Relevant Passages: Hebrews 11 According to the Apostle Paul, faith is one of the gifts of the Spirit. If it is a gift, then no human effort can make it happen. Such an understanding should...
The Last Five Kings of Judah
October 10, 2015
Relevant Passages: 2 Chronicles 24; Jeremiah 26; Matthew 14; Acts 7; John 21 Martyrs and Murderers solemnly remind us that God does not always protect his children nor preserve them from tragic sin. The number...
Relevant Passages: 2 Kings 20; Exodus 32; Daniel 9; Psalms 51; Acts 12 Is prayer “successful” simply because it yields tangible and measurable results? The reverse of that question is at least as troubling, namely,...
Relevant Passages: Mark 2, 9; John 1, 5 Effective personal witnessing requires giving of oneself over to the needs of another. The New Testament illustrates such effective witnessing in several significant experiences. Healing of the...
Relevant Passages: 1 Samuel 2, 8, 17; 2 Kings 2, 5, 22-23 Children are a two-edged sword. Jesus says that we must become like little children (Matt. 18:3), but Paul says that when he became...
Relevant Passages: Genesis 4, 25, 30; Number 12; Luke 10, 15 The sibling rivalries in Scripture are predominantly same-sex rivalries. The tensions which the narratives reveal can be instructive for those who wish to live...
Relevant Passages: Genesis 30-50 The story of Joseph is one of the longest and most dramatic continuous narratives in Scripture. Key experiences in his life suggest tantalizing topics for discussion and exploration: Parents, children, siblings:...
Relevant Passages: 1 Samuel 25, Esther 8 Abigail and Esther are two strong-willed women who played prominent roles in steering a daring passageway between dangerous alternatives established by powerful and foolish men. Discussion Questions: How...
Relevant Passages: Genesis 6-9, Job 1-42 Noah and Job present an interesting study in contrasts. Though both demonstrated a certain “grace under pressure,” their circumstances and reactions were quite different. God preserved Noah and his...
Relevant Passages: Matt. 26:69-75; Matt. 27:1-10 Judas and Peter: According to Matthew’s Gospel, the developing scenes of Jesus’ trial have quite an unexpected effect on two of his disciples. In Matthew 26:69-75, the confident Peter...
Relevant Passages: Isaiah 14; Ezekial 28; John 1; Revelations 12 Christ and Satan: Two lives that depict the two great opposing forces contending for control of the universe, love and selfishness. Discussion Questions: On p....
Background and Literary Considerations The verses we study this week have occasioned significant debate as to their authorship. Some have argued that everything belongs to the eighth-century prophet who finally got around to some positive...
Background and Literary Considerations Having come now to the last of the five vision reports, we need to ask how they connect with each other and the impact of the whole collection. What is the...
Background and Literary Considerations The fourth vision report in Amos brings us to another literary feature of the prophet’s preaching: puns. While we miss most of these in English translations, the Bible is replete with...
Life and Death
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Life and Death
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That We May Know Him
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What Inspiration Is
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