By Pr. Rich Futrell One year passes and another begins, 500-hundred years’ worth since Luther tacked his 95 theses on Wittenberg’s wooden door. Through those statements, he wanted a debate […]
The Parables of Jesus: Lesson 5: The Good Samaritan: Luke 10:25-37
The Parable within Luke’s Gospel If we remember, we learned a chiasm is a rhetorical device where the author states an idea or ideas and then expresses them again […]
Church History, Lesson 15: Christianity’s First Decade in Freedom
Recap and Intro In 311 AD, Emperor Galerius rescinded his persecution and allowed Christians to rebuild churches. His edict ended the effort to rid the Roman Empire of Christians. From […]
Reformation 3: Jeremiah 29:4-7, Romans 13:1-7, Matthew 22:15-22: The Two Kingdoms, Church and State
Human history is full of people not wanting to fund its government or services. Without both, a nation cannot endure. So, taxes are the costs a country incurs for its […]
The Parables of Jesus: Lesson 4: Loss and Restoration in Luke 15
The Setting for the Three Parables Read Luke 15:1-2 Eating with Sinners Part of Exodus 18:1 reads: “the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt.” The Mekilta, Jewish scriptural interpretation, […]
Church History, Lesson 14: The Rise of Monasticism
Recap and Intro When Valerian became Emperor in 257 AD, he began the first Empire-wide persecution of Christians. Cyprian, the Bishop of Carthage, was sent into exile. The next year, […]
Reformation 2: 2 Kings 5:1-3, 9-14; Romans 6:1-4; John 3:1-6, 16: Baptism
A Syrian commander, a well-respected military leader, who won the respect of his King. Still, something can come along in your life and undo much of what you built up […]
The Parables of Jesus: Lesson 3
Recap and Intro Last week we went over The Parable of the Sower. Jesus explained the parable to His disciples: All the seed sown on three of the four soils […]
Church History, Lesson 13: Christianity in North Africa, Part 3
Cyprian (200-258 AD) Intro Much had changed since Tertullian’s time. Being a Christian was still a crime, but by 240 AD, someone needed to talk to an older adult to […]
Reformation 1: Isaiah 55:10-13, 1 Peter 1:22-25, John 1:1-5, 14: The Word
“Now, if I told you once, I told you a thousand times.” A dressing-down entwines itself in those words. Often, we scold children through this warning, with an explanation trailing […]