By: Zach Collins “The Thief on the Cross” It is one of the most recognizable names in the Bible. Yet, the popularity of his name does not always equate familiarity with his life. In fact, we know little to nothing about this famous bible character. We do not know what this man stole or from whom he stole it. We do know not if this man had a wife or family. We do not even know this man’s name. What made him a “thief?” Did anyone mourn his death? The answers to these questions belong to God and God, alone.  We will never remember the “thief” for what we do not know, which brought him to the cross. We will remember the “thief” for what we do know, his greatest moment on the cross.  “Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” Luke 23:42 Praise God that He does not remember us for our worst moments. What if David was only remembered as an adulterer and murderer? What if Peter was only remembered as a denier? What if Paul was only remembered as a persecutor? What if “The Thief on the Cross” was only remembered as a robber? Not every victim who died the death of crucifixion had the power to save themselves and others from this atrocious death. Only one, Jesus Christ. As the “thief” watched Jesus die on the cross, destined to die the same death of crucifixion himself, his heart was enraptured with this same …

By: Zach Collins His name was “Raccoon” John Smith. He spent much of his life as a Baptist preacher. From a young age, he sought the Lord through Calvinistic theory. One day, a Baptist preacher told him the Lord had called him to be one of His “elect.” Immediately, he began to preach. He studied the Bible restlessly. When he preached, he would quote entire scripture passages, much more than his fellow Baptist preachers. However, there was a significant moment that changed his life. One night, a fire consumed his family’s cabin and burned two of his four children. For the next several years, a thought occurred in his mind that he could not escape. Were my children part of the “elect of God,” or were they doomed to the fires of Hell? In 1822, this soul-consuming thought came to a breaking point. While preaching at Spencer Creek, he told his audience, “If you believe Jesus is God’s son and obey Him, you will be saved. If you disobey Him, you will be lost.” That day, it dawned on “Raccoon” John Smith that the statement he had just declared was foreign to the Calvinistic doctrine. This was a turning point in the life of “Raccoon” John Smith. Eventually, after studying the New Testament, he saw that the Baptist church was not the church of his Lord and that the theories preached by Baptist preachers were not the gospel of Jesus Christ. Of course, “Raccoon” John Smith would become instrumental in …