Posts by Thomas Overmiller
New Testament Tongues
The Meaning of Speaking in Tongues At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit enabled a group of believers to speak with “other tongues” (Acts 2:4). This was the first time that “speaking in tongues” occurred in the New Testament. People have offered various interpretations about the nature of what Luke meant by “other tongues.” First, to understand…
Read MoreNew Testament Prophecy
The Nature of Prophecy The word prophecy in Scripture means “to speak the words of another.” A man-to-man example of this occurred in the Old Testament when Moses gave words to his brother Aaron to speak on his behalf (Ex 4:15). In this arrangement, God described Levi as the prophet of Moses because he spoke…
Read MoreA Genealogy of Grace (Mothers of the King)
Matthew 1:1-16; Romans 5:20 Every second Sunday of May, our national calendar encourages us to remember our mothers, and we respond to this reminder in various ways. For instance, you may show appreciation on a surface or external level by giving your mother a corsage or bouquet of flowers, or you might give her some…
Read MoreHow to Speak about Jesus
Praying for opportunities to speak about Jesus is an important step in being an effective gospel witness (Col 4:2-3). Living in a way that anticipates such opportunities is another important step (Col 4:4-5). However, when you take these steps, you need to be prepared to speak when opportunities come your way (Col 4:6). Perhaps it…
Read MorePolice (and Government Officials) as Ministers of God
Believers living in America need to give serious attention to what Paul teaches in Romans 13:1-7. He teaches that followers of Christ must conscientiously refuse to participate in any form of disrespect or disobedience to civil law and government officials. The only exception allowed by God is disobeying a law which requires disobedience to him…
Read MoreUsing a Blog in Ministry
Platforms for Written Communication In the fourteenth century BC, neighboring statesmen and Egyptian pharaohs used clay tablets to exchange messages. We call these the Amarna Letters. Today people continue to exchange written messages but use different platforms. We’ve moved from clay tablets to scrolls to parchments to bound books to newspapers to e-readers. The…
Read MoreLessons in Evangelism from Old Testament Israel
Thomas Overmiller As we learn to be a witness for the gospel, we give a lot of attention to what we say and how we say it. This is important because you cannot be a witness for the gospel without giving people the message of the gospel in a clear and accurate way (Rom 10:17).…
Read MoreReconsidering Your Approach to Evangelism
Thomas Overmiller God entrusts the ministry of evangelism to every believer. It is the way that he has chosen to spread the message of life and redemption to a lost and dying world. Yet how many believers faithfully participate in this crucial endeavor? Do you? In Matthew 9:37, Jesus taught that the great challenge of…
Read MoreA Basic Definition of the Trinity
Thomas Overmiller Any description of the Trinity must include two basic elements. First, it must affirm that there is one eternal God. Second, it must affirm that this God has always existed as three persons. That is why theologians use trinity to describe this “three-in-oneness” of God. He is one God (uni- means “one”) and…
Read MoreThe Power of Heartfelt Values
Thomas Overmiller A Pagan Messaging Frenzy The noteworthy “media” statistic for parents used to be the average number of hours teenagers spent in front of a television screen. This is no longer the case, because portable electronics and the omnipresent internet have changed the way that young people (or anybody for that matter) consumes media…
Read More