“Let me ask you only this: ‘Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith’”-Galatians 3:2 Have you ever thought it strange that “Hear” was the first of the “Five Steps” taught to so many newcomers to Christ? I always found it was odd. My thought was, “Well, of… Read More »
CENI: Communication or Interpretation
Every six months or so, it seems there is an attack on “CENI.” Opponents decry this “intellectual relic from an earlier time.” We are told we need a “new hermeneutic” or a “Jesus-centered approach” to face the issues of the 21st century. Just this month, the Christian magazine Pressing On published a special edition entitled,… Read More »
Does My Seven-Year-Old Need Baptism?
“before the boy knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land whose two kings you dread will be deserted.”-Isaiah 7:12 The importance of this question is matched only by my inability to give it a satisfactory answer. At age seven, I would confidently say, “No.” At eight or nine, most young… Read More »
It Either Is, Or It Ain’t!
From the beginning, Satan has grounded his attack on human souls in an attempt to shake our faith in what God has said. The first recorded words of our accuser were, “Did God actually say?”-Genesis 3:1. What the devil knows is, if he can destroy our trust in God’s revealed will, we have nowhere to… Read More »
Can I Read And Understand The Bible?
“If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”-John 8:31-32 Tonight’s lesson centers around a proper understanding of the word of God. We will examine two case studies involving serious errors in logic and interpretation of the Bible. If tonight’s… Read More »
Evangelism In The Morning; Doctrine At Night
This is the first Lord’s day of February. Welcome to a double-header of preaching series. For several years, I felt compelled, at the beginning of the year, to focus a lesson series on the specific needs of the body of Christ at North Second Street. Over the past two years our focus has been on… Read More »
Bible Study With A Purpose
“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.”-Hosea 4:6 We have all been in “that kind” of Bible class. No one has a book. There… Read More »
The LORD My God
Occasionally I make comments about the use of LORD, Lord, and God in the Old Testament. Allow me a moment to clarify. Bible translators make choices when bringing Hebrew (in this case) and Greek words into our English Bibles. This is of special note when discussing the word YHWH, the personal name of the God… Read More »
A Generation Who Does Not Know The LORD
“the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua…all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel.”-Judges 2:7-10 I don’t know who… Read More »
Patriarchy: It’s Not Just Something Gen Z Kids Fight
To woke teenagers everywhere, the patriarchy is something you want to topple. As in, “That’s just something old people say because they are conditioned to accept an evil, slavery-based, male dominated society. Fight the patriarchy, man.” If this makes no sense to you, consider yourself lucky. Speaking of confusing people, every time I bring up… Read More »