More than I could hope or dream of
By Cindy Clerk, 19, Czech Republic Everyone has dreams, though some may dream more than others. Human beings have the ability to dream or aspire, unlike all other living creatures. I have always had big dreams. Since I was 13, I knew where I wanted to study—abroad. When I was 15, I knew exactly what [...]
Any Distance, Any Time
For several years, I’ve corresponded with a pastor in Nepal who often travels with his church members to distant communities in the Himalayas to preach and plant churches. Recently he sent me his itinerary for the following week and asked me to pray.
Enemy Deceptions
Written in the sixth-century bc by Chinese general Sun Tzu, The Art of War has been a guide for military thinking for centuries. But it has also been used by men and women in a wide variety of other arenas, including leadership, management, business, politics, and sports. What Sun Tzu wrote about military warfare can help followers of Christ to understand the tactics of our spiritual enemy:
When Not To Witness
Here in New England where I live, baseball is a near-religious pursuit. Even if it were against the law to talk about the Boston Red Sox while at work, the fans couldn’t stop—they love their team that much.
How to get the most out of reading God’s Word
Friday, June 22, 2012, Part 1
“Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it” (Proverbs 22:6).
IDEA: One reason we misinterpret or misapply a passage is that we often don’t consider the literary genre in which it is written.
PURPOSE: To help listeners be aware that different kinds of biblical literature have to be interpreted in different ways.
Lessons from a blistered left hand
By Edna Ho, Malaysia I just came back from a church camp with my family. It was a tiring but fun-filled 3 days 2 nights at a hill resort. On the second day, we played our own version of the famous “Minute-to-Win-It” telematch. I enjoyed myself so much that I didn’t even realize that I [...]
Let’s look at passage in Revelation where a church was falling far away from God and didn’t know it
Have you ever thought you were on top of the world, doing great at work, at home, only to find things weren’t as perfect as they seemed?
Tempting Outside; Toxic Inside
An Australian study concluded that plainer cigarette packages would make smoking less appealing to teens. In response, the Australian government introduced legislation that would require tobacco companies to replace color, logos, and promotional text on cigarette packages with health warnings and images of diseased lungs. In effect, the Marlboro Man would give way to the Grim Reaper in an effort to reduce the number of deaths caused by smoking. But cigarette packaging isn’t the only thing that may be tempting on the outside with a toxic product inside.
A Good Neighbor
In June 2011, when disastrous flood- waters chased residents of Minot, North Dakota, from their homes, the people of that community did what seemed to come naturally to them—they helped others who were in need. People from more than an hour away, without being asked, showed up to help. Some loaned their campers to those who lost their homes and others allowed their garages to be used for temporary storage. The people of North Dakota were showing what it means to be good neighbors.
Finding new meaning in a familiar Bible passage
When we find an image in the Bible, it’s important that we not assume that the image may not be referring to what we think it does.
The Failure Of Success: The Story Of Jonah | An Adaptation
By Bill Crowder Adapted by Rachel Ang This is an adaption of the Discovery Series booklet The Failure Of Success: The Story Of Jonah by Bill Crowder. It is a project under Youth Ministry Initiative by RBC Ministries to mobilize and equip Christian youth to bring God’s Word to their peers. Rachel Ang is a [...]
Judge Rightly
After a national news magazine posted an online story listing my community as one of the top-10 dying cities in the nation, local citizens were outraged. They registered their indignation, pointing out evidence to the contrary. One resident went to great lengths to disprove the harsh judgment. He recruited local citizens to show up downtown and appear in a video that showcased the vibrancy of our community. The video received international attention, and the news magazine admitted it was wrong. But the organization that had done the “research” stood by the conclusion, even though it was based on limited criteria.
Discover how to get a deeper understanding of God’s Word
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
“Let not those who wait for You, O Lord God of Hosts, be ashamed because of me; let not those who seek You be confounded because of me, O God of Israel. Because for your sake I have borne reproach; shame has covered my face. I have become a stranger to my brothers, and an alien to my mother’s children; because zeal for your house has eaten me up, and the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me. When I wept and chastened my soul with fasting, that became my reproach. I also made sackcloth my garment; I became a byword to them. Those who sit in the gate speak against me, and I am the song of the drunkards” (Psalm 69:6-12).
IDEA: Misinterpreted or misapplied passages have different degrees of consequences.
PURPOSE: To help listeners realize the importance of interpreting and applying biblical passages accurately.
Practical tools for getting the most out of your Bible study
Monday, June 18, 2012
“And Hezekiah was pleased with them, and showed them the house of his treasures—the silver and gold, the spices and precious ointment, and all his armory—all that was found among his treasures. There was nothing in his house or in all his dominion that Hezekiah did not show them . . . and [Isaiah] said, “What have they seen in your house?” So Hezekiah answered, “They have seen all that is in my house, there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shown them” (Isaiah 39:2-4).
IDEA: Misinterpreted or misapplied passages of Scripture have different degrees of consequences.
PURPOSE: To help listeners realize that there are consequences to the ways they interpret the Scriptures.
Hidden Away
By the time I was born, my great- grandfather, Abram Z. Hess, had already lost his sight. He was known for the beautiful wooden objects he had carved on a lathe—and also as someone who could quote many verses of Scripture. He and his friend Eli would often share Scripture verses back and forth. A bit of a competitive spirit resulted in their admission that Eli could cite more references while my grandfather could recite more verses.
