Theology &amp; Bible

Lesson for October 9, 2016: Builder of the House (Hebrews 3:1-6; Matthew 7:19-29)

Dr. Mark Scott wrote this treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson. Scott teachesÂ preaching and New Testament at Ozark Christian College, Joplin, Missouri. This lesson treatment is published in the October 2 issue ofÂ The LookoutÂ magazine, and is also available online atÂ www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark ScottÂ Our grandkids enjoyed watching a television show called Bob the Builder. The refrain in the theme song went, “Can we fix it? Yes, we can!” Our lesson text today deals with two builders. Jesus the Builder |Â Hebrews 3:1-6 The Hebrew Christians were tempted to compromise Jesus. Some of the people were mesmerized by angels (Hebrews

September 26, 2016

Lesson for October 2, 2016: The Radiance of God’s Glory (Hebrews 1)

Dr. Mark Scott wrote this treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson. Scott teachesÂ preaching and New Testament at Ozark Christian College, Joplin, Missouri. This lesson treatment is published in the September 25Â issue ofÂ The LookoutÂ magazine, and is also available online atÂ www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark ScottÂ Dennis Kinlaw wrote a book entitled Let”s Start with Jesus. It”s a book on our triune God. Instead of starting with the Father or the Spirit (mentioned chronologically first in the Bible””Genesis 1:1, 2), Kinlaw suggests that the best way to understand the Trinity is to actually start with Jesus. Then we will understand our triune

September 23, 2016

“˜When They Had Sung a Hymn”

By C. Robert Wetzel We often look to the Gospel of Matthew for an account of the institution of the Lord”s Supper. It is here that we read, While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”Â Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:26-28).

September 19, 2016

Lesson for September 25, 2016: Everlasting Covenant (Isaiah 61)

Dr. Mark Scott wrote this treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson. Scott teachesÂ preaching and New Testament at Ozark Christian College, Joplin, Missouri. This lesson treatment is published in the September 18Â issue ofÂ The LookoutÂ magazine, and is also available online atÂ www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark ScottÂ God likes covenants because he dislikes misunderstandings. He likes agreements, pacts, and contracts. Because he is God he sets the terms of these covenants. Because he is God he makes the covenants out of his own character (i.e. faithfulness). Our text today says that the everlasting covenant is a relationship between God and his people, and

September 16, 2016

A Memorable Communion

By C. Robert Wetzel On his third missionary journey, Paul had arranged to rendezvous with some of his coworkers at Troas. Arriving there, he stayed for several days so he could meet with the church. He knew they would be meeting on the first day of the week to observe the Lord”s Supper. The meeting proved to be surprisingly eventful (Acts 20:7-12). I wonder how the people at Troas remembered Paul”s visit? “That was the longest sermon I ever heard,” recalled one man. “Far too long,” said the mother of Eutychus. “I know the boy should not have gone to

September 15, 2016

Spiritual Gifts Theology & Bible

The Flip Side of Spiritual Gifts

By T.R. Robertson Spiritual gifts aren”t always predictable. They don”t necessarily show up on a survey of interests and tendencies. Sometimes they”re best seen in the weaknesses or temptations that oftenÂ accompany them. I met Jane in prison, where she is serving a life sentence. Her lifestyle of self-absorption had led her on a downward spiral of unspeakable cruelty and violence. In prison, she was led to Christ. Soon she developed the Spirit-driven gift of encouraging other people, much to the surprise of people who knew her before. What surprised her, though, was the unexpected flip side that came with the

September 13, 2016

Mark A. Taylor

Spiritual Gifts Theology & Bible

Two Questions about the Gifts in Your Church

By Mark A. Taylor You might say the idea for posts at our site this month began with a blog entry that appeared in December 2014. Sandra Crawford Williamson asked, “Why Are Working Women Starting to Unplug from Their Churches?” in a piece posted at the Institute for Faith, Work, and Economics.* One of her answers centered on the contrast between the work responsibilities of many women and the service opportunities the church offers them. A woman “may run a multibillion-dollar firm, argue a legal case, or manage a $500 million investment portfolio,” Williams said. But at church, women “are

September 12, 2016

Lesson for September 18, 2016: Foundations of the Earth (Isaiah 40:21-31)

Dr. Mark Scott wrote this treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson. Scott teachesÂ preaching and New Testament at Ozark Christian College, Joplin, Missouri. This lesson treatment is published in the September 11Â issue ofÂ The LookoutÂ magazine, and is also available online atÂ www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark ScottÂ There are such things as primal realities. Examples include the law of gravity, DNA, and math formulas such asÂ 2 + 2 = 4. Primal realities are things that are original or primitive. They are of first importance, fundamental, and foundational. We have some of these in our text today. As we turn the corner in the

September 9, 2016

The Vertical and the Horizontal

By C. Robert Wetzel There is both a vertical and a horizontal dimension to the Lord Supper. In a spiritual sense, we are looking up as we once again focus our thoughts on the gift of God in the sacrificial death of our Lord Jesus Christ. As we eat the bread we remember his words, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me” (1 Corinthians 11:24). And as we drink from the cup we hear his words, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it in remembrance

September 8, 2016

Spiritual Gifts Theology & Bible

Spiritual Gifts Today

By Mark S. Krause Emily and Michael’s Story Newlyweds Emily and Michael have decided to begin their life together by choosing a “neutral” church to attend. Michael, raised Catholic, has had little interest in church since his confirmation 15 years ago, but he is committed to church involvement with his new wife. Emily”s family moved frequently when she was growing up, exposing her to a wide variety of Evangelical-flavored churches, small and large. Finding a new church seems easy to her, but she has never had a church where she felt grounded and committed. The couple agreed to attend a

September 5, 2016

Lesson for September 11, 2016: The Mountain of God (Isaiah 25:6-10a)

Dr. Mark Scott wrote this treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson. Scott teachesÂ preaching and New Testament at Ozark Christian College, Joplin, Missouri. This lesson treatment is published in the September 4Â issue ofÂ The LookoutÂ magazine, and is also available online atÂ www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark ScottÂ God does some of his most important work on mountains. God”s wrath against humankind”s evil was averted when the ark rested on Mount Ararat (Genesis 8:4). God”s test of Abraham”s faith took place on the mount he named The Lord Will Provide (Genesis 22:14). God”s law was given to his people on Mount Sinai (Exodus 19,

September 2, 2016

Wordless Groans at the Lord”s Table

By C. Robert Wetzel “We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans” (Romans 8:26). We often find our congregations preparing for the Lord”s Supper with an appropriate Communion hymn followed by a meditation that helps us focus on the meaning of this sacred event. This is followed by what some call the “words of institution,” such as the words of the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 11:23-26. The presiding elder then offers a prayer of blessing over the bread and cup. As we partake, we focus our thoughts

August 29, 2016

Lesson for September 4, 2016: The Peaceful Kingdom (Isaiah 11:1-9)

Dr. Mark Scott wrote this treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson. Scott teachesÂ preaching and New Testament at Ozark Christian College, Joplin, Missouri. This lesson treatment is published in the August 28 issue ofÂ The LookoutÂ magazine, and is also available online atÂ www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark ScottÂ The Prince of Peace knew that wars and rumors of wars were standard fare in a fallen world (Matthew 24:6). But Isaiah, who predicted the coming of the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6), knew about rumors of peace as well. Even though the northern kingdom would fall to Assyria and the southern kingdom would later

August 24, 2016

Come to the Table

By Jim Tune Claudia and I enjoy our annual trek to Cape Breton Island for summer vacation. Our cabin is at least six hours away from the nearest independent Christian church. There are very few churches in this remote part of Nova Scotia, and the few that can be found are all part of mainline denominations. At best these churches offer Communion quarterly, making it very easy to miss Communion entirely if the date for it doesn”t fall during our stay. I find myself keenly aware of its absence during our visits to the local Anglican church. I”m grateful to

August 22, 2016

Lesson for August 28, 2016: Love Fulfills the Law (Romans 12:1, 2; 13:8″“10)

Dr. Mark Scott wrote this treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson. Scott teachesÂ preaching and New Testament at Ozark Christian College, Joplin, Missouri. This lesson treatment is published in the August 21Â issue ofÂ The LookoutÂ magazine, and is also available online atÂ www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark ScottÂ The most outstanding attribute of God is love (1 John 4:8). The greatest commandment is to love God (Mark 12:30). The second greatest commandment is to love one”s neighbor (v. 31). The first listed fruit of the Holy Spirit is love (Galatians 5:22). All the commandments of God are swallowed up in love. This is why

August 15, 2016

Lesson for August 21, 2016: Grafted In (Romans 11:11-24)

Dr. Mark Scott wrote this treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson. Scott teachesÂ preaching and New Testament at Ozark Christian College, Joplin, Missouri. This lesson treatment is published in the August 14Â issue ofÂ The LookoutÂ magazine, and is also available online atÂ www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark ScottÂ Dad used to say, “The greatest word in John 3:16 is “˜whosoever,” because that one word gets us into the kingdom of God.” Paul would likely agree. Paul was a Jew, and due to that heritage had ready access to salvation. But Paul was also the apostle to the Gentiles, and due to that calling wanted

August 8, 2016

Lesson for August 14, 2016: Living Under God’s Mercy (Romans 9:6-18)

Dr. Mark Scott wrote this treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson. Scott teachesÂ preaching and New Testament at Ozark Christian College, Joplin, Missouri. This lesson treatment is published in the August 7Â issue ofÂ The LookoutÂ magazine, and is also available online atÂ www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark ScottÂ In the church at Rome, there was tension that you could cut with a circumcision knife. The Jews thought the Gentiles obeyed God”s laws rather flippantly. The Gentiles thought the Jews had squandered their place as God”s people. Paul”s teaching in this text is that both groups have to live under God”s mercy. God”s plan to

August 1, 2016

Lesson for August 7, 2016: More Than Conquerors (Romans 8:28-39)

Dr. Mark Scott wrote this treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson. Scott teachesÂ preaching and New Testament at Ozark Christian College, Joplin, Missouri. This lesson treatment is published in the July 31Â issue ofÂ The LookoutÂ magazine, and is also available online atÂ www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark ScottÂ We have a grandson who can be hyper. Guess what? God is hyper, and so are we. Twice in our text the word for “hyper” appears (as a preposition in verse 31 and as a prefix to a verb in verse 37). God is hyper for (or on behalf of) us, and we are hyper conquerors

July 29, 2016

Bless the Hands

By Nancy Karpenske When my family gathers at the dinner table, it is common for the designated prayer person to pray, “Lord, thank you for the hands that prepared this meal.” Those would be my hands they are talking about. Sometimes fixing dinner has taken hours, chopping, mixing, stirring, grating. Occasionally my hands smell like the onion I chopped, or they are scratched from picking raspberries. But quite often my hands have merely pushed the buttons on the microwave or flipped the switch on the Crock-Pot in order to produce a satisfying meal. I like to cook and bake. But

July 25, 2016