At the recent Eminence campout, I came upon a chance conversation with three younger men. We shall call them by their initials: A, R and C. During the course of our conversation, predestination came up. One of the young men grabbed his Bible and we looked at passages in Romans 8 and Ephesians 1. I…
Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality (Romans 12:13). Christians are instructed to be hospitable several times in our New Testament, and hospitality is highlighted as a necessary behavior of elders and worthy widows in the church (Romans 12:13, 1 Timothy 3:2, 5:10). Hospitality is a strength demonstrated in the characters of…
Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you…
The American saying, “You can’t have your cake and eat it too,” expresses a truth acknowledged by other cultures. The Albanians say, “To take a swim and not get wet.” The Portuguese talk of “wanting the sun to shine on the threshing floor while it rains on the turnip field.” In Vietnam, they warn “you…
Judge not, that you be not judged (Matthew 7:2). It’s a powerful statement. The Lord wasn’t speaking about discerning right from wrong. He was talking about how we discern people. We may see the surface behavior, but we can’t see the way the Lord sees. We cannot discern the thoughts and intents of the heart….
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…