There is no one that lives very long that is not touched by, if not immersed in, grief. Grief is a visitor to our lives that wants to pull up a seat and stay for an extended period of time, and if we are not careful, it will move in to stay permanently. I cannot…
It’s no secret we live in a time where the name, person and authority of Jesus Christ is often defamed, dishonored and disrespected. In the world, He is the punch line of jokes. His name is frequently muttered in vain. The thought of His divinity is scoffed at and mocked. He’s commonly portrayed in mainstream…
Jesus said in Luke 18:8b, “Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” This is a verse that I have wrestled with much at times. The church that Jesus Christ built will stand forever (Daniel 2:44)! How bright, how strong, and how faithful will the Church be in…
Many of us who love this country are disturbed to see our society spiral deeper into the wickedness that seems to prevail in these modern times. It hurts us to see so many changes in regard to common decency and morality. Certainly, the primary reason such wickedness prevails is because many are refusing the Lord’s…
How often do you check your phone throughout the day? Research suggests that the average American adult checks his or her phone every 6.5 minutes. Digital devices have become an obsession for many of us. Has anyone e-mailed us in the last six minutes? Is anyone liking my post on Facebook? Was that a text…
Solomon the wise both begins and ends the book of Ecclesiastes with the statement, “Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity” (Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12:8). In modern vernacular, vanity often refers to the excessive valuing of one’s appearance or abilities in comparison with others. For example, to quote a portion of…
Did the Bible writers intend to record real history? Not according to some critics. One writer says, “Some stories in the Bible were meant to be history, others fiction…” And again, “…only some of the stories in the New Testament were meant as history.” This is a trending perspective on the Bible that is not…
That the gospel texts have come down to us in reliable form has been amply demonstrated over the years. The quality and quantity of ancient manuscripts confirming the modern text’s integrity stands unequalled by that of any ten ancient documents combined. But some question not the integrity of the texts, but their believability. They argue…
Editor’s Note: In June 2015, Rick Greenwood, one of the elders in Martinsville, IN, lost his son Ryan to cancer. The disease struck Ryan swiftly, and he died in a matter of weeks following the diagnosis. As a part of his grieving, Rick put finger to keyboard, delivered this lesson at Martinsville, and adapted it…
Because the values of societies either differ one from another or change over time, it seems that some parts of the Bible carry more relevance to some generations. For example, Ecclesiastes is particularly well suited to identify the consequences of humanistic or atheistic thought in a post-modern world. John’s gospel account bears greater weight in…