In our last visit I shared how my mother lived out Psalm 78. She taught her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren principles and truths from God’s Word and shared her “faith…
The most basic forum for evangelism and discipleship is the family. When God gave the Law, He commanded Israel’s forefathers to teach it to their children “so the next generation would…
It takes the wisdom and grace of God to learn how to grow old and stay useful! God never planned for Christians to vegetate beyond a certain age. Read Titus 2:1-8…
I have been sharing recently about the importance of passing on a spiritual legacy to the next generation and subsequent generations. I shared some thoughts about family life that I learned…
Being a pastor, I normally take note of references in the Bible that refer to shepherds. Pastor means shepherd. So it’s not surprising when I came to verse 72 of Psalm 78…
When reflecting on what Jesus had to say about love as found in John 13-17 it is obvious God the Father is a loving God. He loved Jesus. This is a theme…
In our last visit we studied what is said in John 13-17 about God the Father’s love. Let’s now organize what is said in these chapters about Jesus Christ’s love. He and…
We have been studying the topic of “love” as presented in John 13-17. First we collected what is said about love in the thirty references to it in these 5 chapters. Then…
In our study of love as found in John 13-17 we’ve considered the Father’s love, Jesus’ love and our love as believers. Now let’s look at love as experienced and expressed…
We’ve almost finished correlating into an outline the information we collected regarding love as found in John 13-17. The final point I would like to reflect on is the quality of…
We’ve been doing a topical study on “love” as found in John 13-17 using the 3 “C” approach: collect, correlate and crystallize. We’ve collected what the 30 references to “love” in…
We started this study of “love” as found in John 13-17 by pointing out that God wants us to be “love driven” or “love directed” in our lives. Let’s expand what…
In our last visit we saw that our motive for loving God and others is His love for us. This is clearly stated in 1st John 4:19-21. We also saw that when…
We’ve been studying how to experience a love driven or directed life. We’ve considered Jesus as our model. Then we looked at our motive and our mandate for being love driven or…
We’ve been learning that to be love driven or directed in life we need to get self out of the way. We can’t produce “agape” love by sheer effort. Only God through…
Your life will be love driven or directed when the Holy Spirit is in control and producing His fruit in and through you. This is seen in Galatians 5:22-23. And this is…
We’ve been studying what a love driven or directed life looks like and how it operates. The reason for doing such a study is to understand what Jesus had in mind…
In our last visit we concluded by alluding to the experience recorded in John 21. Remember, Peter and a couple of other disciples spent the night fishing. They didn’t catch any fish. Early…
In our last visit we reviewed John 21 and discovered that Jesus probed into the heart of Peter to see whether his answers were authentic. When He asked Peter if he…
As we come to the close of our study of Mark we find Jesus giving the disciples the great commission: preach the gospel to the whole world. “After the Lord…
When you die what would you want the epitaph to say on your tombstone? An epitaph is an inscription on a tomb in memory of the person buried there. It…
In our last visit I introduced the impact statement in Acts 11:24. “He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith.” Using Barnabas’s life, I believe a…
Let’s continue amplifying the impact statement in Acts 11:24, “He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith.” What does it mean being full of the Holy…
We have considered in recent visits the impact statement in Acts 11:24, “He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith.” Let’s conclude this study by focusing…
In our last visit we found out what happens when you choose to not fear the Lord – you leave yourself vulnerable to evil. You will also leave yourself vulnerable…
We’ve been doing a topical study of “the fear of the Lord” as found in the book of Proverbs. After collecting all that is said in the 19 references to…
In our last visit we began to amplify the second point in our outline: How to cultivate a healthy fear of the Lord. As you study God’s Word prayerfully it’s…
In our study of Proverbs regarding the topic of the fear of the Lord we’ve considered the first two points in the outline we developed. When we’ve cultivated a healthy…
In our study of Proverbs we’ve been amplifying the third point in our outline of the fear of the Lord. We’ve seen that our lives will change intellectually and volitionally.…
Let’s continue our study of the topic of the fear of the Lord as found in Proverbs by amplifying further the third point in our outline: When you fear the…
We are finding in our study of the fear of God in Proverbs that when you fear God your life will change in every area: intellectually, volitionally, emotionally and behaviorally.…
In our study today I’d like to focus on another change that takes place when a person fears the Lord. According to the book of Proverbs there would be a…
It’s been interesting to me in this study on the fear of the Lord in Proverbs to see the numerous areas in our lives that will change when we reverentially…
Everyone desires a good friend. But a good friend is hard to come by. Jonathan, David’s friend, was the kind of friend everyone needs. To show you what I found…
Everyone desires to have a good friend. As we saw in our last study, Jonathan, David’s friend, was the kind of friend everyone would like to have. In collecting information…
In doing a biographical study of Jonathan’s life as recorded for us in 1 Samuel 13 through 2 Samuel 1 we started by collecting as much information about him as…
In doing a biographical study of Jonathan, David’s friend, as recorded in 1 Samuel 13 through 2 Samuel 1, I discovered some characteristics that should be found in true friendships.…
Alexander the Great had a secret strategy known as the “Macedonian Phalanx.” I read that this was little more than a simple military formation with a straightforward mandate: “You never…
I am excited about the study adventure I’m beginning with you today. Let me introduce you during the first weeks of this year to the apostle Paul, then I’ll take the…
In our last visit I began to introduce you to the apostle Paul by starting a biographical study of his life. There are three steps in a biographical study: collect information…
If you’ve started reading in the book of Acts about the life of Saul, better known as Paul the apostle, I’m sure you’ve noted he was an unusual man. Start…
In our last visit we amplified the information gathered about the apostle Paul before his conversion experience on the road to Damascus as recorded in Acts 9. Most people don’t…
We’ve been looking at Paul’s life pre-conversion. Many people touched his life as he violently went around “breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples” (Acts 9:1). Only God knows…
There are some things we can learn from others; other things we can learn by our own study; but some things you will only learn from God through the Holy…
Earlier in our biographical study of Paul’s life I suggested another outline from the one we’ve been using. All we’ve studied thus far could be placed under the first point…
As mentioned in our last visit I raised the question: were Barnabas and Paul ready to launch out on a second missionary journey. According to Acts 15:36-41 Paul suggested to…
In our last visit we discussed the heated blow up Paul and Barnabas had as they contemplated a second missionary trip. I suggested, had they followed the pattern seen in…
One key to growing in our walk with God is to learn from our experiences. Paul didn’t want to take Mark on the second missionary journey because he deserted them…
Over the years Paul never forgot the lesson he learned from Barnabas. It was hard earned. He had to humbly acknowledge the wisdom of Barnabas to give Mark another chance…
As Paul pressed forward on his second missionary journey he ran into some obstacles. He “and his companions (were) kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the…
As mentioned in our last visit, though hindered from reaching some regions, there was no indication this kept him from pressing on with his mission. Eventually he landed in Troas. …
As mentioned in our last visit Paul and his team ran into some obstacles during the early stages of his second missionary journey. Once they saw their first converts in…
It’s encouraging to see Paul continuing to grow as he pressed on to take the Gospel to people who had never heard. He began delegating responsibilities to teammates. But…
Paul concluded his visit to Athens with a powerful message to the Council which drew the following response: “a few men became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was…
As seen in our last visit, with the encouragement of faithful friends and supporters, as well as teammates, Paul ministered for an extended period of time in Corinth. When God gave…
As mentioned in our last visit, Paul refined his strategy by focusing his attention on major cities. If strong churches were planted in major cities like Corinth, Ephesus or Rome,…
In our last visit I concluded that Paul’s strategy of focusing on major cities worked well so long as the churches stayed healthy. That’s why he worked so hard trying…
As we’ve seen Paul’s mission strategy in our biographical study of his life there is one final piece I’d like to focus on. Paul poured a lot of time into…
As we continue our biographical study of the life of Paul the Apostle we now come to the last point in our outline: his legacy. What was the lasting impact…
The ministry of reproducing yourself to extend your ministry through others is a major legacy of the apostle Paul. He penned the famous words in 2nd Timothy, 2:2, “The things…
It’s hard to fully comprehend the legacy of the apostle Paul. Probably the best way to understand it is to read his 13 letters in the New Testament. They…
Continuing our study of the life of Paul let’s expand the point that the books he wrote provide the long term legacy of his life. The two books he wrote…
On Paul’s 3rd Missionary journey he wrote two books to the church at Corinth. We saw in a recent study the Corinthian church was the result of Paul’s year and…
In our last visit I made reference to 1st Corinthians 13, what I might call Paul’s “legacy of love.” In officiating at my daughter’s wedding I said the following based…
Paul’s prison epistles are profound expressions of truth, compassion and challenge. They’re like beautiful flowers growing and blooming in a dismal garbage dump, dug up, potted and sent to brighten…
Paul wrote in Philippians 3:10, “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.” …
Paul wrote this in the book of Philemon while a prisoner in Rome: “Confident… that you will do even more than I ask” (Philemon 21). Philemon was a wealthy man…
After Paul was released from his first imprisonment in Rome it’s not clear where he went to minister. Some think he tried to fulfill his longtime plan of reaching Spain,…
We’ve been considering Paul’s legacy, especially the legacy he left us through the letters he wrote. We’ll spend the rest of this year studying his most important book, the book…
“In your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have”…
There are many places in the Bible where we are commanded to love others. Peter declared in 1 Peter 4:8, “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers…
I recently had the privilege and joy of participating in the wedding of one of my grandsons. Among other things they asked me to present what marriage is all about…
In our last visit I began elaborating on some thoughts I shared at my grandson’s recent wedding. I began by pointing out that there is more than a mere physical dimension…
In our study of what is involved in marriage as God designed it we’ve considered the physical and rational dimensions of marriage. In his book, The Song of Songs, Solomon vividly…
As we continue our study of what is involved in marriage as God designed it, let me just say, since my wife and I are celebrating our wedding anniversary, I know…
In our study of marriage as God designed it we’ve discovered there are physical, rational, romantic/emotional and social dimensions to marriage. They’re all important. In John 3 we are introduced to…
The Bible has much to say about life. It discusses how life was created, how it was impacted by the disobedience of man, and how God provided a new way…
The Secret of a quality life, especially in marriage, is what I see as the focus of what you find in Ephesians 5:1-6:4. As Paul amplifies this focus he develops…
Some people seem to have a special marriage and family life. You might wonder what goes into making that happen. If you take Paul’s words in Ephesians 5:1-6:4 seriously you…
As we’ve studied Ephesians 5:1-6:4 using the focus and amplify approach I identified the focus as: The secret of a quality life, especially in marriage. Thinking about it some more…
We have been studying Ephesians 5:1-6:4 and have found that God wants us to discover and experience the secret of a quality life, especially in marriage. In these verses you…
We’ve studied Ephesians 5:1-6:4 and done a focus and amplify study of these verses. In our study I noticed that the term “children” is mentioned 4 times in these verses. …
To experience a quality life in marriage and family you need the foundation of a quality life in the family of faith. This truth is developed in Ephesians 5:1-21. The…
In our study of Ephesians 5:1-21 we have seen that to experience a quality life in marriage and family you need to have the foundation of a quality life in…
When you look at how Paul describes what a healthy marriage and family looks like the picture is clear. Look again at Ephesians 5:21-6:4. He begins with the injunction that…
Let’s look again at Ephesians 5:21-6:4 and note something that is often forgotten. When it says wives are to submit to their husbands, Paul is addressing the wives, not the…
When you think of idolatry what comes to your mind? I usually think of statues of false gods worshipped by people. Paul puts a broader application to the concept of…
When people think of living a holy life they often think that would require retreating from the real world. You might conclude the same when reading what Paul says in…
One of the fascinating truths of Ephesians 5:1 – 6:4 is that we are to be a people in process of growth at all times, especially in our relationships. We…
In studying about marriage in Ephesians 5:21-33 you notice something surprising. In the middle of specific instructions for wives and husbands Paul injects a verse that at first seems to…
Do you know what the oldest institution is in the Bible? If you go back to Genesis 2 you will find it is the institution of marriage. Paul quotes that…
What does it mean to “honor your father and mother” as instructed in Ephesians 6:2?What if your parents have lived in such a way that they do not deserve to…
Fathers have a special opportunity to equip their children for living a life that pleases God. In many families Mothers assume this responsibility. Not that they shouldn’t be a vital…
To better understand a portion of the Bible it’s good to check cross-references that deal with the same subject. Colossians 3:18-21 deals with marriage and family issues with the same…
When studying a given portion of the Bible it is always good to look into what other portions might have to say on the same subject. In studying marriage and…
Let me suggest looking at a cross-reference to what Ephesians 5:21-6:4 says about the responsibility of husbands. You will find some challenging information in 1 Peter 3:7. “Husbands, in the…
Early in my study of Theology I sat under an inspiring professor, Dr. Bragg, who amplified further the etymology of the name Elohim, that we considered in our last visit. …
Let’s consider another name for God. In Genesis 17:1-2 God declares to Abraham, “I am God Almighty (El Shaddai); walk before me, and be blameless. And I will establish my…
In previous visits we’ve seen that God is understood through His names. A reference where this is true is Genesis 21:33: “Abraham planted a tamarisk tree at Beersheba, and there…
I trust you’ve been encouraged by our study of names for God in the Bible. Let’s consider another generic name found in Exodus 6:2-3 in the Living Bible: “I am…
Genesis 22:14 says, “Abraham called the name of that place The Lord Will Provide (Jehovah-Jireh), as it is said to this day, ‘In the mount of the Lord it will…
God uses rather unique ways to teach us at times. In Exodus 15 we find the Israelites in the desert. After three days they finally found some water at Marah. …
At the close of our last visit I asked what lessons we can learn from the experience of the Israelites in the cities of Marah and Elim described in Exodus…
Fierce opposition confronts us at times. Left to ourselves we could not stand in the face of such opposition. But as the people of God we have the privilege of…
In the thick of a battle we sometimes feel abandoned by God. When nothing goes our way, it sometimes feels like defeat is almost certain. Should we let such feelings…
In our last visit we found Gideon discovering that His Lord was Jehovah-shalom, the Lord is Peace. To commemorate that experience he built an altar, calling it, The Lord is…
God’s concern for us, His sheep, is further amplified by a promise of restoration. Unfaithful leaders had led the people into what would become their captivity. There would be a…
Ezekiel introduces another name for God at the very end of his prophetic book. Listen to what he says in Ezekiel 48:35: “And the name of the city from that…
The Lord is omnipresent and omnipotent. Nothing is higher than Him. He is over all. All is subject to Him. In Psalm 84 He is worshiped and extolled as the…
Psalm 23 is one of the best known Psalms, and the favorite of many. It begins with this personal testimony: “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want” (Psalm…
In our last visit I referred to John 10:1-28 which describes Jehovah-Raah in the New Testament. He is referred to as the good shepherd. Jesus declares, “I have other sheep…
We have been considering what the Bible says about Jehovah-Raah. The psalmist merely refers to Him as his Shepherd. John adds to this name for God by adding, Good Shepherd. …
In the New Testament Jesus was introduced to the shepherds that first Christmas eve as follows: “For today in the city of David there has been born for you a…
Immediately after the account we studied in our last visit you find another name for Jesus. Listen to it: “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through…
We have studied the various names given to Jesus Christ in the Bible. Over eighty times The New Testament identifies Jesus as the Son of Man. This name for Jesus refers to…
In our last visit we found Jesus Christ is referred to over eighty times as the Son of Man. This title does not focus only on His humanity. Matthew tells us that…
We have studied for a number of weeks now various names for God the Father and the Son. Now let’s consider some names given to God the Holy Spirit. This designation focuses…
In recent visits we’ve demonstrated the first two things involved in doing a “3C Biographical Study” of the life of Agabus: collecting information about his life and correlating it into…
Today I would like to start a “3C” Biographical Study of another Biblical character: John Mark. We know him better as just Mark. Yes, he is the one who wrote…
In our last visit we began a “3C” biographical study of the life of Mark. Barnabas, who was an older cousin to Mark, took him under his wing and groomed…
We’ve been doing the first step in a “3D” biographical study of the life of Mark by collecting information about him. Now we need to correlate this information into an…
We’ve been doing a “3C” biographical study of the life of Mark. We started by collecting information about his life in the Bible. Then we correlated it into an outline. …
In our last visit we began to crystallize what we learned from doing a “3C” biographical study of the life of Mark. Let’s continue developing applications we can make based…
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…
Do you ever get discouraged or disappointed? As you read the Bible you’ll notice every once in a while a Bible character shows signs of being discouraged or disappointed. …
In our last visit we discovered, by considering some experiences in the life of Moses, that the danger of discouragement and disappointment after years of faithful obedience is to impulsively react…
In our last two visits we learned some lessons from Moses and David about coping during times of disappointment and discouragement. Looking at the life of Paul you discover that when…
The New Testament character Barnabas was given that name by the church apostles because he was always encouraging others. Barnabas means, Son of Encouragement. He is first mentioned in Acts…
I believe all of the Old Testament prophets experienced times of disappointment and discouragement. Consider Habakkuk who shared how he came to understand what God was really intending to do with…
We’ve looked in recent visits at how a number of Bible characters coped when facing times of disappointment and discouragement. Now let’s look at Jesus Christ. Was He ever discouraged or disappointed…
We have now considered a number of examples how some major Bible characters coped when faced with experiences of disappointment and discouragement. We saw that if constructive action was not taken…