them that slept” (1 Corinthians 15:20), r…

The famous Liberty Bell is inscribed with the words of Leviticus 25:10: “Proclaim liberty throughout the land unto all the inhabitants thereof” — the proclamation of Jubilee! Leviticus 25:1-55 In this message Percy Gutteridge clearly explains the wonderful analogy between the Old Testament celebration of Jubilee and the glorious and complete freedo…

2 Kings 2; Luke 1:17 Elijah and Elisha by Gustav Doré The Scriptures include many types, or figures, which help illustrate important foundational truths. In this look at the ministries of Elijah and Elisha, we see Elijah as a type of Old Covenant prophet, while Elisha is a type of the New Covenant prophet. Similarly, John the Baptist is the last of…

Resurrection Day: Jesus on the Road to Emmaus by Gustav Doré Luke 24:1-35 This message examines the false theories concerning our Lord’s resurrection, including and shows their errors. Pastor Gutteridge’s teaching fully vindicates the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ on the third day, and shows its great significance for Christians. Source…

These are supplementary notes to the podcast interview. Click on the image above for a zoomable-map version of Jim’s travel Pastors Nelson, Mario, and Ramon in Quilalí Posing with Pastores Jairu and Migdonia after the first Guatemalan conference “Diego” (Jim) and Pastora Lilian de Chávez (Jim’s interpreter in Coatepeque) praying with a pastor at th…

The Lost Sheep by Alford Usher Soord Luke 15 “Uh, oh — another message on the parables of Luke 15!” If that was your first thought as you read the title, it’s time for an attitude check. And that check would be very appropriate, because in this message, Pastor Percy Gutteridge looks at the different attitudes of the things and persons mentioned by …

“Behold, a sower went forth to sow.” Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23, 24-30, 31-32 As detailed in Matthew 13, Jesus told many parables, three of which had to do with seeds. With the words, “A sower went forth to sow,” the first parable describes a sower who casts the seed of the word; the final disposition of the seed sifts out the true heirs of the Kingdom.…

Romanian Pastor Teofil Ciortuz at his desk It’s wonderful when Christian parents prayerfully name their children, especially when that name turns out to be prophetic. Teofil Ciortuz (tay-oh-FEEL chor-TOOS) seems to be the prophetic fulfillment of his first name — Teofil, an eastern European form of Theophilus (see Luke 1:3 and Acts 1:1), meaning lo…

“Go and work in My vineyard.” Matthew 21:28-32 Matthew 20:1-16 Matthew 20:20-28 Jesus taught us both the parable of the vineyard and the servants and the parable of the vineyard and the sons. One of the revealed truths in Scripture is the difference that the Lord makes between Servants and Sons. The exposition of these two parables brings out the d…

Romanian Pastor Marius Apopi (left) translates for Bible teacher Jim Kerwin Lord willing, the second-story construction on the Coatepeque church (the one pastored by Fermin and Lilian Chávez) can commence in March 2014. Guatemalan Pastor Fermin Chávez tightens the knots of friendship. The Bible storyteller with “Jairus’s daughter.” Click here to se…

Parable of the Talents (Anonymous) Matthew 25:14-30 From the parables of Jesus, the Good Servants and the Unprofitable Servants are delineated with their ultimate rewards. But there are not just two divisions on earth — the saved and the unsaved. There is a division in the ranks of the saved: there are servants and servant-sons. Servants may believ…

Al & Sue Strickland I fully expected this episode to be a praise and victory report about the recent missions trip to Romania. But on the flight home from Munich, Germany, to Charlotte, North Carolina, I felt a nudge from the Holy Spirit that the “top priority” was to interview Fellowship members Al and Sue Strickland at this milestone in their mar…

Denise Kerwin, publications editor for Finest of the Wheat Teaching Fellowship I’m just finishing a third week of ministry here in Romania, with visits to churches small and large, and a second very successful and well-received conference. After a four-hour round-trip on Monday to teach for four hours at a Bible institute, I’ll return to my Romania…

Jim Kerwin, Bible teacher from Finest of the Wheat Teaching Fellowship I’ve just finished a second busy, blessed, and fruitful week here in Romania, and I’ll be returning home in almost exactly a week. I’ll continue to post updates at KernelsOfWheat.com/facebook; and, no, you don’t need to have a Facebook account to read the entries and see the pho…

Ray Greenley, Pastor of National Prayer Chapel, Woodbridge, Virginia, and host of the “Pilgrim’s Progress” radio program I’m finishing out my first week in Romania, with two more to go. You can follow along with my near daily reports at KernelsOfWheat.com/facebook; and, no, you don’t need to have a Facebook account to read the entries and see the p…

The Unjust Steward (by Jan Luyken) Click to see the full image. Luke 16:1-13 God has always put His work out to the care of stewards. In the past, “Sons of God” came to report to Him at intervals (Job 1:6, etc.). Some have been unfaithful. In the present, God has His faithful and unfaithful servants who have the choice of far greater service in the…

Steve & Kelly Solheim with World Gospel Mission In this podcast, we interview Steve and Kelly and Nick Solheim of World Gospel Mission. They’re discovering their support so that they can return to their assignments at Escuela El Sembrador (School of the Sower) in Honduras. The story of how they wound up on the mission field will open your eyes and …

Atilio and Gladys Chávez [Note: Visit these links for Part 1 and Part 2.] For this third and final installment of our Guatemala report, we had the privilege of interviewing the country’s dynamic duo, Pastor Atilio Chávez and his wife, Dr. Gladys de Chávez, about their background, ministry, and goals. Atilio, who has been involved in church-planting…

The Prodigal Son and His Father (woodcut by Gustav Doré) Click to see the full image. Luke 15:11-32 This message unfolds a fresh look at this story which is so familiar to us that we tend to think we’ll be hearing the “same old, same old.” But this is an entirely different approach, and may leave you amused, instructed, enlightened, stirred, challe…

Jim & Denise Kerwin and Ray Greenley in the WAVA-AM studio We had been on National Prayer Chapel‘s Pilgrim’s Progress radio program for three days (July 23-25, 2013) when on the fourth day the host, Pastor Ray Greenley, decided to shift focus and interview us about our backgrounds, our ministry, our recent Guatemala trip, and our planned trip to Ro…

Enjoying un helado with (left to right) Josué (Joshua) and Fermin Chávez [Note: Visit this link for Part 1.] The best part of travel is making friends and learning about their lives and ministries. That’s doubly true when those friends are Fermin and Lilian Chávez, the pastors of an ISPI church in Coatepeque (say “kwah-tay-PAY-kay”), Guatemala. The…

The reason we go—to serve the pastors and leaders and their people We have all sorts of testimonies to the Lord’s goodness and faithfulness from our Guatemala trip, and we wanted to share them with you. Some of you gave, many of you prayed, and so an accounting and a recounting are in order. Jim Kerwin was in Guatemala from 15 April to 22 May, and …

Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane (woodcut by Gustav Doré) The name Gethsemane means olive press. King David had his Gethsemane, and “great David’s greater Son,” the Lord Jesus, had His. It came on a pleasant night in spring under a full moon. From Christ’s Gethsemane, by way of Calvary, the gift of the golden oil of the Spirit comes to us. But it …

Roy & Melania Olsen It’s my great privilege and delight to share with you an interview I did with Rev. Roy Olsen of Apa Vie Ministries in Pestere, Caras-Severin, Romania. I spent over half a month with Roy and his godly and sweet Romanian wife, Melania, last October. Apa Vie (“Living Water” in Romanian) and the work the Olsens are doing deserve to …

now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout.” Have you ever clearly understood how Jesus Christ is God and Man, perfectly, at the same time? Here’s a seemingly unrelated question: Have you ever given thought to Jesus’ seamless garment, for which the soldiers gambled during the Crucifixion (John 19:23)? Why did Jesus wear a seamless…

In the pew next to you? Your feedback is appreciated. Leave a comment (below) or drop us an e-mail. More Bible teaching by Jim Kerwin and others can be found on the Finest of the Wheat website. Subscribe to the Kernels of Wheat weekly podcast: Legal stuff: Image licensed from Illustration from www.istockphoto.com. Podcast theme music: “Steam Train”…

“I am the Vine, you are the branches.” Of this message, Pastor Gutteridge wrote: God is the Husbandman, the great Vine-Dresser. He intends that His children should be fruitful with ever-increasing fruitfulness, so He purges them, that they may bring forth more fruit. But they must abide in the Vine as living branches in the Vine; and the Vine is Hi…

The entry for antichrist in Strong’s Concordance. These five entries–four verses–are the only places where the word ever occurs in the entire Bible. Note the plural in 1 John 2:18. Click on the image for a larger view. Intro: In the old TV game show, To Tell the Truth, several panelists asked questions of three mystery guests. One guest had a uniqu…

Melchizedek Blessing Abram Pastor Percy Gutteridge prepared this message at the request of a number of people who wanted to know more about this great king-priest, Melchizedek, one of the greatest types of the Lord Jesus Christ revealed in the Scriptures. The purpose of this message is to unfold more of the perfection of the Lord Jesus Christ in Hi…

Pastors and LendAHand team members gathered at the Monte Getsemaní retreat center in Costa Rica. The three people at the extreme right of the group are (left to right) Kathryn Hoyle, Bobby Hoyle, and Pastor Jorge Fernández. Late on Friday, August 3, I returned from another teaching trip, this time to Costa Rica. In this podcast, I share for about f…

Gustav Doré’s illustration of Jesus at prayer in the garden. In this message, Pastor Percy Gutteridge will clearly explain just what intercession is, keying this study off the description of Messiah in Isaiah 52:13–52:12. Jesus is shown as the Great High Priest, ever interceding on behalf of a rebel world and a largely indifferent Church, pleading …

No, God doesn’t hate socks, but He has been blessing our socks off lately! Because it’s been so long since our last podcast in our continuing study through 1 John, I thought it would be appropriate to give our listeners a rundown (all-too-brief and incomplete) of my missions trip to Guatemala and my ministry trip to Iowa. I’ve been busy — flying 3,…

Gustav Doré’s rendering of the Baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist. (Click on the image for a larger view.) Consider the days mentioned in John 1 & 2. “The third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee” (John 2:1); but what about the other two days? Trace back each following day to the first mentioned, John 1:19, and you find that the third da…

Percy Gutteridge In 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 Paul takes as a pattern the Marathon footrace of the ancient Greeks, well known to and partly copied by the Romans. This is a stimulating message on the Heavenly Race. Comfort and encouragement are given from the Scriptures and Christian experience. You will be surprised as to how much the epistles have to …

Orpah returns as Ruth leaves with Naomi for Bethlehem Judah (from an illustration by Doré) Starting in Ruth chapter 1 as he did in last month’s Grains from Gutteridge podcast, Pastor Gutteridge weaves in Peter’s report about the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at the house of Cornelius (Acts 11), and brings forth a helpful message about our adoption …

Is this your experience of the Christian life, or do you have indoor plumbing? Review of last week’s episode, What We Don’t Know About the ‘Anointing,‘ the second installment in our study of 1 John 2:18-29. First anointing, then abiding, and next week antichrist. How do they all tie together? Your feedback is appreciated. Leave a comment (below) or…

Part of a 'Strong's Concordance' entry on the word 'anointed' Review of last week’s episode, An Unhappy Heresy, the first installment in our study of 1 John 2:18-29. We’ll see how this NT concept of anointing ties in with John’s use of the word abiding, and what it all has to do with the word Christian (a chri— word we haven’t yet touched on). Your…

If only all the heretics were this easy to spot! Your feedback is appreciated. Leave a comment (below) or drop us an e-mail. More teaching by Jim Kerwin and others can be found on the Finest of the Wheat website. Subscribe to the Kernels of Wheat weekly podcast: Legal stuff: Illustration from www.istockphoto.com and adapted Podcast theme music: “St…

Ruth gleaning in the field of Boaz (from a 19th Century illustration) In this message, Percy Gutteridge explains both the Biblical doctrine of redemption and Jesus’ role as our Kinsman-Redeemer. Redemption’s part in God’s great plan of salvation is made made clear in the beautiful story of Ruth. Other free audio messages by Pastor Gutteridge are av…