This article is reprint of what was posted on Internet Monk on August 6, 2012. The author makes some insightful points about the state of the church in North America and how that impacts pastors. by Randy Thompson If it seems like your pastor might be crazy, it may well be that the poor […]
SOTHLC’s Hodegetria is Now Finished
August 6, 2012 by
One of the paintings SOTHLC has commissioned to be painted is now complete: The Hodegetria. This is a painting of the child Jesus with His mother, Mary, who is pointing to Him as the salvation of the world. Church tradition has St. Luke as the first painter of this painting. Although this cannot be proven, […]
Jesus, the Bread of Life: John 6:22-35
August 5, 2012 by
Feeding the crowd of 5,000 with five loaves of bread and two fish was an enormous crowd-pleaser. Getting free food had so enthralled the crowd that they wanted to make Jesus their bread king–by force, if needed! So, Jesus withdrew to a mountain to slip away from their plots and schemes. His disciples left by […]
Revelation, Lesson 8: The Seven Signs, Part 1
July 31, 2012 by
The Seven Signs, Part 1 We now find ourselves seeing John receive four different visions in succession, each with seven signs each. The visions are not identical, but they appear to be related. And so, as a study vehicle, we will study these signs in parallel, including the two interludes within the seven signs. Because […]
Christian Suffering: Ephesians 3:13-21
July 29, 2012 by
Times exist in the life of every Christian where it seems that sorrow will overwhelm the life of faith. Perhaps, death has visited and laid you low. Now, we know from Scripture that we’re not supposed to base our faith on our feelings. For our feelings change from day and day and can even deceive […]
Revelation, Lesson 7: Chapter 5
July 25, 2012 by
Heavenly Worship, Part 2 From the beginning, when we first see God give His people instructions on worship, we find worship to be liturgical (following prescribed patterns, not free form of one’s own choosing). After giving His people the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17), God told them to how to build an altar (Ex. 20:24-26). Then, […]
The Problem of Evil
July 24, 2012 by
This is our pastor’s next article for the Stone County Gazette, partly in response to the recent shootings in Aurora, Colorado. “If God was such a loving God, how could He allow…” You fill in the blank or the perpetrated evil. Such a question presumes that God should run the universe according to our […]
3 John
July 24, 2012 by
Author: The Apostle John The nearly identical style, structure, and length of 3 John to 2 John, and closely related material to 1 John, shows them to have the same author. Date: 90-95 AD Purpose: To encourage Gaius, to expose Diotrephes, and to recommend Demetrius to Gaius. Read 3 John 1:1 – What meaning […]
Mary Magdalene
July 22, 2012 by
The Christian Faith operates from a worldview that we honor the saints of old. You can’t read through any significant part of the Bible without hearing the refrain, “The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” To know their God means you need to know those Old Testament saints and their stories. The great faith chapter […]
Revelation, Lesson 6: Heavenly Worship, Part 1
July 19, 2012 by
Chapters 4-5: Heavenly Worship, Part 1 We now find the Spirit giving John a glimpse of heavenly worship. The “things that are,” which he sees, include many worship scenes. John sees the throne room, depicting a reality that is both present and eternal. He sees an array of heavenly beings (angels) and saints worshiping the […]
