In the last few years, an increasingly popular sentiment has arisen in the Lord’s church which maintains that the explicit citation of Bible book, chapter, and verse in pulpit proclamation (or in Bible class teaching) is somehow unsophisticated, ineffective, or inappropriate.
To be cleansed of his leprosy, the “important-in-his-own-eyes” Naaman was required to wash seven times in the river Jordan according to the directions of the prophet Elisha (2 Kings 5:10). After a display of stubbornness, he obeyed and was made clean (2 Kings 5:11-14).
John the Baptist was truly a great man in several ways: (1) He was a child of promise born to godly parents; (2) he prepared the way for the Lord and bore witness of Jesus as the Christ (Matthew 3:1-3; John 1:6-7); (3) his preaching was plain and powerful (Matthew 3:1-2; Mark 1:1-4; Luke 3:1-3); […]
Don’t be fooled by me. Don’t be fooled by the face I wear. For I wear a thousand masks, masks that I am afraid to take off and none of them are me. Pretending is an art that’s second nature with me, but don’t be fooled. For God’s sake don’t be fooled.
There are many in the religious world today who claim to have the supernatural gifts of tongues and healings. However, this cannot be true, because the purpose of the miraculous gifts in the first century was to “confirm” the word of God (Mark 16:20; Hebrews 2:3-4; cf. Acts 5:12; 1 Corinthians 2:4-5).
A woman driver was having difficulties getting her automobile started after it had stalled in traffic. The gentleman (?) in the car behind her insisted on expressing his impatience with her by blowing his horn every few seconds.
In Mark 15:1, the biblical record tells of the enemies of Christ binding Him in preparation for His trial before Pilate. Upon reading this text, our hearts are filled with sadness knowing our Lord was about to be crucified.
In Isaiah 64:8, Isaiah presents God as the Potter who naturally cares about that which He has created. He does not want to discard his creation. “But now, O LORD, You are our Father; We are the clay, and You our potter; And all we are the work of Your hand.“
When people first become Christians, they usually are very excited about being saved. They want to go out and teach the whole world. They are burning with zeal. They love the Lord and want to share Him with everyone (cf. Acts 9:17-22).
Not long before the southern Kingdom of Judah was delivered into Babylonian captivity under the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, Jeremiah the prophet reminded the people that they were to obey God who had delivered them from the oppressor in former days so that all would be well with them.
In Genesis 9:15-16, God told Noah and his sons: “And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, […]
While substituting in one of our local school libraries today, I noticed a placard in the librarian’s video room. The following words of wisdom regarding the habits we cultivate, were written on that placard:
The fact of one snake eating another snake is well known in the zoological world. Reptiles will sometimes grab different ends of the same piece of food. Sooner or later their struggle for that last bite brings them nose to nose.
In his book entitled, “Rich Christians In An Age Of Hunger: Moving from Affluence to Generosity,” Dr. Ronald J. Sider, professor of theology at Palmer Theological Seminary, brings out the following thoughts on page 206 and 207 regarding the importance of Christian fellowship:
Today’s Nudge from The Fellowship Room was, “What important distinction makes a difference to you?”
When we read Hebrews 7:25, we usually think of the Lord’s ability to save the lost sinner from sin. In fact, He is more than able to save every penitent believer who draws nigh to God through obedience to Him (James 4:8-10 KJV; cf. 1 Peter 1:22-23).
The Louvre in Paris is perhaps the most famous art museum in the world. It displays originals by such masters as Michelangelo, Rubens, da Vinci, and many others.
It is extremely difficult to comprehend the amount of wasted from watching television. By the age of 20, the average American will have been exposed to at least 20,000 hours of television (see other stats).
The story is told of a young boy who one day walked with his father four miles from their rural home to his grandmother’s house. While they were visiting, the sun set.
Have we every thought about what would happen if the preacher stayed home from the assembly of the saints?