Reading Time: 4 minutes
The biblical world had a love/hate relationship with shepherds. Shepherds were an abomination to the Egyptians (Genesis 46:34), and by the first century BC they were the ragamuffins of society (Luke 2:8-20). But Scripture has high regard for shepherds. . . .
Reading Time: 4 minutes
It is hard to overstate the significance of Abraham. Today he is looked to as the father of three religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. His name is mentioned 11 times in this lesson text. . . .
Reading Time: 4 minutes
Two miracles provide the background for this lesson text. Jesus multiplied five barley loaves and two fish and fed 5,000 men. Jesus then walked on the Sea of Galilee. . . .
Reading Time: 4 minutes
Jesus was coming into the world—that is the essence of the Christmas story. . . .
Reading Time: 4 minutes
In his encounter with the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well, Jesus shattered gender, ethnic, religious, social, and cultural barriers. . . .
Reading Time: 4 minutes
In his conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus zeroed in on the difference between heavenly things and earthly things. The born-again experience is a gift from God above—not from the law below. . . .
Reading Time: 5 minutes
God’s prophetic voice had been stilled for close to 400 years when John the Baptist began preaching in the wilderness of Judea. He was to be God’s messenger and the one who would prepare the way for the Lord. . . .
Reading Time: 4 minutes
The city of Rome attracts millions of visitors each year. It also attracted the apostle Paul. He longed to go there (Romans 1:11). . . .
Reading Time: 4 minutes
Some cities are so significant that just saying their names gets a reader’s or hearer’s attention. In the ancient world, this was true with Ephesus, a city with a population that rivaled Rome and Thessalonica. Paul visited Ephesus as the end of his second missionary journey . . .