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Like Sheep Without a Shepherd
by David Gibson For 40 years Moses shepherded his father-in-law’s flock in the wilderness. Then God called him to shepherd some 2-3 million Israelites for the next 40 years. What a task that proved to be! This flock constantly complained and, at times, was stubbornly rebellious. Yet despite their contrariness, Moses truly cared for their welfare.…
Read MoreWhich of God’s Commandments Are We Free to Reject?
by Jefferson David Tant Wow! Some may think, “That’s a dumb question,” and they would be right, but we deal with this daily. Some students choose to ignore school rules. Many people ignore highway speed limits. And we could go on for many pages concerning rules and regulations that some choose to ignore and disobey.…
Read MoreGetting Along with Parents
by David Trigg As a young person, I hate hearing generalizations like ‘The younger generation is going to the dogs.’ First, it is an overgeneralization, because not all young people are ‘going to the dogs.’ Second, some say this because their parents have failed. Another generalization could be made: ‘If it is true that young…
Read MoreThey Cannot Die Anymore
by Edwin Crozier When the Sadducees questioned Jesus about the resurrection in Luke 20:27-40, Jesus responded deftly and with wisdom. He demonstrated courage to stand up for truth in the face of opposition. He showed knowledge that trickery or foolishness could not assail. He also showed that just because the person asking the question can’t…
Read MoreGet Saved Quick Schemes
by Chadwick Brewer “But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God” (II Corinthians 4:2). Some ways of presenting salvation seem designed to get people saved…
Read MoreFailure Doesn’t Disqualify
by Zeke Flores “Do not fear or be dismayed. Take all the people of war with you …” (Joshua 8:1). After the failure at Ai, Yahweh tells Joshua not to fear. This isn’t empty reassurance; it’s a reset. Yahweh is giving Israel another chance, but this time with clear instructions and full participation from the…
Read MoreExamine Yourself
by Hugh DeLong As we close our reading of the letters to the Corinthian church, we see yet again their questioning of Paul’s apostleship and authority (cp. II Corinthians 13.3). Now in II Corinthians 13:5, Paul turns this around and challenges them: “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or…
Read MoreI Am Content
by Hugh DeLong Whenever we hear this phrase, we connect it with Philippians: “Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I…
Read MoreGod, Shield to the Righteous
by Samuel A. Matthews “Lord, how are they increased that trouble me! Many are they that rise up against me. Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah. But thou, O Lord, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.…
Read MoreGo Away for Now
by Mike Johnson via Seeking Things Above Luke tells us in Acts 24 of a time when Paul, whom the Jews had earlier seized, was brought before the area’s governor—a man named Felix. They brought charges against Paul, and he defended himself. Hoping to receive a bribe, Felix refused to let Paul go, and he…
Read MoreWhat Saith the Authorities
by Hiram Hutto “Once, while two Christians were discussing a Bible subject, one of them asked, “What do the authorities say about it?” No doubt he had lexicons, Bible dictionaries, and historical and geographic works in mind. Yet I feel that sometimes (though not with the one who raised the question) there is the all-too-prevalent…
Read MoreA Place of Prayer, Not a Den of Robbers
by Edwin Crozier Text: Luke 19 Jesus entered Jerusalem and was greeted as if He were King. The people treated Him as if He were going to come in and take over, ruling them. But He didn’t lead the procession to Herod’s Palace–which had been seized by Rome to be the governor’s residence–to overthrow Pilate.…
Read MoreFrom Victory to Defeat
by Zeke Flores “But the sons of Israel acted unfaithfully … therefore the anger of Yahweh burned against the sons of Israel” (Joshua 7:1). Joshua 7 shifts sharply from victory to defeat. Achan’s hidden sin becomes a national problem. Israel loses at Ai not because of military weakness but because Yahweh withdraws His support. The…
Read MoreMatthew and Once Saved, Always Saved
by Terry Wane Benton Key Passages from Matthew Verses Showing One Can Fall from Grace Matthew 5:13 — Losing One’s Saltiness Jesus warns that a disciple can become “salt that has lost its savor,” becoming good for nothing and ultimately cast out. This depicts a believer who once had genuine influence but later becomes worthless…
Read MoreWill the Son Find Faith on the Earth?
by Edwin Crozier We’ve already learned about the impudent friend who knocked on his friend’s door late at night and received help (see Luke 11:5-13). Now Jesus tells us about a widow who persistently pled for justice from an unjust judge (Luke 18:1-8). Even though he didn’t actually care about justice, he tired of her…
Read MoreBetrothed to Christ
by Hugh DeLong Paul writes to the Corinthians that he ‘betrothed them to Christ’. This is not a custom we are familiar with today. In the first century, this was considered a ‘legal’ binding agreement, but not marriage. The bride ‘belonged’ to the groom, but the wedding was still ahead. In Matthew, we see Mary…
Read MoreOur Cleverness Doesn’t Always Bring Progress
by Zeke Flores “See, I have given Jericho into your hand …” (Joshua 6:2). Joshua 6 begins with Yahweh declaring victory before Israel lifts a finger. Jericho is fortified, intimidating, and strategically important. Yet God speaks in the past tense: “I have given…” The battle is framed as His action, not Israel’s achievement. The instructions…
Read MoreAngered by the Facts?
by David Gibson If they could have had their way, Jesus would have been lying broken and dead at the foot of the cliff. But since it wasn’t His time to die, and it wasn’t the way He was to lay down His life, God protected Him from their murderous intent. What made them so…
Read MoreProfanity
by Samuel A. Matthews “But I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the Day of Judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned” (Matthew 12:36-37 KJV). Loved ones, the power of speech is marvelous. A…
Read MorePaul’s “I am” Statements
by Samuel A. Matthews “I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise. So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for…
Read MoreDo You Know If You Are Saved?
by Samuel A. Matthews “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” (II Corinthians 13:5 KJV). Loved ones, shall we leave the most important question of our entire life to dark uncertainty? A beloved…
Read MoreNecessary Inconveniences
by Zeke Flores “At that time Yahweh said to Joshua, ‘Make for yourself flint knives and circumcise again the sons of Israel the second time.’ And Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the sons of Israel …” (Joshua 5:2-3). Joshua 5 is a surprising chapter. Israel has momentum. They’ve crossed the Jordan, morale is high,…
Read MoreChallenges of Shepherding
by George Slover “Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you” (Hebrews 13:17). In this verse, the author refers to the elders who oversee…
Read MoreWhat Did He Mean by That?
by David Gibson “If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw…
Read MoreFood Laws for Christians
by Don McClain Pork is not forbidden in Christianity. It was forbidden for those under the First Covenant, those governed by the Law of that covenant, but pork is not forbidden under the New Covenant. Jesus taught that ritual impurity does not come from food: “’Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from…
Read MoreReceived into Eternal Dwellings
by Edwin Crozier Many things about what we often call the Parable of the Dishonest Manager in Luke 16 give us trouble. I’m sure you could ask all kinds of questions I couldn’t answer. However, Jesus’s statement in Luke 16:9 explains His point, even if it doesn’t answer every question we have about the story.…
Read MoreI’m Bad at Evangelism
by Berry Kercheville Yes, I understand that sentiment! My feelings exactly. I have known very few that I would say were really good at talking to people about the Lord and getting them into a Bible study. For the first nine years I preached, I watched my friend, Bernice Boyes, get Bible studies with people…
Read MorePray with Impudence
by Edwin Crozier Other translations say, “persistence,” but the ESV says, “impudence.” In Luke 11:8, when Jesus explained why the friend who was in bed would eventually respond to the requests for bread, Jesus said, “I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because…
Read MoreMemorials
by Zeke Flores “So these stones shall become a memorial to the sons of Israel forever” (Joshua 4:7). Joshua 4 focuses on memory. After crossing the Jordan, Yahweh instructs Joshua to have twelve men take stones from the riverbed and set them up as a memorial. The point wasn’t decoration; it was preservation. Israel needed…
Read MoreWhen Shepherds Fail
by Bill Robinson The Tragedy of Weak Leadership in the Local Congregation Most congregations don’t die in a day. They don’t collapse because of a single scandal or a bad sermon. They weaken slowly, like a house that settles when no one checks the foundation. Attendance thins. Classes lose their energy. Members who once volunteered…
Read MoreI Know What I Feel
by David Gibson One day, while grading finals in a Bible course, I inadvertently placed the key on the right side of a student’s exam, instead of the left. Before I realized it, I graded the answer key by his paper and marked a red X beside six correct answers! That’s somewhat like judging God’s…
Read MoreBeing Prepared
by Zeke Flores “Then Joshua said to the people, ‘Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow Yahweh will do wonders among you'” (Joshua 3:5). Joshua 3 is about preparation. Israel is finally approaching the Jordan, and crossing it will mark the beginning of life in the land Yahweh promised. Before anything miraculous happens, Joshua tells the people to…
Read MoreFaith Only Heresy
by Terry Wane Benton Daily Points of Light from Heaven Probably one of the most deceptive and soul-damning doctrines to ever ruin souls and deceive the world is the doctrine of “faith-only” salvation. This doctrine has variations; some contend that a few seconds of believing in Jesus is enough to seal the deal from that…
Read MoreThe Defense Against Calvinism
by Samuel A. Matthews “And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear” (I Peter 1:17 KJV). Loved ones, Calvinism is a system of belief attributed to John Calvin. Although it did not originate with him, he…
Read MoreWhat Rahab Knew
by Zeke Flores “And she said to the men, ‘I know that Yahweh has given you the land …” (Joshua 2:9). Rahab’s words in Joshua 2:9 are striking because they come from someone outside Israel. She isn’t quoting Scripture or repeating something she heard from a prophet; she’s interpreting the evidence. She’s watched the news…
Read MorePerfecting Holiness
by Hugh DeLong “Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (II Corinthians 7:1). Holiness Absolute holiness is seen in the very character of God. He will not do wrong. He is not tempted by sin. Justice and Righteousness are…
Read MoreWeeping and Gnashing of Teeth
by Edwin Crozier Once again, Jesus brings up punishment in Luke 13:22-30. But notice first, in this parable, the anger is not that of temper-tantrum throwing tyrant who beats people for breaking his rules–its not that anywhere in the Bible, by the way. Rather, this is the King who held a door open and invited…
Read MoreSimilar Times
by Terry Wane Benton Hosea pointed out that the downfall of Israel was because Israel had lost their way. He said “there is no truth” (Hosea 4:1). When a nation does not recognize and teach “the truth” but perverts everything to each having their own “truth”, it becomes lies competing for dominance. Our country is…
Read MoreFalse Prophets versus True Prophets
by Tommy Peeler Jeremiah 23:9-40 warns against false prophets. Jeremiah 23:16-22 makes some interesting contrasts between true and false prophets. This brief post focuses on these verses. The false prophets are destructive to themselves and the land. Their message came from “their own imagination” and was “not from the mouth of the LORD” (Jeremiah 23:16).…
Read MoreChristian Victim Card
by Chadwick Brewer “Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you” (I John 3:13). Christians are disdained and hated for their strong convictions of faith, radical morality, and different way of life. In a world of political correctness, it is still socially acceptable to mock and denigrate Christians. When Christians are maligned and…
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