They’ve been known as people of the desert. To the Western eye, they appear backward, undeveloped, fanatical, bizarre, and irrationally violent. Yet they are the remnants of one of the greatest empires the world has …
Are You Ready for Baptism?
At first, Philip wondered why he was here. It was not a place anyone in his right mind would choose to be. It was hot. It was dry. It was the road from Jerusalem to …
Which of the Ten Commandments Did Jesus Repeal?
Was there something wrong with the Ten Commandments? Were they weak legislation in the first place? Or did they somehow become obsolete with the passage of time? If, as some suppose, the time came for …
Christian Holy Days
It was a Sunday morning just like any other Sunday morning. We had just been shown to a table by a sunlit window and were enjoying our first cup of coffee when, without warning, a …
Yes, But Why?
King Solomon once wrote, “Wisdom is the principle thing: therefore get wisdom: and with all your getting, get understanding. Exalt her, and she shall promote you: she shall bring you to honor, when you do …
Holy Days Revisited
The holy days are, to me, an endless source of fascination. Every year I approach them with renewed anticipation. Long ago someone pointed out to me a simple, elegant pattern in the meaning of these …
So You Want to Start a Church?
“What are you going to do about the local churches?” This is probably the most often asked question these days, followed closely by questions about the Feast of Tabernacles and Methods of evangelism. Oddly enough, …
The Holy Spirit
The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law (Deuteronomy …
Doing the Works of God
“Master,” they asked Jesus, ” who sinned, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?” The logic behind the question was simple. God’s creation was perfect; so for a man to be born …
Feeding the Inner Man
“What our civilization continues to forget is that we have souls, and when souls are not fed, they distort and warp themselves. And souls today go largely unfed. Every day they must soak up the …
The Problem with Belonging
In the past few months, I have become more and more persuaded of an old truth about human nature—that there is in the heart of every man a need to belong to something, someone or …
A Hard Look at Vengeance
In the aftermath of the World Trade Center bombing, there was one question raised that no one really stopped to answer. Is it wrong for the United States to seek vengeance for the murder of …
God’s Diet Plan for Healthful Living
Did Jesus adjust God’s ancient laws of clean and unclean meats? The answer shouldn’t be hard to find. It should be right there in the four gospels. Everyone is concerned about health these days. Hundreds …
Why Do We Use the Hebrew Calendar?
“And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years” (Genesis …
Why Study the Bible?
Bible study is fascinating. You may doubt that, if your past approach has been to start with Genesis and read straight through. Chances are you made it to Leviticus and gave up. The Bible is …
Are We Living in the Last Days?
The end of the world. It’s a chilling thought, isn’t it? I can remember long summer evenings on the front porch of our house in Arkansas, listening to my elders talk about the Bible as …
What You May Not Know About Jesus’ Parables
Jesus’ parables have long been a popular focus of bible studies because most people assume that they are in the character of analogies or illustrations that Jesus used in order to make His meaning clear. …
Staying Power
What do you do when you have already done all you can? You are in trouble and there is no way out. You are sick and the doctors have done all they can. You are …
On Leadership
Before long there will be heard throughout the planet a formidable cry, rising like the howling of innumerable dogs to the stars, asking for someone or something to take command. José Ortega y Gasset About …
The Performance Church
Something important is happening to the way we design our churches. Obviously, how we lay out the interior of a church is heavily influenced by what we plan to do there. But the design of …