A. Peter BEFORE Jesus’ death and resurrection
I recently headed to the Perry library to study and after a while had to get up and walk around in order to stretch my legs. I stumbled upon a movie which I had heard was very good entitled “Beyond the Mask.” The movie received the Dove Seal of Approval, which means it does not have any inappropriate content. The background of the movie was placed in the colonies right before America declared their independence and centered around a fictional account about how God can change the heart and life of a person.
There are three main characters…
I cannot count the number of times I have been in a Bible class and heard people make the comment that the passage the group is covering shows how others in the religious world are wrong. Others perhaps say, “This is a good passage for (fill in the blank) to show them they are wrong and should change!”
In the New Testament we are called to stand for truth and oppose those who change or misrepresent the truth of God. However, I fear that sometimes our rebukes of other religious groups is a way to make us feel better about…
On September 11, 2001 two planes crashed into the world trade centers, one plane hit the pentagon, and another plane wrecked in a Pennsylvania field. The twin towers were completely toppled, the Pentagon was greatly damaged, and the plane which went down in the field was apparently taken over by passengers who prevented the terrorist from hitting another target. 2,996 people lost their lives that day in that senseless and horrible attack (2,606 in the world trade center, 265 on the planes, and 125 at the Pentagon; this includes 414 first responders) and 6,000 were injured. It is hard to…
So, what is your new year’s resolution? People make resolutions because they want to bring change to their circumstances and improve their quality of life. The most common are losing weight, exercising more, get out of debt, save for the future and spend more time with family. The most common resolutions used for the new year are physical in nature. However, the same terms can apply to our spiritual life. So, let’s consider the following resolutions for 2017.
1. I am going to Exercise the spirit. If we want our spiritual body to be in great shape, we must work…
The story of John 4 is an exciting one. A Samaritan woman comes to draw water from a well and interacts with Jesus. Because of the interaction, she receives something far greater than what she hoped she could have obtained by a journey to the well: living water.
This woman was not what we might call ripe for hearing the word of God. There were many barriers which could have prevented Jesus from talking to this woman and from her coming to believe in him.
1. Her race (Jn. 4:9)
She was a Samaritan and she is shocked that Jesus,…
“The Half Tribe of Manasseh” by Kyle Sanders
Upon arrival to the land of Canaan half of the tribe of Manasseh, along with Gad and Reuben, were given their inheritance on the East side of the Jordan River (Josh. 13:8). Interestingly, these three groups of Israelites were given this portion of land upon request in Numbers 32, granted they would not abandon their Israelite brothers on the west side of the Jordan River (where most of Israel would eventually dwell) during the coming conquest of Canaan. “but we will take up arms, ready to go before the people…
The account of the “Triumphal Entry” of Jesus into Jerusalem is included in every gospel account in the New Testament (Matt. 21, Mark 11, Luke 19, and John 12). In each of these accounts, we find Jesus riding into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey, with the crowds shouting “Hosanna” and laying down their cloaks and palm branches in the road in front of Him. In short, they spoke and acted as if the “King of Israel” (John 12.13) were entering the city.
One reading the gospel accounts of Matthew, Mark, and…
“A Faith strengthened by doubt” by Gary Henry
“And the Lord said, ‘Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren'” (Luke 22:31-32).
DOUBT IS NOT NECESSARILY THE ENEMY OF FAITH. When we pass through the wastelands of doubt and our faith falters, or perhaps even fails, it is possible to respond to doubt in such a way that our faith later becomes more vibrant. And a faith that has been invigorated…
