Iron Sharpens Iron (Part One)
by Ryan McClureA few months ago, I had the opportunity to catch up with an old friend after work. We talked in general about how things were going and also touched on a few spiritual items ...
21-Dec-18
Reasons for Not Celebrating Christmas
by John ReissWhen someone at work asked me why I do not celebrate the holidays, I did not have what I thought was a good response to give her, but this essay will provide a handful of valid reasons. ...
14-Dec-18
What Do You Fear? (Part Three)
by David C. GrabbeIn Part Two, we began to consider the antidotes to the wrong kinds of fear by parsing Paul’s instruction to Timothy in II Timothy 1:6-7: “Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God ..."
07-Dec-18
What Do You Fear? (Part Two)
by David C. GrabbeTheologian Richard Halverson is quoted as saying, “Men who fear God face life fearlessly. Men who do not fear God end up fearing everything.” To put it another way, fear can be broken down into two broad categories ...
30-Nov-18
What Do You Fear? (Part One)
by David C. GrabbeAccording to The National Institute of Mental Health, between 5 and 12.5 percent of Americans have at least one phobia. Phobias are the most common mental illness among ...
23-Nov-18
Knowledge and Wisdom (Part Three)
by Mike FordAfter distinguishing godly knowledge from wisdom in Parts One and Two, and realizing our need for both, we need to look more closely at a detail in Proverbs 2:4: "If you seek her [wisdom] as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures." ...
16-Nov-18
Knowledge and Wisdom (Part Two)
by Mike FordIn the previous essay, we noted the difference between knowledge (having information, knowing facts, possessing skills acquired through experience or education) and wisdom (knowledge of what is true ...
09-Nov-18
Knowledge and Wisdom (Part One)
by Mike FordAuthor Sandra Carey writes, “Never mistake knowledge for wisdom. One helps you make a living; the other helps you make a life.” Put another way, knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad.
02-Nov-18
How Can We Trust the Bible?
by Richard T. RitenbaughOne of the buzzwords of this generation is “authentic." Young people, especially, want to live authentic lives, eat authentic foods, travel to authentic places, enjoy authentic music ...
19-Oct-18
A God Near at Hand (Part Three)
by Ryan McClureIn Parts One and Two, we examined examples of the great God of heaven and earth interacting with His creation, particularly with human beings like Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham, Hagar, and Jacob. ...
12-Oct-18
A God Near at Hand (Part Two)
by Ryan McClureAs we saw in Part One, people have different ideas about God’s involvement in the lives of people on Planet Earth. Deists believe that a Creator God exists but that He is disinterested in humanity ...
05-Oct-18
A God Near at Hand (Part One)
by Ryan McClureAs we begin, we will jump aboard a metaphorical spaceship to take a speed-of-light journey through the cosmos. Our journey starts on the first day of January, and we exit Earth’s atmosphere ...
21-Sep-18
The Three Witnesses of Christ (Part Three)
by David C. GrabbeThe Trinitarian controversy surrounding I John 5:7-8 overshadows the record of who Jesus Christ was and what He did. It also hides key characteristics of God's called children and what they should be doing ...
14-Sep-18
Why Two Goats on Atonement? (Part Two)
by David C. GrabbeBlood provides symbolic cleansing and purification. However, Hebrews 10:4 states that "It is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins." One goat was used to cleanse the altar of accumulated sins, while the azazel goat bore them away.
07-Sep-18
Why Two Goats on Atonement? (Part One)
by David C. Grabbe"And he shall take from the congregation of the children of Israel two kids of the goats as a [singular] sin offering." This instruction is unusual, for the ordinary sin offering consisted of a single animal. Why did God command two animals as the sin offering for the nation on the Day of Atonement?
31-Aug-18
The Three Witnesses of Christ (Part Two)
by David C. GrabbeAs we saw in Part One, the apostle John was the only gospel writer to record John the Baptist’s threefold testimony—of the water (covered in the last essay), the blood, and the Spirit. ...
24-Aug-18
The Three Witnesses of Christ (Part One)
by David C. GrabbeYears ago, I had a discussion with a man whom I had known for quite some time, so we generally knew where the other stood on various religious topics. ...
17-Aug-18
Strangers to the Truth (Part Three)
by Mike FordAs Part Two concluded, we began to look into the apostle Paul’s prophetic warning in II Thessalonians 2:1-4 about the deceptions of the Man of Sin: "Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus ...
10-Aug-18
Strangers to the Truth (Part Two)
by Mike FordIn John 8:40, Jesus points out that, even though they were physically descended from righteous Abraham, the members of His Jewish audience acted as if Satan were their real father: “But now you seek ...
03-Aug-18
Strangers to the Truth (Part One)
by Mike FordThe June 2017 issue of National Geographic Magazine contains a story, “Why We Lie: The Science Behind Our Deceptive Ways,” which begins like this: In the fall of 1989 Princeton University welcomed ...
27-Jul-18
Missing the Mark (Part Two)
by Mike FuhrerIn Part One, we saw that sin is not necessarily the breaking of a law—although that is often what we do when we sin—but in relation to the Greek word’s meaning ...
20-Jul-18
Missing the Mark (Part One)
by Mike FuhrerWay back in the third century, a Jewish rabbi named Simlai mentioned in a sermon that the commandments (mitzvot, “commands,” “orders,” “precepts”) found in the Old Testament number 613. ...
13-Jul-18
Challenges
by Gary MontgomeryThroughout our lives, we have all confronted challenges and difficulties—from learning to walk as toddlers and learning to read as children to becoming adults and facing all the ...
29-Jun-18
The Fifth Teacher (Part Three)
by David C. GrabbeEven though the Corinthian congregation had four exceptional teachers—including Jesus Christ Himself—its members' manifest carnality demonstrated that they were paying more heed to a fifth teacher than to God's servants. The works of the flesh on display among the members indicated beliefs whose source was outside of God's way.
22-Jun-18
The Fifth Teacher (Part Two)
by David C. GrabbePart One showed that Jesus Christ’s iron-clad rule for recognizing false prophets and teachers was to evaluate their fruit (Matthew 7:15-20)—what is produced not only in their lives but especially by their messages. ...
15-Jun-18
The Fifth Teacher (Part One)
by David C. GrabbeNear the end of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus warns about false prophets, who appear one way yet conceal something spiritually deadly (Matthew 7:15-20). Despite not providing many specifics ...
08-Jun-18
'Let Brotherly Love Continue'
by John ReissThe author of Hebrews writes in Hebrews 13:1, “Let brotherly love continue." Brotherly love should be a significant part of a Christian’s life, and the Bible instructs us how we can show this love for one another.
01-Jun-18
Invisible Algorithms
by Steven SkidmoreIn 2011, Eli Pariser, CEO of viral content website Upworthy, gave a TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) Talk discussing what he called “filter bubbles” and their impact ...
25-May-18
A Virtuous Woman
by Richard T. RitenbaughRuth the Moabitess had done everything her mother-in-law, Naomi, had instructed her to do. Waiting until Boaz had eaten and drunk enough to feel relaxed and sleepy, she had noted precisely ...
18-May-18
God's Entourage
by Ronny H. GrahamHave we ever wanted to be a part of an entourage? According to the Random House Dictionary, an entourage is “a group of attendants or associates, as of a person of rank or importance. ...
11-May-18
The Endurance of the Firstfruits (Part Three)
by David C. Grabbe“Hardness of heart” is used several ways in Scripture, but a person can develop this sinful attitude toward both God and man. ...
04-May-18
The Endurance of the Firstfruits (Part Two)
by David C. GrabbeEven though in general God’s harvest of His sons and daughters in the resurrection will be a success, we should consider that, individually, it may not be. We do not care to think about it, but we can ...
27-Apr-18
The Endurance of the Firstfruits (Part One)
by David C. GrabbeThe day of Pentecost, also known as the Feast of the Firstfruits and the Feast of Weeks, is unique among the annual holy days because God requires us to count to determine when it falls each year: ...
20-Apr-18
From Dust to Dust
by John ReissA friend of mine lost her father about a year ago. She loved him very much, and his sudden death distressed her. Mary (not her real name) is pretty religious, ...
13-Apr-18
The Anointed Cloth and Healing
by Richard T. RitenbaughDespite the many millions who profess to be Christians in this world, throughout most of its existence, the church of God has been small and scattered. Jesus calls His disciples a “little flock” ...
05-Apr-18
Baptism and the Last Day of Unleavened Bread
by Ronny H. GrahamBefore Jesus Christ’s ministry began, John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness about repentance from sin and baptism. In Matthew 3:11, he speaks of three different types of baptism: ...
28-Mar-18
Keeping Godly Traditions (Part Two)
by Mark SchindlerIn Part One, we saw that godly tradition is an essential facet of life for a Christian. While Jesus rebuked the Pharisees in Matthew 15 and Mark 7 for exalting their manmade traditions over God’s commandments, ...
23-Mar-18
Keeping Godly Traditions (Part One)
by Mark SchindlerAs the play Fiddler on the Roof opens, the audience sees a solitary figure, barely visible in the shadows of dawn, sitting and playing his violin on a steep roof overlooking a pre-1917 Russian village. ...
16-Mar-18
Are You Zealous? (Part Five)
by Richard T. RitenbaughAs Part Four demonstrates, the apostle Paul was so grateful for God’s calling—despite his having persecuted the newly formed church—that he spent his life zealously serving God by preaching ...
09-Mar-18
Are You Zealous? (Part Four)
by Richard T. RitenbaughAt the end of the previous essay, we considered the zeal of Jesus Christ during His earthly ministry, showing that His enthusiasm for God and His way of life fueled all of His efforts. ...
02-Mar-18
Are You Zealous? (Part Three)
by Richard T. RitenbaughAs we have seen in Parts One and Two, Christian zeal is an interest, an earnest desire, and a pursuit of all that pertains to God, His way, and His Kingdom. ...
23-Feb-18
Are You Zealous? (Part Two)
by Richard T. RitenbaughIn Jesus Christ’s letter to the congregation at Laodicea (Revelation 3:14-22), He pulls no punches in His evaluation of their works, essentially saying that they sickened Him with their lukewarm attitude ...
16-Feb-18
Are You Zealous? (Part One)
by Richard T. RitenbaughOn a physical, secular level, Theodore Roosevelt embodied the virtue that we call “zeal.” He expressed a passionate enthusiasm for the things he believed in, and he pursued them with all the energy at his disposal....
09-Feb-18
The Surety of Our Salvation
by John ReissThe churches of God do not believe that the Bible teaches the Doctrine of Eternal Security, the idea that once we profess belief in Christ, our salvation is irrevocable, regardless of any future conduct. ...
02-Feb-18
Did God Know You Before Your Birth?
by Pat HigginsNotice this remarkable statement from the apostle Paul in Ephesians 1:4: "Even as [in His love] He chose us [actually picked us out for Himself as His own] in Christ before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy" ...
26-Jan-18
Appearing Before God (Part Three)
by David C. GrabbeThe specific instruction in Deuteronomy 16:16 is that, during the three holy day seasons of the year, we should not appear before God “in vain” or “with futility. ...
19-Jan-18
Appearing Before God (Part Two)
by David C. GrabbeAs Part One closed, we considered what God says in Isaiah 55:10-11: "For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud ..."
12-Jan-18
Appearing Before God (Part One)
by David C. GrabbeIn Psalm 92:4-5, the psalmist proclaims: For You, LORD, have made me glad through Your work; I will triumph in the works of Your hands. O LORD, how great are Your works! ...
05-Jan-18
The Pursuit of Unity
by Levi W. GrahamNew and old, North and South, black and white, Republican and Democrat, left and right. The vast array of differences that make up our world are an ever-present reality. ...