Most Christians Already Know More About the Bible Than What They Put into Practice I’ve already written that most Christians don’t let the Bible get in the way of what they believe. In short, they believe things that aren’t biblical. It’s true. A related thought is that most Christians already know more about the Bible […]
It’s been three months since visiting the last church. We’ve slipped back into the routine of our own church, yet my unrest over going there remains strong. A Last Minute Change “Do you want to go to a different church today?” My bride’s words surprise me. She just crawled out of bed and, though awake, […]
Job Prays for His Misguided Friends Who Criticize Him, and God Accepts His Prayers The book of Job is dialogue sandwiched between the story’s prelude and epilogue. The prelude, or premise, is that Job will remain devout to God regardless of how Satan might afflict him (Job 1-2). In the epilogue, or conclusion, God repudiates the […]
In the book of Genesis, God gives a new name to three people. In doing so, God is effectively saying, I’m giving you a new identity. You may see yourself according to what your parents called you at birth, but I see you differently. I’m giving you a new name and a new future. The […]
Today’s passage: John 1:15–51 Focus verse: John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’” (John 1:23) We first meet John the Baptist in John 1:6. (Remember, John the Baptist is not the author of the book of […]
How Engagement and Marriage Worked in the New Testament In Bible times, when a couple became engaged, the groom-to-be with go home and prepare a place for them to live by adding a room to his parents’ house. As soon as he finished the construction, he would go to his fiancée, the marriage ceremony would […]
When my wife started a new job, she learned one of her coworkers goes to a church near the one we normally attend. With a non-church sounding name, I’m intrigued. We decide to visit. Consider these seven discussion questions about Church #63. 1. As we drive to this church, I’m so glad for a reprieve […]
When Job’s Friends Try to Comfort Him, Their Words Only Deepen His Distress The Bible tells the story of Job, how Satan took everything from him: his possessions, his children, and his health. Left in deep pain with an unsupportive wife, four of Job’s friends come to offer comfort, but they fail. They should say […]
Job Professes His Spiritual Practices The words of Job’s friend Eliphaz fail to comfort him. Instead they stir up anger. With a friend who speaks like Eliphaz I’d be angry too. In Job’s reply to his so-called friend, he professes what he has done to align himself with God. He claims his practices prove his […]
Today’s passage: John 1:1–14 Focus verse: In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. (John 1:4) The book of John opens with a most moving passage. It’s lyrical, it’s evocative, and it is exquisite. In this poetic prelude of John’s Gospel, he calls Jesus the Word, and asserts that the […]