Do You Have Enough Oil? (Part Two)
by David C. GrabbeThe Hebrew word translated as “oil” literally means “fat” or “grease,” but figuratively, it means “richness,” an important idea to keep in mind. The word is also translated as “fruitful.” ...
19-Dec-14
Do You Have Enough Oil? (Part One)
by David C. GrabbeMatthew 25:1-13 contains the well-known Parable of the Ten Virgins, an instruction brimming with end-time relevance: Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. ...
12-Dec-14
Planning and Preparation (Part Two)
by Mike FordAllen Saunders, an American writer, journalist, and cartoonist, once said, “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans." So, why bother with planning? ...
05-Dec-14
Planning and Preparation (Part One)
by Mike FordA Yiddish proverb reads, "Man plans, God laughs." A variation on it advises, "If you want to hear God laugh, tell him you have a plan." ...
28-Nov-14
National False Witness
by John O. ReidIn a letter to subscribers, WND.com’s David Kupelian writes: "Half way through 2014, it’s incredible to behold what has happened to America. ..."
21-Nov-14
Laying Aside Every Weight (Part Three)
by David C. GrabbeIn giving a conclusion to the "faith chapter" of Hebrews 11, the author ties together all of the preceding examples of faithful heroes with an admonition to help his audience follow in their footsteps. ...
14-Nov-14
Laying Aside Every Weight (Part Two)
by David C. GrabbeThe apostle Paul endured tremendous hardship, and his example teaches us that we have the ability—and even responsibility—to choose how we let our circumstances affect us. Paul had to decide whether to let his circumstances weigh him down or to rise above them so God could use him. ...
07-Nov-14
Laying Aside Every Weight (Part One)
by David C. GrabbeEven though all of mankind has had to deal with the devastating effects of sin, most of us know people who seem to be unburdened by the disappointments in life. Some appear to be essentially immune to bitterness and discouragement, despite having endured a tremendous amount of pain. What allows them to take the hits that life throws at them and keep going, while most people tend to become mired in the muck and bogged down by life's troubles?
31-Oct-14
Are You a Worrywart?
by Dan ElmoreIn His Sermon on the Mount, our Savior gives us some basic but very helpful and necessary advice about living as Christians in this world: "Therefore do not worry, saying 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' ..."
24-Oct-14
The Rain Comes Down
by Richard T. RitenbaughNow that a little more than a week has passed since the Last Great Day closed the fall festival season, we have had a chance to digest a lesson or two from our experiences during that time. ...
03-Oct-14
The Feast: Vacation or Holy Time?
by Mark SchindlerWill we let the physical circumstances of our lives determine this without making every effort to seek God's will diligently so that we do not fail in our duty to appear before Him?
26-Sep-14
The Peculiarities of Atonement
by Richard T. RitenbaughIt should not come as a surprise that the Day of Atonement is the most unusual holy day of the year. Each holy day has its distinctive traits. ...
19-Sep-14
Does the Bible Endorse Spanking?
by Richard T. RitenbaughAlong with the misdeeds of a handful of the NFL’s domestic violence offenders, the case against Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson—accused of child abuse after whipping his son with a switch from a tree—has started countless conversations all over the country. ...
12-Sep-14
A Heavenly Homeland (Part Three)
by David C. GrabbeIn Christ, our earthly citizenships are essentially inconsequential. Paul writes in Philippians 3:19 about the enemies of Christ who "set their minds on earthly things" or "side with earthly things." One area in which we can evaluate how much our heavenly Kingdom means to us is how much we set our minds on earthly kingdoms.
05-Sep-14
A Heavenly Homeland (Part Two)
by David C. GrabbeThe congregation at Colossae was being troubled by people who likely once had spiritual understanding but who had become enemies of Christ, having chosen to focus on the physical and temporal rather than the benefits and obligations of their heavenly citizenship.. ...
29-Aug-14
A Heavenly Homeland (Part One)
by David C. GrabbeWhen Jesus Christ began His earthly ministry, He started by preaching the good news of the Kingdom of God (Matthew 4:23; Mark 1:14-15; Luke 4:43). ...
22-Aug-14
A Unique Curriculum (Part Two)
by Gary MontgomeryGod fashions our experiences, trials, and lessons for us on an individual basis, and as we learn from them, He desires that we help others get the most out of their experiences with Him. ...
15-Aug-14
A Unique Curriculum (Part One)
by Gary MontgomerySeveral years ago, I was driving in downtown Springfield, Missouri, and came to a stop light. I was heading east on a very busy day. As I watched the traffic ...
08-Aug-14
Why Is Life So Hard? (Part Three)
by David C. GrabbeThe author of Hebrews 12:5-11 teaches us not to despise the rigors, the difficulties, that come from God, but to take them as evidence of God’s work with us: "And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons ..."
01-Aug-14
Why Is Life So Hard? (Part Two)
by David C. GrabbeIn Part One, we saw that pressure, hardship, and anguish are not elements of a Christian’s life that suddenly disappear because of faith and God's calling. It also became clear that trial ...
25-Jul-14
Why Is Life So Hard? (Part One)
by David C. Grabbe“Why is each day such a struggle?” We have all likely asked such a question during those times when it seems nothing is going right for us. And we probably already know its answer ...
18-Jul-14
From Glory to Glory
by John ReissThe apostle Paul writes in Colossians 3:1-2, “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. ...
11-Jul-14
Did Christ's Resurrection Change the Day of Worship? (Part Two)
by David C. GrabbeIn the face of the Bible’s consistent teaching, theologians justify their breaking of the Sabbath and their worship on Sunday by saying that they are honoring the day of Christ’s resurrection. ...
04-Jul-14
Did Christ's Resurrection Change the Day of Worship? (Part One)
by David C. GrabbeIn the Christian era, the Sabbath has been a point of controversy since at least the fourth century AD, when the Roman Catholic Church assumed the authority to change the day of worship from the seventh day to the first. ...
27-Jun-14
Simple Faith
by Richard T. RitenbaughSometimes, we tend to make things a bit too theological and difficult, wanting to know all the facets and permutations of a doctrine, but when it comes down to the nitty-gritty of faith, it is trusting Him, taking God at His word and believing it.
20-Jun-14
Christian Obedience
by Richard T. RitenbaughIt is commonly thought—if not commonly taught—that obedience plays little part in New Testament Christianity. People are urged, “Believe in Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.” ...
13-Jun-14
Called to Follow
by Richard T. RitenbaughIf there is one great principle of Christian living, it is walking in Christ's footsteps. Sounds easy, but putting it into practice is one of the most difficult tasks of a Christian's life. ...
06-Jun-14
Our Awesome Calling
by Richard T. RitenbaughChristianity includes the most noble invitation possible: God calls each person to a relationship with His Son, Jesus Christ, and thus to Him through Christ. Jesus speaks of this in John 6:44: "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day." He essentially repeats this in verse 65: "Therefore I said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father." ...
30-May-14
The Bible's Claims About Itself
by Richard T. RitenbaughIt is almost impossible for a Christian to have a meeting of minds with an atheist on any subject anywhere in the neighborhood of religion. ...
23-May-14
How Human Nature Came to Be
by Richard T. RitenbaughJust this month, a longtime California politician, State Senator Leland Yee (D-San Francisco), who is charged with gun trafficking and corruption for allegedly accepting bribes, suggested that money for political campaigns should come from state coffers because “money just simply corrupts. ...
16-May-14
Creator, Sustainer, Head (Part Three)
by David C. GrabbeJesus Christ has astounding power and creative ability; He is "upholding all things by the word of His power". He was not only intimately involved in the creation of all things, but He now also sustains all the natural laws and functions of His marvelous creation. This is in addition to the fact that "He is the head of the body, the church", in charge of all the activities of those whom God has called. ...
09-May-14
Creator, Sustainer, Head (Part Two)
by David C. GrabbeDespite being perhaps the oldest text in the canon, the book of Job contains many detailed, even scientific, insights into the extraordinary creative and sustaining power of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Many of these are things humanity did not really understand until recent centuries. ...
02-May-14
Creator, Sustainer, Head (Part One)
by David C. GrabbeThe book of Hebrews is particularly poignant for the church of God at this time due to the strong parallels between our circumstances and those of the Hebrews in the AD 60s as they faced the end of an age. ...
25-Apr-14
'The LORD Is My Portion'
by John ReissIf anything epitomizes the futility of trusting in this world, it is pictured by the bankruptcy filing by Detroit last year. The city was once America's manufacturing hub ...
18-Apr-14
The Unleavened Bread of Perfection
by Clyde FinkleaThirty-nine years ago, I observed the Feast of Unleavened Bread for the first time. I remember during those early years, getting the leaven out was heavily stressed. Understanding that leaven represents sin and corruption ...
11-Apr-14
When Is Passover?
by Pat HigginsThis year, Passover observance begins Monday evening, April 21, which is Nisan 14 on the Hebrew calendar. Is that the right time? Are we sure? ...
04-Apr-14
Passover and Friends United in Truth (Part Two)
by Mark SchindlerPart One ended with considering Proverbs 18:24—“A man who has friends must himself be friendly, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother”—in relation to the meaning of Passover and Christ’s giving of His life for His friends ...
28-Mar-14
Passover and Friends United in Truth (Part One)
by Mark SchindlerThrough the apostle Paul, God has made certain that all of the members of the Body of Christ recognize, not only the necessity of participation in this solemn memorialization of Christ's death, but also the careful preparation that is a key to proper participation. ...
21-Mar-14
A Worthy Manner?
by Pat HigginsAs Passover approaches, consider the warning Paul gives to us in I Corinthians 11:27-31: Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. ...
14-Mar-14
Determination (Part Two)
by John ReissTatyana McFadden was born with spina bifida, but today she is a Paralympic athlete, competing in the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia. When she was a child in the Russian orphanage, she would undoubtedly have loved to have a wheelchair, but the experience without one strengthened her arms and gave her the physical stamina she would need for her life's later adventures. ...
07-Mar-14
Determination (Part One)
by John ReissWebster's American Dictionary defines determination as "a fixed purpose or intention." We can see a living example of this word by studying the life of one particular Paralympic athlete and learning some valuable lessons that we can apply to our Christian lives. ...
28-Feb-14
Without Me, You Can Do Nothing (Part Two)
by David C. GrabbeJohn 15:4-5 in the Phillips translation gives us a great deal to consider: “You can produce nothing unless you go on growing in me. ...
21-Feb-14
Without Me, You Can Do Nothing (Part One)
by David C. GrabbeThe New Testament in Modern English, commonly known as the “Phillips Translation,” contains a salient rendering of John 15:1-8: "I am the real vine, my Father is the vine-dresser. ...
14-Feb-14
Walking in Our Father's Footsteps
by Mark SchindlerAs most of the United States is going through one of the most relentlessly brutal winters in many years, it brings to mind the famous and oft-quoted words of William Shakespeare, spoken by his King Richard, which begin the soliloquy that opens the play, Richard III: "Now is the winter of our discontent" ...
07-Feb-14
Witness and Warning to the Powerful
by Richard T. RitenbaughThe Bible contains an interesting phenomenon, one found especially in the Old Testament, in which God coordinates events to place one of His servants in a position of high visibility and sometimes great power at the center of world events. ...
31-Jan-14
Evaluating the Price of Redemption
by John O. ReidOf all of God's appointed times, the Passover is one that we should not just rush into without thought and preparation. If we do so, we will miss the awesome depth of its meaning, placing ourselves in danger of taking the Passover unworthily. ...
24-Jan-14
Forgiveness and Forgiving
by John ReissJust before Jesus gives the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant in Matthew 18:21-35, Peter comes to Him and asks how often he should forgive a sinning brother. ...
17-Jan-14
Anarchy in God's Church? (Part Three)
by David C. GrabbeEphesians 4:11-14 gives instruction on how God gifts some more than others in the church: "And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints ..."
10-Jan-14
Anarchy in God's Church? (Part Two)
by David C. GrabbeJohn Darby, Bible translator and dispensationalist, preached far and wide, including numerous tours throughout North America. He left an indelible mark on Evangelical Protestantism through his teachings ...
03-Jan-14
Anarchy in God's Church? (Part One)
by David C. GrabbeTo help in understanding one of the great controversies among those who have left the Worldwide Church of God, consider the story and legacy of a man whose ideas have had more influence in Evangelical Protestantism than perhaps any other in the last 200 years...