Our Historical Myopia
by Richard T. RitenbaughAs the days have wound down toward the new year, the media have been saturated with news of woe. Many people would say that sorrowful tales have filled the Internet and the airwaves to such an extent that it has been the absolute worst year in living memory. ...
23-Dec-16
The Clock Stopped and the Whole World Changed
by StaffSometimes, while out and about, you hear something that grabs your attention. I recently heard an elderly lady remembering a certain event in her life. ...
16-Dec-16
Rightly Defining the Word of Truth
by Charles WhitakerOne of the ways the “unlearned and unstable wrest” Scripture (II Peter 3:16) is to misapply the meaning of a word they find there. Wrongly understanding some word's denotation ...
09-Dec-16
The Names of Christmas
by Richard T. RitenbaughAs I hustled through an office park on my daily morning walk, a woman arriving for work responded to my “Good morning” with, “Merry Christmas!” I waved politely and walked on. ...
02-Dec-16
What Is the Prophesied 'Pure Language'? (Part Three)
by David C. GrabbeBeginning with the Feast of Pentecost in AD 31, God opened salvation to those of any human language He chose to call. The miracle of languages seen in the apostles demonstrates ...
18-Nov-16
What Is the Prophesied 'Pure Language'? (Part Two)
by David C. GrabbeAs we saw in Part One, language is not only a collection of words, but also a reflection of the culture it describes. When a people begin speaking a pure language ...
11-Nov-16
What Is the Prophesied 'Pure Language'? (Part One)
by David C. GrabbeActs 2 records the giving of the Holy Spirit on that notable Feast of Pentecost. In Peter's sermon that day, he explains the miraculous events by quoting Joel 2:28-32 ...
04-Nov-16
A Patriot and a Traitor (Part Two)
by John ReissIn Part One, we discovered that, before he infamously betrayed the young United States of America, Benedict Arnold was an ardent and energetic patriot, training and equipping ...
28-Oct-16
A Patriot and a Traitor (Part One)
by John ReissIn the Olivet Prophecy, Jesus Christ prophesies that in the time of the end, “many will be offended, will betray one another, and hate one another” (Matthew 24:10). ...
07-Oct-16
Are These Your Feasts? (Part Two)
by Mark SchindlerAs we closed Part One, we saw that Jesus Himself requested of the Father that His disciples, which we are, be sanctified: "I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, ...
30-Sep-16
Are These Your Feasts? (Part One)
by Mark SchindlerAs we watch the self-centered insanity growing in a world held captive by the perverted mind of Satan, we perceive that God has filled—and continues to fill—its positions ...
23-Sep-16
Rebellion as Witchcraft
by Richard T. RitenbaughAbout four centuries before the time of King Saul, the Amalekites had “ambushed [Israel] on the way when he came up from Egypt” (I Samuel 15:2; see Exodus 17:8-13), and with God’s help, ...
16-Sep-16
God of the Pigeonhole
by Richard T. RitenbaughA stroll through just about any cathedral in Europe, not to mention many a church just about anywhere in the world, would bring to the eye the sight of perhaps a handful or even dozens of ...
09-Sep-16
Giving Glory to God
by Mike FuhrerA good friend recently told me of an experience he had several years ago. ...
02-Sep-16
Character and Reputation (Part Two)
by James BeaubelleIn Part One, we saw that our character is who we are in God’s estimation, since only He truly knows us. Our reputation, on the other hand, is what other people ...
26-Aug-16
Character and Reputation (Part One)
by James BeaubelleWe all know that obedience to God’s moral laws, His statutes, and His judgments brings us great benefits. We also know that, by knowing and then living within the framework of what God has revealed to us, ...
19-Aug-16
Dealing With Change (Part Three)
by David C. GrabbeDespite the Bible’s repeated injunctions to put God's commands into practice, doing God's sayings cannot justify us—only the blood of Christ has that power. ...
12-Aug-16
Dealing With Change (Part Two)
by David C. GrabbeIn Luke 6:46-49, Jesus begins a passage, asking, “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?” He finishes His thought with the metaphor of a man building a house ...
05-Aug-16
Dealing With Change (Part One)
by David C. GrabbeWhen we were baptized and gave our lives by covenant to God, we committed ourselves to a lifetime of change. This change would be partly internal ...
29-Jul-16
Rejection Hurts
by John ReissSometimes when we talk after church services, we review instances that have happened in our efforts to obey God that have put a strain on our relationships with others. ...
22-Jul-16
Should We Fear Terrorism?
by Richard T. RitenbaughThe online free encyclopedia, Wikipedia, keeps a “List of terror incidents” by month and by year. ...
15-Jul-16
Truth and God's Governance (Part Three)
by David C. Grabbe... Another aspect of reality, then, is that God puts people where He wants them and gives them the responsibilities that He desires them to fulfill. That was true for Israel, just as it is true for the Body of Christ. ...
08-Jul-16
Truth and God's Governance (Part Two)
by David C. GrabbeMoses was perhaps the greatest leader of Israel, yet the Pentateuch clearly perceives no contradiction between great leadership and humility. In fact, they go hand in hand; the best human leaders will be those who recognize that they are not the ones running things. ...
01-Jul-16
Truth and God's Governance (Part One)
by David C. GrabbeGeorge Orwell, author of 1984, once noted, “During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act." While this can certainly be seen within politics ...
24-Jun-16
Behind Enemy Lines (Part Two)
by Clyde FinkleaIn Part One, we saw that Satan, the covering cherub who rebelled against God (Isaiah 14:12-14; Ezekiel 28:12-17), does not want to be revealed for what he is and how he operates. ...
17-Jun-16
Behind Enemy Lines (Part One)
by Clyde FinkleaWhile the world is at odds, and leaders busy themselves with strategies to fight physical wars, it should come as no surprise to God’s people that we are engaged in a great spiritual battle. ...
10-Jun-16
Altruism
by John ReissLast month, a town hall meeting was held at my place of employment, and a minister opened the meeting with a story, which went something like this: A long time ago, a king traveling through his kingdom ...
03-Jun-16
Using Our Spiritual Vocabulary
by Richard T. RitenbaughAs much as we talk, we should all be experts on language, at least the one we grew up speaking. When we were just infants, we began absorbing the broad strokes of our native tongue, and within a few years ...
27-May-16
Belief and the Firstfruits (Part Three)
by David C. GrabbeIn John 6:35-40, Jesus expands on His earlier saying that believing in Him is the work of God: "And Jesus said to them, 'I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me ...'"
20-May-16
Belief and the Firstfruits (Part Two)
by David C. GrabbeIn John 6:26-29, Jesus upbraids the 5,000 people who had followed Him because they had sought Him out for the wrong reason. Instead of desiring the truth He taught them, ...
13-May-16
Belief and the Firstfruits (Part One)
by David C. GrabbeIn his book State of Fear, author Michael Crichton thoughtfully observed, “The past history of human belief is a cautionary tale. Crichton went on to demonstrate that mankind does not at all have a good record of holding beliefs ...
06-May-16
Winners Never Quit
by Clyde FinkleaIn my high school yearbook, quotes were placed under the pictures of each senior. I do not remember the quote that was under my name, but I do remember one of them. It was ...
29-Apr-16
Remember
by Ronny H. GrahamRemember when? Remember the time? Remember the Alamo! Remember the good ol' days? A recent Internet article proclaimed the 1950s to be the good old days, as many remember it fondly. ...
22-Apr-16
Freedom the Right Way
by Richard T. RitenbaughApril 19 marks the anniversary of three major events in American history. Not only is April 19 the day the American Revolutionary War began in 1775, but it was also ...
15-Apr-16
This Life of Sacrifice
by Richard T. RitenbaughWe live in a self-indulgent age. Advertisers tell us to pamper ourselves and get all that we can as soon as we can. Politicians promise high-cost "freebies" that only a few years ago required ...
08-Apr-16
What Is Repentance? (Part Three)
by David C. GrabbeIn Matthew 22:37-39, Jesus defines the two great commandments of His law—the two highest principles: “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind” ...
01-Apr-16
What Is Repentance? (Part Two)
by David C. GrabbeAs we saw in Part One, the biblical words translated as “repentance” indicate a thorough moral adjustment of an individual’s thoughts, words, and deeds. While the word itself focuses on the change ...
25-Mar-16
What Is Repentance? (Part One)
by David C. GrabbeThe gospel accounts show that God gave John the Baptist the responsibility to “prepare the way of the LORD, make His paths straight” (Matthew 3:3; Mark 1:3; Luke 3:4). When he preached the good news of God’s Kingdom ...
18-Mar-16
God's Goodness and Severity
by Charles WhitakerNear the end of his doctrinal exposition to the Christians in Rome, the apostle Paul writes about God’s mercy in calling Gentiles into His church while at the same time rejecting His own people Israel—for a while ...
11-Mar-16
Uprooting Righteousness
by Levi W. GrahamThe primary principle of the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares is relatively easy to see. However, an interesting bit of information appears in it that some may have overlooked. ...
04-Mar-16
This Little Light of Mine
by Gary MontgomeryMany children in various churches sing a song called “This Little Light of Mine,” and those who sing it sing, “I’m going to let it shine.” Based on Matthew 5:16, it speaks about a light shining out into a dark world. ...
26-Feb-16
The Signs of God (Part Three)
by David C. GrabbeAs we have seen in Parts One and Two, God is serious about the signs He has given to His people (Numbers 14:11, 22-23). Obedience to His instructions is a general sign ...
19-Feb-16
The Signs of God (Part Two)
by David C. GrabbeA distinct difference exists between those who live according to God's instructions and those who do not, and the difference cannot be hidden. The correct actions become a sign—a witness—even without any preaching, which is why God's words are symbolically bound to the hand rather than the tongue. ...
12-Feb-16
The Signs of God (Part One)
by David C. GrabbeIn Matthew 12:39, Jesus Christ says that "an evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign. ...
05-Feb-16
Elisha and the Double Portion
by Richard T. RitenbaughMost of us, when we begin a new job or a new project, want to know all we can about it. We want to be ready to take it on and complete it to the best of our abilities. ...
29-Jan-16
Ask God for the Little Things
by John O. ReidIn a conversation with a friend sometime back, we could not help but notice the difference in people in both the world and church over the last forty or fifty years. ...
22-Jan-16
The Heart of a Leader (Part Three)
by David C. Grabbe...If David had accepted the subtle bribes of these three men, he would have encouraged more of this sort of behavior, and justice would have been overthrown in the land. But by clearly establishing justice at the beginning of his reign, those under him could trust him, knowing that he operated by a higher standard. His people could see that he was not easily swayed by things that might otherwise appeal to his human nature. ...
15-Jan-16
The Heart of a Leader (Part Two)
by David C. GrabbeAs we saw in Part One, when the prophet Samuel was sent to anoint one of Jesse’s sons, God says, “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” (I Samuel 16:7). ...
08-Jan-16
The Heart of a Leader (Part One)
by David C. GrabbeEach year, we observe Pentecost—also called the Feast of Firstfruits—a holy day that looks forward to the final redemption of a tiny portion of mankind, those who are called by God. ...
01-Jan-16
The Biblical New Year
by Richard T. RitenbaughWhen studying a biblical topic, it is always helpful to begin with a plain, unambiguous statement that provides a fundamental understanding of the subject. ...