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Woe to You, Scribes and Pharisees, Hypocrites!
by Allen Dvorak Biblical Insights, 14(9), September 2014 There is no uncertainty about the compassion of Jesus during His earthly ministry. Various individuals and groups were the objects of His compassion (e.g., Matthew 9:35-38; Luke 7:11-15). But Jesus was also frequently involved in controversy and sometimes handed out sharp rebukes. One of His most scathing…
Read MoreReal Faith
by Doy Moyer Biblical faith is not mere belief. It is trust, but it is more than that. It is conviction, loyalty, faithfulness, allegiance, and commitment. To say that we ought to trust God and have faith is not to say that we sit back and do nothing. That is a bad spin on faith…
Read MoreA Blessing and a Heritage
by Chadwick Brewer “Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward” (Psalms 127:3). For most of history, having a large family was viewed as a blessing. For example, when Job’s wealth was listed in Job 1, his most prized and valuable blessing from God was his seven sons…
Read MoreThe Outward Appearance of Jesus
by Doy Moyer Jesus “had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him” (Isaiah 53:2). Elsewhere, we have discussed the true beauty of Jesus, but here we are going to consider another facet of what the appearance of Jesus implies for our standing with God.…
Read MoreDrawing Strength from the Courage of Others
by Bill Hall We should be thankful for wonderful examples of courage that spur us on to greater strength in the Lord’s service. Paul was just such an example: “And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear” (Philippians 1:14). These…
Read MoreGrowing Old in the Lord
by Mike Johnson via Seeking Things Above Text: Psalm 71 Young people may consider an aged person’s life free from problems. For example, they see an older person as one who does not have to face the difficulties of employment, child-rearing, and sometimes even house payments. They may note that a person who has advanced…
Read MoreTaking the Gifts of God
by Robert F. Turner “And Jehovah said unto Joshua, See I have given into thy hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valor” (Joshua 6:2). According to some theories of Gift and Grace, this promise says, “(1) you already have the city and can’t lose it; and (2) no condition could…
Read MoreDefending the Gospel
by Doy Moyer If we must say we are sorry (and at some point, we all must), then do so over poor behavior and ungodly thinking, but never be sorry for the impact of the gospel itself and what it stands for. Further, be careful about conflating bad behavior with the gospel, for it is…
Read MoreWorship Weariness
by Dennis Abernathy Malachi said Israel was weary, bored, and tired of worship. (Malachi 1: 13). It was too demanding and had become a grievous chore rather than an exalted privilege, a burden instead of a blessing. Fast forward to today. Many want shorter sermons, with less Scripture and more wit, less identification and exposure…
Read MoreEvangelism Is Fundamental
by Ken Weliever via The Preacher’s Word In the comic strip “Peanuts,” Lucy tells her brother, Linus, that she has “converted” a school classmate to her way of thinking religiously. Linus is surprised, especially knowing how Lucy operates! “How did you do it?” Linus asked. “I told him everything I believe and asked him if…
Read MoreOwn It
by Wilson Adams Jesus’ brother writes, “Each person is tempted when ____ …” (James 2:14). Fill in the blank of people, circumstances, and culture you can blame. “Hey, it’s not really my fault!” Well, James says it is. Keep reading. “Each person is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust…
Read MorePreacher’s Kid
by Doy Moyer I grew up a PK (preacher’s kid). This presents its own challenges for youth. The youngest of the children won’t think anything about it, but as we grow, we are often reminded that how we behave reflects on mom and dad, and … remember that dad is a preacher (the same goes…
Read MoreI’ll Live On
by Ed Harrell “Rear Views,” Christianity Magazine, June 1993 (Volume 10, #5), p. 32 Most of us have sung the old song affirming the central Christian hope that we shall live on into eternity. This grand aspiration springs from our faith in Jesus Christ’s resurrection. The belief that “I’ll live on” empowers me to overcome…
Read MoreThe Beauty of Jesus
by Doy Moyer We sing, “Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me.” What is the beauty of Jesus? While we often connect beauty to outward appearance, that is not the sense in which the beauty of Jesus draws us, for “he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and…
Read MorePreacher’s Wives
by Doy Moyer My wife has been a “preacher’s wife” for a long time. She doesn’t see it as a burden; she doesn’t complain. She doesn’t see herself as being in an elevated position and doesn’t worry about being in the spotlight. I’ve seen her take things in stride far better than I have. But…
Read MoreA Pebble in the Shoe
by Wilson Adams When Mormons knock at your door… 70,000 Mormon missionaries, with shirts, ties, and name tags, go door-to-door seeking converts to the Mormon Church. Reality: you aren’t going to convert them on their “mission.” There are too many checks and balances. Think of it like walking into a Ford dealer and trying to…
Read MoreThe Time of Reformation
by Terry Wane Benton The Book of Hebrews makes the argument that we had, in the past, been using carnal, earthly things in service to God (Hebrews 9:1-11) but would, from the Old Testament perspective, see a “time of reformation” (Hebrews 9:10) in which we would put down the carnal, earthly types and shadow things…
Read MoreWhy Do Genes Care?
by Perry Hall I’m currently reading The Moral Animal by Robert Wright on New Darwinism. I just started, and there seem to be so many built-in assumptions. One is under “sexual selection,” which strives to explain the attraction between males and females, mainly by males, to perpetuate their species. What is the assumption? It strives…
Read MoreThe Work of Preaching
by Doy Moyer Over time, a typical preacher will have preached hundreds of times (thousands once you figure in decades). He will have taught even more classes, again into the thousands. Don’t judge a preacher or teacher by one or two sermons or lessons. There is no way to cover the full ground of a…
Read MoreGod’s Relationship with His People
by Zeke Flores Marriage and its accouterments are often used in Scripture to describe God’s relationship with His people. “I will rejoice greatly in the LORD, My soul will exult in my God; For He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks…
Read MoreYou Can’t Go Back
by Terry Wane Benton I visited the place where I grew up, Union Springs, Al., to see how things had changed after 30 years. The house was still there, the fence was gone, most of the rental houses to the left were gone, and the big Weeping Willow tree next door was gone. Fences were…
Read MoreA Sense of Humor
by Doy Moyer A sense of humor is a gift from God. Some take themselves and others far too seriously, so much that they cannot laugh at themselves or enjoy a good chuckle at life’s awkward moments. There is a “time to laugh” (Ecclesiastes 3:4), and “A joyful heart is good medicine” (Proverbs 17:22). Tensions…
Read MoreSpiritism versus Spirituality
by Terry Wane Benton Spiritism is occultic, feeling and mood-based, and imagination-based, whereas “spirituality” is revelation and scripture-based. Those who are truly “spiritual” will acknowledge that the things Paul wrote are the commandments of the Lord (I Corinthians 14:35f). Spiritism is trying to contact the dead, spirit world through imagination and feeling-based seances. Here, you…
Read MorePreach the Word
by Jefferson David Tant “I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not…
Read MoreLove versus Trust
by Terry Wane Benton Jesus loved everyone, including the Pharisees, but Jesus did not entrust Himself to everyone He loved. Otherwise, He would not have exited their presence those several times they wanted to capture and kill Him. Dying was on Jesus’ schedule when the time and place were right. Therefore, He loved and wanted…
Read MorePainful Truths
by Zeke Flores Sometimes, the truth hurts. You’re losing your hair. (Ouch!) You’re a little overweight. (Double ouch!) You’re in sin. (OOOWWW!) We’ve heard it said, “The truth hurts.” Who hasn’t been stung when the truth is critical to us personally or contradicts us in some way? The truth can tend to expose our deficiencies…
Read MoreKept by the Power of God
by Terry Wane Benton Peter makes a wonderful comment about how Christians are “kept by the power of God” (I Peter 1:4). However, the statement goes on to say that this keeping is “through faith.” So, God’s power to keep us is through this channel of connection. We can cut off this channel or connection…
Read MoreJesus and Baptism
by Doy Moyer On the third day of creation, God separated the dry land from the waters, and life came through the water (Genesis 1:9-13). This pattern was seen again when life came through the waters after the flood (Genesis 8:6-12). Again, it was seen when the children of Israel passed through the Red Sea…
Read MoreDissipation
by Terry Wane Benton Paul mentions that drinking wine involves dissipation and that instead of doing that which dissipates good moral judgment, one should instead be “filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:17-18). Being filled with the Spirit is the opposite of what alcohol or drugs do to the sober thinking part of our brains. One…
Read MoreAccepting God’s Work
by Doy Moyer God doesn’t need our defense (as though He needed anything (Acts 17:25)). When we accept God in total — that, for example, He is all-knowing, all-wise, all-understanding, all-powerful, all-loving, all-just, all-gracious, all-righteous, all-good, owner of life and death, etc. — then we won’t feel like He owes us explanations for everything He…
Read MoreWe Need a Proof-text, Don’t We?
by Terry Wane Benton Some may misuse a text, and if that text is not carefully examined, it becomes a “proof-text” that sounds, on the surface, to support the user’s point, and that is not good because they have used the Bible to legitimize a point not made or implied by that particular text. So,…
Read MoreReligion
by Terry Wane Benton I keep hearing people talk about “religion” as a bad thing. I hear some say things like, “I believe in God but not religion,” or “I accept Jesus but reject all religion.” It’s as if they have a concept of “religion” that is all negative, but Jesus is all positive. There…
Read MoreUnapproachable Light
by Chadwick Brewer “Who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen” (I Timothy 6:16). Millions of people will stop their daily lives to go and stare at the spectacle of an eclipse. Yet, they will do this…
Read MoreHard Words
by Doy Moyer Somewhere along the line, our culture has been convinced that insulting people is the way to win others to their way of thinking. Harsh words that disparage intelligence coupled with character-destroying insinuations have become embedded in our arguments and disagreements. This is the way of the world, a path lacking grace and…
Read MoreAs the Holy Spirit Says
by Terry Wane Benton When the topic of “inspiration” (breathed of God) is brought up, some will argue that we don’t know how the Scriptures are “breathed of God,” but we do know that the words of the Scriptures were delivered from God’s mind to the mind of the writers of the holy Scriptures. Whenever…
Read MoreNot Peace but a Sword?
by Terry Wane Benton What did Jesus mean here? Does it contradict other verses that show He came to bring peace on earth? “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to ‘set a man against his father,…
Read MoreYour Taste Buds
by Frank Jamerson The word taste is used in many different ways. It may refer to sampling (I’ll taste your dessert), preference (that house fits my taste), ability to recognize (she has a taste for men’s clothes), or to experience (he had a taste of freedom). The context in which it is used often determines…
Read MoreWhat Shall We Do with Jesus?
by Doy Moyer Jesus does not allow us to be neutral about Him. We are not left with the option of just calling Jesus a good man while denying His claims. If He was not who He claimed to be, He was delusional at best and a lying manipulator at worst. Or if, as some…
Read MoreThe Winning Side
by Doy Moyer “And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death” (Revelation 12:11). Revelation employs the imagery of the red dragon (Satan) who underlies the opposition to God and His people. The…
Read MoreImagined Obstacles
by Ray Warfel, Jr. “Praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned” (Colossians 4:3). I wonder if there is a play on the language here.…
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