Recap A representative of Antiochus confronts Mattathias in his town to be the first to offer a pagan sacrifice and become a “friend” of the king. When Mattathias refuses, another […]
Church History, Lesson 3: The Normalization of Church Practices
July 19, 2017 by
Bringing Gentiles into the Church Recap and Introduction Last week, we followed the Church as she spread to Samaria during Jewish persecution. Christians fled proclaiming Jesus as the world’s […]
The Apocrypha, Lesson 11: 1-2 Maccabees
July 17, 2017 by
Introduction 1 Maccabees describes the attempts at Hellenization by the Seleucid ruler, Antiochus IV Epiphanes (1:1-2:70), moving on to cover the exploits of Judas Maccabeus (3:1-9:22) and his brothers Jonathan […]
Church History, Lesson 2: The Holy Spirit Descends on All in the New Covenant
July 17, 2017 by
Faithful and Fervent Pentecost Day: The Speaking in “Tongues” Old-Covenant Pentecost: In the Old Covenant, Pentecost was one of three feasts God required Israelite men to travel to the […]
The Apocrypha, Lesson 10: Tobit, Pt. 3
July 17, 2017 by
We finished with Tobias sending Azariah (the angel Raphael) to retrieve the 30 years’ worth of wages. After the 14-day wedding celebration, Tobias and Azariah plan to head home. We […]
The Apocrypha, Lesson 9: Tobit, Pt. 2
July 17, 2017 by
Last week, we learned of Tobit, who became blind from bird droppings. After remembering he had saved about 30 years’ worth of wages, he sends his son, Tobias, to retrieve […]
The Apocrypha, Lesson 8: Tobit, Pt. 1
July 17, 2017 by
Introduction Though Tobit includes historical reality in its background setting, it is not history but a religious novel to teach the faithful. Like Judith, this book contains information known not […]
Church History, Lesson 1: The New Covenant Begins
July 5, 2017 by
This is a new study series, which begins with Jesus establishing the New Covenant and finishing (we hope) with the Church recognizing and listing the texts of both the Old- and […]
The Comfort in our Grief
July 2, 2017 by
This is our pastor’s article for the July-August edition of our congregational newsletter. The Apostle Paul directs us not to be unaware about those who left this life trusting […]
The Apocrypha, Lesson 7: Judith, Pt. 2
June 18, 2017 by
Recap Last week, we learned Judith “put sandals on her feet, and put on her anklets, bracelets, rings, earrings, and all her other ornaments, and made herself very beautiful, to […]
