The Bible mentions literally hundreds of individual people. It tells us a great deal about some of them. But you might be surprised to know that it says almost nothing about what they looked like. Oh, some men are described as handsome, like Saul, David, and Absalom. Some women are described as beautiful, like Sarah, Rebekah, Abigail, Bathsheba, and Esther. But details are extremely limited.

We do know a few things. Esau was very hairy, while his brother Jacob was smooth-skinned (Genesis 27:11). Jacob’s wife Rachel was “beautiful of form and face,”…

We will Glorify The King of Kings There is a hymn that is sung, “We will Glorify,” the lyrics of which, begin as follows: “We will glorify the King of Kings, we will glorify the Lamb; we will glorify the … Read More →

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In Matthew 12, Jesus healed a man with a withered hand in the synagogue. Among those present were Jesus’ perpetual enemies, the Pharisees. Upon seeing the miracle, they “went out and counseled together against Him, as to how they might destroy Him” (verse 14).

In John 11, Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. There were many witnesses on hand. Some went and told the Jewish leaders, who convened a council and said, “What are we doing? For this man is performing many signs. If we let Him go on like this, all…

The Hand of the Lord One of the thoughts we find most comforting is summed up in that song which has the phrase, “He’s got the whole world in His hands.” Each verse then talks about how He has “you … Read More →

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Jesus Our Brother We are familiar with the Bible’s teaching about God being our Father. Jesus taught us to pray, “Our Father who art in heaven” (Matthew 6:9), and Paul told us we have “one God and Father of all” … Read More →

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In times past it was quite common to see someone with a shirt, or a hat, or maybe a bracelet that read “WWJD.” This, as many of us know, stands for “What would Jesus do?” I believe it is great, when put in different situations, to ask yourself “what would Jesus do?” However, we should take that one step further and ask, “What would Jesus desire?”

If we turn to Matthew 28:19-20, we can learn exactly what Jesus would desire of each and every one of us. The text reads, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them…

(Drawn Out: I & II Peter & Jude)

As our 2019 theme ends, consider what Nathan and Eric wrote about I Peter 3:15.

Some take the passage in I Peter 3:15 (“always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you..”) to say we should be ready to give an answer to any and all questions about the doctrinal views we hold, what we believe we can/cannot do in worship, how we feel about “this and that,” etc. However, the context here
is specifically dealing with a defense for the hope Christians have. While we should all know and have a foundation for why we believe and…

She said, “ I know you have a gospel for the poor, the hurting, the unhappy; do you have a gospel for the happy?”

I know we have a gospel for those weighed down with sins; do we have a gospel for those who aren’t burdened down with sins?

Is our gospel only one of assurance for the fearful, a promise of future deliverance to the captives and the oppressed; is it pretty much described in the old hymn, “We’ll understand it better by and by?

We do hear Jesus say, “If you’re weary and heavy laden come unto me and I will…

(Drawing Out: I & II Peter & Jude)

Having established principles of brotherly love, Peter begins I Peter 2:1-10 by introducing another foundational principle: you can’t grow plants in a garden before getting rid of the weeds. In other words, there are some things we need to get rid of before we put on something else. Peter told his readers there are some things that would hinder spiritual love for brethren, and they should work to rid their lives of those qualities (I Peter 1:22). Once these qualities were removed, Peter exhorted them to drink spiritual milk. The focus is not on milk, but rather on “longing”…

We hear from some the claim that the physical act of Baptism need not be practiced­­. Some scholars working with their self-adopted interpretative strategies write long essays, even books, to make the case that believer/faith Baptism may be helpful, perhaps important, but whatever else it is, it need not be practiced or called for if faith in the Lord Jesus is present. These writers wouldn’t at all be interested in undermining completely the millennial-long practice and much less bringing it to a halt.

Just the same, the story they now tell is that it is not required and so it should not be…

Have you ever started watching a movie when it was more than halfway over? Can you figure out what is going on without asking questions? You can probably get the gist of the story, but will the ending have as full a meaning to you if you do not know the backstory? Of course not, and the Old Testament is the key backstory for the events in the new Testament. But many Christians only bother to study the New Testament passages. This is a mistake for those who truly want to understand God's word.

In II Timothy, it tells us, "All…

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