The word “church” (including its plural form, “churches”) appears over 100 times in the New Testament, and is always a translation of the Greek word, ekklesia. Ekklesia was a compound word, combining the preposition ek (out) with the verb kaleo (to call); hence, our frequently cited definition, “the called out.” Interestingly, however, a first century…
Who was the first Patriarch? Three times out of four, when I ask this question, what name is given in answer do you suppose? Just now, were you thinking “Abraham?” Or were you thinking “Adam?” The reason Abraham comes to mind is easily seen because of his significant role not only as a patriarch, but…
You can read this article or not. Do what you want. I really don’t care. Whatever. Perhaps, this apathetic attitude is one of the greatest threats against the church of God. An English teacher asked the following question on an exam, “What is the difference between ignorance and apathy?” Much to his disdain he had…
In a recent Bible study of Hebrews 11, we were reading about the faith of Moses’ parents (Hebrews 11:23). This was something that turned a light bulb on inside of me. Exodus speaks about the faith of Jochebed (Moses’ mother) and how she responded but does not give details of Moses’ father, Amram. Not only…
“And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy–the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth…
“Let the words of my mouth…be acceptable in Your sight” (Psalm 19:14). There are many differences between mankind and the rest of Creation. One of the primary differences is our ability to communicate through words and sentences that express thoughts. Yes, I know, animals communicate through various means, and yes, I have read that some…
Humility, an essential Christian characteristic, is being set aside in our world of shameless self-aggrandizement and self-promotion. James clearly tells us that we cannot be children of God if we are not humble. “…Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and…
As some of you are aware, I have been on a long journey in search of that mystery called Faith. For me, it was an elusive prey, confounding my attempts to quantify and understand it, much less incorporate it into my very being. How is it, I wondered, that Faith was so simple…
I have often sung a song with the line, “this world is not my home, I’m just a passing through,” or another one, “here we are but straying pilgrims.” Both of these songs embody an ideal that it is sometimes hard for us to remember and grasp. Scripturally we can look at verses such as…
Our society has a specific use for the term sober. Upon hearing the word sober I would guess that for most of you your first thought would go to substance abuse. Sober is used to describe a person who is free from alcohol or drugs. This is certainly an appropriate use of the term. A…