As I was driving up the north shore of Lake Superior in Minnesota, I saw a green road sign pointing to a scenic overlook off the highway. I had driven past that sign for years, but never stopped to see the view. I would even tell others that I saw the sign, yet I...
Some time ago while working as an engineer a co-worker asked me, “In light of all the science available, how can an intelligent person like you buy into the creation myth?” He was referring to my belief in the literal biblical account of six twenty-four-hour periods...
Many people believe that memory is a key to a satisfying life. Yet as the years go by and we attain more knowledge, we reach a point where we start losing memory cells. Currently, some forms of dementia are at pandemic levels in the general population world-wide. It...
The resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth is the cornerstone of the Christian faith. Without it, “we are of all men most miserable.” (1 Cor. 15:19). Without the truth of a risen Savior, there would be no empty tomb. If there is no empty tomb, there would be no hope for...
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is Christianity’s essential doctrine, establishing and elucidating the rest of the Bible’s teaching regarding God, man, salvation, and the future. 1 Its indispensable value is noted by a Scottish teacher: “Far too often we have been...
In the book of Hosea and the Gospel of John the love of God was manifested in the face of rejection by His own people. The prophet Hosea, as directed by the voice of God, uses an analogy of unfaithfulness in a marriage relationship – literally between Hosea and an...
“What is His name and what is His Son’s name, if thou canst tell?” Proverbs 30:4 Some proverbs solve riddles for us, while others present them. Proverbs 30:4 confronts us with an unsolvable riddle, unsolvable until the arrival of the first Christmas. Then like the...
The subject of church discipline is not a pleasant topic. It is rarely talked about, almost never preached, and even more infrequently applied.1 Despite the neglect, it is a biblical doctrine exemplified in the Old Testament and taught and practiced in the new. In...
“Therefore, I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and dissension.” 1 Timothy 2:8, NASB Introduction This brief article is not about women’s role and ministry in the church. Instead, the scope of the article is limited to the...
2 Timothy 4 A lot of water had passed under the bridge of the apostle Paul’s spiritual life by the time he wrote these words in 2 Timothy 4. Writing from the Mamertine prison in Rome, Italy, Paul used his dungeon cell as a pulpit, sharing with Timothy important truths...
John 14:19-26 In this passage we find our Lord instructing us concerning worship, “the Christian’s highest occupation,” to borrow a definition from the title of A. P. Gibb’s classic work on the subject.1Given the fact that we gather for worship each Lord’s Day...
The Bible has been compared to Christ’s seamless garment, which cannot be divided without ruining the whole. God’s truth is unified: truths that are first revealed in the Gospel message are then developed in the principles and practices of the Church. She is “the...
From the early days of the Church, there has been a variety of interpretations of the book of Revelation and related tribulation passages. The main ones are idealist, preterist, historicist, and futurist. Briefly, proponents of the idealist view interpret prophecy...
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...
The fact that many assemblies are very small in number is not in and of itself any cause for concern. When the focus of the saints gathered together is appropriately fixed upon the Son of God to the exclusion of fleshly entertainment and carnally driven emotion, small...
The repeated failures of the Old Testament priesthood reached their pinnacle in our Lord’s time with Caiaphas. He and his preceding generations failed the nation of Israel in their stewardship of divine truth; they served themselves rather than the LORD God, they...
The Apostle Peter says in 2 Peter 1:16: “for we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ but were eyewitnesses of His Majesty.”1 He goes on to describe his personal experience when he was with the...
"He is altogether lovely" Song 5:16 What is beauty? What makes something beautiful? Our society tells us that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, that beauty is relative, and we must categorize persons or things as beautiful based on our own personal preferences....
A young city girl was in the country for the first time and looking up into the night sky commented, “Oh, mother, if heaven is so beautiful on the wrong side, what must it be like on the right side!”1 Indeed, how can we possibly know what God’s dwelling place is like...
O Little Town of Bethlehem is one of the most beloved carols of the Christmas season. However, it is much more than a sentimental story that took place in Bethlehem. Bethlehem was a small quaint town, about 6 miles (10 kms) south of Jerusalem. Throughout its long and...