Jonah is a unique book in many ways. It is the only recorded account of God sending a Jewish prophet to preach to a foreign country. Jonah is the only prophetic book that is chiefly about the prophet instead of the prophet’s message. Jonah is the only Minor Prophet in narrative form. Jonah is the only Minor Prophet mentioned by Jesus and the only Old Testament character that Jesus likens to Himself (cf. Matthew 12:39-41; Luke 11:29-32). Finally, and most amazingly, Jonah is the only preacher who hoped he wouldn’t succeed!

    We know little of the prophet except for…

The apostle Paul penned the following words to the new Christians at Thessalonica: “For who is our hope or joy or crown of rejoicing?  Is it not even you, in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? For you are our glory and joy” (1 Thess. 2: 19-20). 

After Paul and Silas left Philippi, they traveled to Thessalonica where there was a synagogue of the Jews and there Paul preached Christ and Him crucified for three Sabbaths, reasoning from the Scriptures, explaining and giving evidence that the Christ had to suffer and die and rise again from the…

The Search for Assurance

It was a discussion between preacher friends.  We were wrestling with the question of how  confident Christians ought to be, moment by moment, about their salvation. Some were arguing for an absolute assurance, others for a more cautious one. There is perhaps no concern which weaves its way so pervasively through the history of God’s people as does the desire for assurance in one’s relationship with God. Christians seem to vacillate between two contrasting themes of Scripture -- assurance (1 John 5:3) and warning (1 Corinthians 10:12).

The subject of assurance has been hotly debated down through the…

“It’s only one time. It’s only a little sin. Nothing bad has happened yet.” 

We are told in Ecclesiastes 10:1 that a little transgression comes with great consequences: “As dead flies give perfume a bad smell, so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.” A mistake, an unkind word, or one careless moment can produce destruction, so you must give importance to how you live (Ephesians 5:15-17). You either honor Christ or deny Him with a life that can cause you or others to fall away. 

On January 28, 1986, the space shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds after launch because NASA engineers…

Righteousness Exalts a Nation

If you watch or read the news on a regular basis, you will see a world in turmoil. Political rhetoric is sharp and nasty. Depending on who you listen to, democracy and freedom are threatened from both the right and the left. On the international scene, wars and threats of violence abound.

Closer to home, the moral fabric of our society is crumbling. Crime permeates our communities. Marriages are failing, leaving children to grow up in broken homes. Sexual sins have become normalized. Cohabitation is common before marriage, with some questioning the need for marriage at all. Homosexuality,…

What is life? Most things are clarified by some sort of measurement.  A  thing is considered to be a foot long when it measures up to the ruler that says so.  A gallon is a gallon because it can be authenticated by a comparison with the standard of what constitutes a gallon. 

What about life?  How does one measure life?  Do you measure it by how long it is?  Now, be careful–there are people who have lived a long time with terrible illness and pain.  Surely you don’t think that’s life.  And what about wealth?  Is that life?  Again, be careful–there…

Developing Discernment

In our 1 Corinthians class we just finished studying chapter six, where Paul addresses problems with the Corinthian Christians taking each other to court.

Paul says in 6:1-6: “When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints? Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life! So if…

America has some towns with curious names. There’s Uncertain, Texas; Neutral, Kansas; and Likely, California. You can visit Why, Arizona or Whynot, North Carolina. You can take a trip to Normal, Illinois or Peculiar, Missouri. There’s even Somewhere, New York and Nowhere, Colorado. I’m sure every one of those places has a fascinating story behind its name, even if few people know it.

Well, how about a place called Test and Quarrel? The Place of Burning? The Graves of Craving? The Waters of Contention? None of those sounds like a place you’d want…

The Parable of the Older Brother

In Luke Chapter 15, Jesus tells three parables about lost things. They are usually called the Parable of the Lost Sheep, the Parable of the Lost Coin, and the Parable of the Prodigal Son. Jesus tells of a shepherd with 100 sheep who, losing one, seeks and finds it, and rejoices.  He tells of a woman with 10 coins who, losing one, seeks and finds it, and rejoices. Then he describes a man with two sons who loses one, the younger, to the allure of unearned wealth and reckless living. After squandering all, this son…

As he opens his first letter, the apostle Peter writes this about our salvation in Christ:

As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries, seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the…

“Worship” is the English translation of the Greek word proskuneo, to make obeisance, do reverence.  The word is comprised of pros, meaning toward; and kuneo, to kiss.  Thus it means to lean toward God to pay homage.  Our word is from Middle English worshipe, worthy of praise or honor.  You can see the word worthy in our word worship.  

One of the major reasons for the assembly on the Lord’s Day is to worship God, to pay to Him honor and reverence.  I have chosen just a few of the many things necessary to render to Him the kind of…

A Calm and Quiet Soul

Psalm 131 “O Lord, my heart is not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me.  But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me.  O Israel, hope in the Lord from this time forth and forevermore.” – a Psalm of David

After the last game of the regular season, all the players whose parents signed them up to be on the Little League All-Star Baseball Team…

“Be hospitable to one another without complaint” (1 Peter 4:9).

This simple instruction raises the question: Why would extending hospitality involve the danger of “complaining” or “grumbling”?

Because hospitality can be messy. Carpets or couches may get stained. Furniture or walls may get dinged. Dishes or knick-knacks may get broken. When you open your home to others, there’s probably going to be something to clean up afterward.

Because hospitality comes at a cost. It costs money — for food, or (in the case of overnight…