Posts Tagged ‘Bible Study’
The Loveless Church at Ephesus
Ancient Ephesus Have you ever been surprised? Have you ever been rudely awakened or jolted out of sleep? Has anyone ever jumped out of a corner to scare you or has anything ever happened around you as you were driving a car that suddenly arrested your attention? This happened to me when my wife and…
Read MoreSeven Little Letters (Revelation 2-3)
Following John’s introduction and vision of Christ in Rev 1, he records a series of seven small letters, like “mini epistles,” nestled into Rev 2-3. For whatever reason, these messages receive less attention than the major, standalone letters of the New Testament (NT), whether those written by Paul or by others such as Peter, John,…
Read MoreThe Whole Counsel of God – A Review
The Whole Counsel of God: Why and How to Preach the Entire Bible Andrew Reid and Tim Patrick Crossway (March 17, 2020) Many vocations come with a goal to aim for. A soldier seeks promotion to a certain rank. A UPS driver aspires to enter the “Circle of Honor” for making it 25 years without…
Read MoreCan You Do ALL Things?
How many times have you heard someone say this about the word all? “All means ‘all’ and that’s all that all means?” While this is true (the word all does mean “all”), the word all doesn’t always mean every possible thing all at once. While this may seem obvious, we don’t always apply this simple…
Read MoreJesus-Devotion Early and Modern
Introduction Like many Americans around my age, I grew up watching Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. I was a fan. And sometime after Fred Rogers’ death, I read about how he made it a point to respond to every letter he received from his fans. It made me wish I would have written to him when I…
Read MoreWhere Balaam Went Wrong
To many Bible readers Balaam the son of Beor is an enigma. Nothing is known of him except for a brief though highly significant encounter with Israel, but that encounter reveals a disturbing and seemingly contradictory character. Is Balaam a fearless servant of the Lord, defying Balak to bless Israel? Or is he a conniving…
Read MoreGeneral Meditations on the Bible
Ed. Note: Our friend John Mincy started a project of daily Scripture meditations on his FaceBook page. For your edification, we would like to share them from time to time. This first piece contains thoughts on the Bible itself, our precious word from God. Revelation (the Bible is revealed by God to prophets and apostles);…
Read MoreThe Believer’s Certainty that the Scriptures Are the Final Authority for Belief and Behavior (Part 4)
The Scriptures Counsel by Establishing Correct Behavior Finally, God’s Word “trains” or “disciplines in righteousness” (πρὸς παιδείαν τὴν ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ, 2 Tim 3:16d). The training is designed to produce conduct whereby “righteousness” (δικαιοσύνῃ) becomes a reality in the life of the believer. Holiness literally means, “to cut,” “to separate,” or to be “set apart”.1 Theologically…
Read MoreThe Believer’s Certainty that the Scriptures Are the Final Authority for Belief and Behavior (Part 2)
The Scriptures Convict by Exposing Incorrect Belief Paul’s unique choice of words (ἐλεγμός) which occurs only here in the NT has the sense of “rebuke” (2 Tim 3:16b). In other words, a correct apprehension of Scripture refutes error. Paul expresses the identical concept in 2 Timothy 4:2, “Preach the word; be instant in season, out…
Read MoreJeremiah’s Victorious Vision
The Confessions of Jeremiah, part 3 Jeremiah 17:12-18 In this world of woe and war, we need a victorious vision. As Moses saw Him who was invisible (Hebrews 11:27), Isaiah saw the Lord high and lifted up sitting on His throne (Isaiah 6:1), the Apostle John saw Jesus glorified (Revelation 1:12-18), so Jeremiah sees the…
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