This is the hour, the place, and the time for pondering. What a wonderful word: “ponder.” It means something like “meditate.” But meditate sounds a bit too active. “Ponder” comes from the Latin word pondus, meaning “to consider, to weigh, to hold in balance.” “Mary continued to treasure all these things in her heart and […]
Matthew 1:18-25: The Holy-Spirited Conception of Jesus
December 22, 2013 by
Today, especially within the media and intelligentsia, many mock the Christian Faith. Sometimes, it’s subtle; sometimes, it’s not. You may find that they treat a Christian the way someone might treat a mentally challenged person who does something awkward. They smile, nod politely, and then quickly shuffle him off. At best, they tolerate us; even […]
Worship Reflecting a God-Given Pattern
December 21, 2013 by
This in an excursus on worship from a lesson on the Old-Testament book of Exodus. It speaks to many of the issues concerning worship in our current-day setting. Exodus 25:40: “See to it that you do according to the pattern that you were shown on the mountain.” This one verse lays out an important principle for […]
Exodus, Lesson 22: God Continues to Furnish His Tabernacle, Pt. 2
December 21, 2013 by
Moses is still on top of the mountain getting instructions from God on what is to be in the Tabernacle, the Old-Covenant’s predecessor of the Temple. So far, we’ve learned about the Ark of the Covenant and the Table of Presence. Today, we look at the lampstand, which was in the same area of the […]
A Biblical and Historical Look at “The Rapture”
December 19, 2013 by
Today, it seems almost impossible to escape the talk of “The Rapture” within the North American Church. Over the last century, this teaching has become so popular within North-American Protestant thinking that even those outside the Church have heard of the term. This article and study takes a short look into this happening. This was […]
Psalm 3: Arise, O LORD! Save me, my God!
December 18, 2013 by
People are more likely to pray when life is going badly than when life is going well. It shouldn’t be that way, but it is. The Old Testament book of Judges shows that exact pattern of a prayer life. According to Judges, most people then would chase after what they wanted in life, forgetting about […]
Why December 25th is the Day for Christmas
December 17, 2013 by
This is our pastor’s article for the Stone County Gazette. It should be published on December 26th. Why is December 25th the day we celebrate Jesus’ birth? If we are going to let the earliest history in the Christian Church be our guide, then the early Church chose December 25th to help teach that […]
Matthew 11:2-15
December 15, 2013 by
John the Baptizer’s disciples knew about depression and darkness. They had heard their teacher point them to Jesus, proclaiming Him as the long-awaited Messiah. When they complained to John that Jesus was drawing larger crowds, John told them, “He must increase and I must decrease” (John 3:30). And when John confronted Herod and challenged him […]
Psalm 27: Wait for the Lord
December 12, 2013 by
King David was thinking about the future. And while the future couldn’t come soon enough for him, he still ended the 27th Psalm with these words: “Wait for the LORD; be strong and courageous. Wait for the LORD” (Psalm 27:14). Those words of waiting didn’t only challenge David. They also challenge us. After all, don’t […]
Exodus, Lesson 21: God Continues to Furnish His Tabernacle
December 9, 2013 by
The Table of Presence Moses is still on top of the mounting getting instruction from God. The people were still at the base of the mountain (perhaps, still seeing the blazing fire of God’s presence). Part of those instructions dealt with worship and the architecture of where the people of Israel will worship. In the […]
