Why is God’s plan of salvation so complicated? Serious Bible students soon realize that the work of studying and understanding the Bible is never ending! There is so much to learn. A study of Hebrews brought me to Melchizedek. One paragraph in Genesis 14 tells us the entire Bible story of Melchizedek. He is … Read more
Hearing and Seeing — But Not Hearing or Seeing? When Jesus spoke to the seven churches of Asia in Revelation 2-3, he told each one of them, in emphatic repetition, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” Why would he repeat that command to each church? They … Read more
Teaching is Hard. Doing is Harder! As a preacher and Bible teacher for many years, I have long since learned that teaching good lessons from The Word is easier than living them. I have known and felt that in my life over and over again. Just today I talked with someone about 1 Thessalonians … Read more
Do you have “ears to hear?” Jesus often called people to pay attention. It is hard to imagine that people did not pay attention to Jesus. He was so very compelling. Yet, as we read the gospels and see people react to Jesus, it is clear that many dismissed him and his teaching. Jesus was … Read more
As Disciples of Christ Let us … What? At least twelve times in the Book of Hebrews, Christians are called to significant spiritual action. Twelve times we find the phrase “let us…” Let us look at the four “let us” statements in Hebrews chapter four. 1. “Let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it…” … Read more
Teaching is Hard. Doing is Harder! As a preacher and Bible teacher for many years, I have long since learned that teaching good lessons from The Word is easier than living them. I have known and felt that in my life over and over again. Just today I talked with someone about 1 Thessalonians … Read more
In Bible study, it is important to draw our conclusions in a comprehensive rather than an exclusive manner. What I mean by that is that I must not isolate one statement to the exclusion of other relevant information that relates to the subject and can affect the conclusion. That is the reason a … Read more
As Paul concludes his letter to the church at Thessalonica, he gives a series of practical habits to incorporate into one’s life. One of the statements: “…pray without ceasing…” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Read the entire context. You will be richer for doing so. What does it mean to pray without ceasing? God does not mean … Read more
What comes first? Near the end of a long conversation about material things and spiritual things, Jesus said: “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). That would be first, in terms of time, first in terms of priority and first in terms of attention. What do … Read more
You can’t bully someone into following the Lord. For sincere disciples of Christ, it is frustrating when people we know and care about are not willing to believe and obey the Lord. First, it is frustrating because the Lord is worthy of our worship and should be honored in our lives. Secondly, it is … Read more
