Gary McBride

The Marks of a Healthy Church

The Marks of a Healthy Church

Local churches have a culture and reputation, both of which may be positive and negative. Perhaps you visited a local church and came away with an impression either that the people were friendly or perhaps you found them unfriendly. It may be that you felt there was...

Foundations of the Faith

Foundations of the Faith

The Lord’s Table and the Lord’s Supper These two phrases are often used interchangeably in assembly circles. This begs the question, are they both referring to the same thing? Do we gather on a Sunday at the Lord’s Table to observe the Lord’s Supper or is there a distinction? Context A proper interpretation of any […]

Preaching From the Poetic Passages of Scripture

Preaching From the Poetic Passages of Scripture

The work of the preacher in preparing a sermon must include an appreciation of the type of literature. In scripture there are narrative or historical accounts, parables, prophecy, teaching, and poetry. The starting point in analysis is exegesis, the explanation or interpretation of the text. Studying and preaching from poetic passages requires an understanding of […]

The Three Appearings of Christ

The Three Appearings of Christ

There are some people, and many corporations, that have an attorney on a retainer in case a need arises. This means that that in a time of need a lawyer is available to represent their client whether in court or in business dealings. This is what Job wished for in Job...

Pitfalls in Parenting

Pitfalls in Parenting

Parenting is no easy task and the Bible gives no guarantees of the outcome. Prov. 22:6 is a proverb, not a promise. Experientially, all of us know many that have not gone on for the Lord. There is no easy answer to this reality, most of us know of families where one or more children […]

Expositional Preaching on Narrative Passages

Expositional Preaching on Narrative Passages

Much of Scripture is narrative, that is, the stories or accounts of events. The challenge for the preacher is to make the story relevant for today. There is a need to develop a lesson or lessons from the account with meaning(s) and application(s) for today. Much of Scripture is narrative, that is, the stories or accounts […]