In our last visit I suggested we start reading the gospel of Matthew as a change of pace from the Old Testament reading we’ve done so far this year. I…
It has always intrigued me to notice some of the people included in the genealogy found in Matthew 1. Consider the women listed. The fact that women are mentioned at…
As we continue to read through the Bible, two chapters a day, we’ll gain a new appreciation of the wisdom and grace of God. When thinking of Jesus Christ as…
In our last visit we started a topical study of “authority” as found in the book of Matthew. We looked at references that mentioned authority: Matthew 7:29; 8:9; and 9:6,…
I’m a novice when it comes to computers, but you don’t need to understand very much about computers to know that output is based on input. Jesus said the same…
In our last visit we discovered an impact thought: input determines output. What we put into our minds and hearts will determine what comes out of our lives. We’ll be…
Watch! Watch out. Keep watch. Be ready. These are the imperatives sprinkled throughout the Olivet Discourse, found in Matthew 24-25. These two chapters are Jesus’ answer to the disciples question…
As you read and reflect on Matthew’s record of Jesus’ life you find more and more hinted at, and then, clearly stated about the death of Jesus Christ. In Matthew…
When you read the final chapters of Matthew it will be clear that Matthew was concerned about describing the events clearly and specifically. What he recorded could be checked out…
In our last two visits we focused on Christ’s death and resurrection. Matthew wanted to clearly present the facts surrounding the death and burial of Jesus Christ: the cross and…
I hope you’ve started reading the gospel of Mark. In the New International Version I noticed the word “amazed” was used 13 times. It might be helpful to examine this…
In our last visit we began studying how the insight word “amazed” is used in the gospel of Mark, and how it helps us understand the message of Mark better.…
In our last visit we emphasized the importance of memorizing scripture. Memorization is hard. We need to work at hiding God’s Word in our minds and hearts. Learn the reference…
You might not think of Luke 1 as being a description of revival. We can learn much, however, about revival from the events described there. Let’s do a focus and…
In our last visit we began a focus and amplify study of Luke 1. We identified the focus as, Characteristics of Revival. Then we amplified this focus by looking at…
We’ve been doing a focus and amplify study of Luke 1. Thus far we’ve amplified the focus – Characteristics of Revival – by looking at the prevailing conditions, and considering…
I noticed in the first 2 chapters of Luke the recurrence of the words “joy” and “rejoicing.” We, at Getting God’s Message, have reason to rejoice: Today’s program is number…
As a parent of 4, grandparent of 12 and great-grandparent of 4, I noticed in Luke 2:40-52 Jesus Christ’s early development. In 2:40 it says he grew and became strong,…
When reading the first 4 chapters of Luke notice how often the Holy Spirit is mentioned: 14 times! Obviously He played an important role in the preparation for and the…
In our last v In our last visit we began studying how the Holy Spirit operated, as found in the first 4 chapters of Luke. We collected information from the 14…
Prayer was very important in the life of Jesus Christ as seen throughout the book of Luke. Let’s do a topical study of prayer based on Luke’s Gospel. First, collect…
I found a fascinating couple of verses appropriate for the Christmas season but in a context that seems inappropriate. In Luke 11 Jesus was talking to a crowd about how…
In Luke 15 we have the well-known parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost sons. Let’s do a chapter study of this portion. I thought this…
We’ve been studying Luke 15 focusing on the title, The Joy of Finding what was Lost. We amplified the points on finding the lost sheep and coin. Now let’s focus…
As we approach Christmas we need to ask ourselves, “Why did Jesus come to earth?” One of the clearest statements Jesus made to answer this question is found in Luke…
As we approach Christmas I remember once being asked to preach a message on, Unpacking Christmas! As I thought about it I became convinced that often we celebrate Christmas without…
In our last visit we introduced Biblical themes often forgotten in our Christmas celebrations. We considered the curse that fell on the human race and all of creation when Adam…
As we’ve seen in our last two visits, Christmas celebrations are shallow if they don’t include the grand story of the Bible. It’s ironic how blind many are. Listen to…
Why is it often difficult to remember what God has said? You would think the disciples and those closely associated with Jesus would remember His repeated words about His death…
We’ve been studying the book of Luke this month as part of our project of reading through the Bible in two years. We’ve read Genesis through Psalms and Matthew, Mark…
We’ve looked at the poetical books of the Old Testament over the last few months with a consideration of the book of Luke during December. Let’s take another interlude from…
One of the unique characteristics in the record of the life of Jesus Christ in John’s Gospel is the references to time. The book begins with the declaration, “In the…
In our last visit we studied how Jesus managed time in his life. He had a mission to accomplish and knew better than anyone that you only have a certain…
John spells out his purpose for writing his Gospel in chapter 20:31, “These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that…
In our last two visits we’ve considered two names given to our Savior – Jesus and Christ. John’s purpose for writing his Gospel was to persuade readers to “believe that…
We’ve looked at some names attributed to Jesus by John in his Gospel. These names found in John 20:31 help us understand who Jesus is and why we should believe…
Let’s continue our study of the names or titles by which Jesus is identified in the Gospel of John. John the Baptist declared in John 1:29, “Look, the Lamb of…
John chapter 3 is pivotal to understand the difference between mere religious head knowledge and experiential heart knowledge. John 3 begins with Nicodemus coming to Jesus, the Rabbi, to ask…
In our last visit as we studied John 3 we saw Jesus as the Rabbi/teacher, the Savior. Then He is referred to as the bridegroom (John 3:29-30). Let’s reflect on…
Over 80 times, including in the Gospel of John, the New Testament identifies Jesus Christ as the Son of Man. This name for Jesus Christ refers to His being human. …
As I’ve encouraged you to read through the Gospel of John, one chapter per day, we’ve been studying the various names by which Jesus is identified in this book. Thus…
We’ve been looking at Jesus’ “I Am” titles. In John 10 you have two of them. He identifies Himself as “I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be…
We’ve been looking at references where Jesus claimed to be the “I Am.” In John 11 we read that Jesus heard Lazarus was sick. He chose not to visit before…
All of the great “I Am” titles for Jesus in John’s gospel are designed to bring us to trust in Jesus Christ for salvation and for continued growth in our…
We’ve been doing a study on the names and titles of Jesus as found in the Gospel of John. After collecting the names and reflecting on what they tell us…
In our visit today let’s do a fact finding study of John 17. Answer these questions: Who? What? When? Where? Why? and How? “Who:” Jesus is praying to the Father…
No doubt John realized many would have the same problem he and the other disciples had in understanding the death of Jesus Christ. Jesus told them He would rise 3…
We’ve now read and studied the major prophetical books of the Old Testament. As a change of pace, let’s read and study the book of Acts in the New Testament. …
Acts 1:8 gives us a clear outline and title for the book. Let me read it from the Williams translation. “You are going to receive power when the Holy Spirit…
A Spirit directed and empowered witness is seen in the book of Acts in the life of Stephen. Human interest always stimulates concentration and captures the imagination. We perk…
In our last visit I shared information on Stephen’s life that can be found in the New Testament book of Acts 6:1 – 8:2; 22:20. Let’s collect the information to…
In our biographical study of the life of Stephen we collected information about his life. Now let’s correlate it into an outline. For the Title I put: Qualified to Serve. …
Today I’d like to start a study of Acts chapter 15, using the Focus and Amplify approach to the study. Read the chapter over a number of times and decide…
As we continue reading through the book of Acts let’s do a chapter study of chapter 20. This will involve establishing the following: a title, a key verse, significant truth,…
In our study of Acts 20 we identified a title, key verse, significant truth, cross- references, difficulties and some applications. Now let’s develop an outline. The Title we already identified:…
There is one final point I wanted to address before leaving our chapter study of Acts 20. What did Paul mean in Acts 20:26? “Therefore, I declare to you today…
As we conclude our reading and study of the book of Acts, did you notice how often God communicated with individuals or did things in behalf of individuals at night? …
I was recently drawn again to a portion in the Bible I’ve often reflected on, Acts 20:17-21:1. Before I set out to study these verses I was reminded of something…
In our last visit we considered the beginning of a bigger context for what is recorded in Acts 20:17-21:1. We saw how Paul got to know Aquilla and Priscilla in…
We’ve been familiarizing ourselves in recent visits with the bigger historical context to help us understand what is said in Acts 20:17-21:1. What we have seen is what Jesus illustrated…
In recent visits we’ve uncovered the dramatic story of how the Christian church in Ephesus was planted and grew exponentially. The impact it had on the pagan society and its…
We’ve been considering the larger historical context to help us understand Acts 20:17-21:1. The short letter addressing the Church of Ephesus found in Revelation 2:1-7 describes this church as still…
We’ve reviewed in recent visits the larger context of what Paul said to the elders of the church of Ephesus recorded in Acts 20:17-21:1. There were some dramatic events and…
Now that we’ve considered the larger context to help us understand the specific context of Acts 20:17-21:1, let’s use a number of study methods to understand it better and remember…
As we continue to study Acts 20:17-21:1 I’d like to share another study method, what I call an “Impact Thought.” Often when reading the Bible you will have a…
Now that we’ve been exposed to Paul’s farewell address to the elders of Ephesus found in Acts 20:17-21:1 let’s do what I call a “4S” study of this portion: spread,…
In our last visit we began structuring information we gathered from Paul’s farewell address to the Ephesian Church elders found in Acts 20:17-21:1. The first point was his manner, or…
Paul reminded the elders from the church of Ephesus in Acts 20:17-21:1 of the things he taught them during a three year period of ministry in that city. Now, in his…
As Paul addressed the elders from the church of Ephesus in Acts 20:17-21:1, he made it clear that in the final analysis, it is God who grows the church and…
In our study of Acts 20:17-21:1 we’ve considered Paul’s manner and message. Let’s turn our attention to his mission. Paul shares his mission in verse 24: “I consider my life worth…
As we saw in our last visit, Paul took his mission seriously. He warned everyone he encountered to turn from sin to God and accept His offer of grace –…
In recent visits we have studied what Paul’s farewell address in Acts 20:17-21:1 tells us about Paul – his manner, his message and his mission. Now let’s structure information from this…
We’ve been studying Paul’s farewell address to the Ephesian elders in Acts 20:17-21:1. We’ve considered what this portion tells us about Paul and those elders. Now let’s focus our attention on what…
As we’ve studied Paul’s farewell address to the Ephesian church elders we’ve used the “4S” study method: spread, sort, structure and summarize. We’ve structured three points in our outline, now let’s…
We’ve now come to the final point in doing a “4S” study of Acts 20:17-21:1, Paul’s farewell address to the elders from the church of Ephesus. We spread out the…
Dawson Trottman coined the phrase and wrote a pamphlet titled, “Born to Reproduce.” Paul the apostle might not have coined the phrase, but he lived it. We saw in our study…
As we continue to summarize what we learned from our study of Acts 20:17-21:1 let me share another application: finishing well. Paul put it this way in his address to…
In recent visits we’ve considered a number of applications we can make to our lives and share with others: Could my life be described as “a life well lived”? If I…
I am a novice when it comes to computers, but you don’t need to understand very much about computers to know that output is based on input. Jesus said the same…
In our last visit we discovered an impact thought: input determines output. What we put into our minds and hearts will determine what comes out of our lives. We will…
Watch! Watch out! Keep watch! Be ready! These are the imperatives sprinkled throughout the Olivet Discourse, found in Matthew 24-25. These two chapters are Jesus’ answer to the disciples question in chapter 24,…
The Bible describes what takes place when a person invites Jesus Christ into his/her life to be his/her Savior and Lord. While talking with Nicodemus in John 3, Jesus…
In our last visit we considered what it means to be born again as declared in John 3:1-16. Reading on in John 3 Jesus is introduced by John the Baptist to…
In our last visit we considered the differences in a relationship from when a couple first starts meeting together until they get married. Using this spectrum of a developing…
In studying John 3 we’ve considered how to help people understand where they’re at in their relationship to Jesus Christ. Once they’ve come to understand approximately where they are, you can…
In recent visits we have been developing a way to help people identify where they are in their faith journey or relationship with Jesus Christ. I described a developing…
Today I’d like to start a chapter study of Psalm 119. To do this, after reading the psalm a few times, give it a title and identify a key verse. State what…
In our last visit we began a study of Psalm 119. I suggested that the first 8 verses were introductory. You’ll notice the Psalm is divided into sections with each…
We’ve been considering some preliminary thoughts based on the Psalmist’s strong but very honest statements in Psalm 119 on the significance of God’s Word. After making it clear that he holds…
As we’ve studied Psalm 119 in recent programs we determined a title for the Psalm: The Significance of God’s Word. We saw the nature of God’s Word was such that it…
In our last visit we found that God’s unfailing love will come to those who seek and call out to Him, trusting in His promise. Once you’ve taken this step you…
If you weren’t convinced of the importance of God’s Word in our previous programs on Psalm 119, today’s study should convince you. Let’s consider the benefits of God’s Word to our…
As I’ve read and studied Psalm 119 with you over recent weeks I’ve become convinced I should devote myself more to the mastery and meditation of God’s Word. I must make…