January 13, 2025
Transfer of Power
Just as the repeating of the presidential oath of office takes only a few seconds, it takes only seconds to take the emblems of Communion and to reaffirm our loyalty to Jesus.
Articles for tag: Colossians 1:1
November 25, 2024
Unfair
Jesus did not demand his rights. He did not hold on to what was fair, but became three unspeakably unfair things for us.
June 5, 2023
No More Dead Ends
Jesus shows us how to exit from all the side streets and get us home where we belong. . . .
May 1, 2023
Unity: God’s Beautiful Original Intent for Marriage
By Rudy Hagood God desires so much more for our marriages than just staying together. God’s original intent for marriage is found way back in Genesis—before sin came into the world, and well before “honey-do” lists and such sayings as “happy wife, happy life.” The secret sauce of Christian marital union is the power of God binding us together in an intimate union that includes Yahweh. And when two become one, the One (God) empowers the two. Marital unity is restoration of the paradise God created in the beginning. It’s part of the reconciling work of God. It is the
November 8, 2021
Understanding God’s Grace
This table focuses on Jesus Christ, who took upon himself the penalty for my sins—and for yours—so that we are transformed by God’s grace and truly understand it.
November 23, 2020
Lesson for Nov. 29, 2020: Seek Reconciliation (Philemon 8-21)
Dr. Mark Scott wrote this treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson. Scott teaches preaching and New Testament at Ozark Christian College, Joplin, Missouri. This lesson treatment is published in the November 2020 issue of Christian Standard + The Lookout. (Subscribe to our print edition.) ________ COMPANION RESOURCES “I Missed You” by David Faust (Lesson Application) Discovery Questions for Nov. 29, 2020 ________ Lesson Aim: Allow the gospel of Jesus Christ to break down the barriers that divide believers of different social statuses. ________ By Mark Scott The year 2020 will be remembered for virus and volatility. The virus created
November 22, 2020
Worship God . . . No Matter What
Three hundred children were dressed and ready for school when the orphanage’s housemother came to George Mueller and told him there was no food to feed them. Without panicking, Mueller asked her to take the children to the dining room and prepare them for a meal. He blessed the food that they did not have, and he waited. He was confident God would provide. Within minutes, there was a knock at the door. It was a baker who said he could not sleep and somehow knew the orphanage needed bread that day. The baker brought in three batches of bread,
April 10, 2018
What You’re Looking For
By Jackina Stark When Lynn’s mom died and then her dad three years later, she inherited many good things from her parents, including a little 14-year-old dog named Gracie who is now 17. Gracie is nearly blind and deaf and is beginning to experience congestive heart failure. She starts and ends her days with eye drops and pills. But she, like most pets, is sweet beyond words and can prance to the door to go out like a puppy. Lynn and her husband consider caring for Gracie the last gift to Lynn’s parents and tend to her with love. Gracie
December 26, 2016
Lesson for January 1, 2017: Praise God for Creation (Psalm 33:1-9)
Dr. Mark Scott wrote this treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson. Scott teaches preaching and New Testament at Ozark Christian College, Joplin, Missouri. This lesson treatment is published in the December 25, 2016, issue of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark Scott Mother Nature is not God”s wife, but creation is God”s gift. It is therefore obvious that God”s people praise him for that gift. And it is right to start that praise on the first day of a new year. Creation arose from the character and power of God and finds its foundation in his identity.
April 12, 2014
Fuzzy Worship
By Steve Wyatt God made us to worship him. Which means we need to get worship right. But at least four factors push worship out of proper focus. The No. 1 reason God gave you his breath is to bring him pleasure. “O Lord. . . . You created everything, and it is for your pleasure that they exist” (Revelation 4:11, New Living Translation, 1996; author”s emphasis). “All things were created by him, and for him” (Colossians 1:16, King James Version; author”s emphasis). How much of “everything” is included in “all things?” ALL. Including you! You were made for God.
December 14, 2013
God Enfleshed
By Miriam Y. Perkins Incarnation is not a word we often use in church settings. It has the intimidating look of a complicated theological term that causes more confusion than clarification. Yet the incarnation sums up three of the most important aspects of Christian faith: the nature of God”s love, the shape of salvation, and the spirit of Christian ministry. The incarnation inspires wonder and delight in knowing and worshipping God, who is beyond all we know and understand and yet is as fully present to us in the person of Jesus as we are one to another. I invite
April 20, 2013
Lessons from a Fat Wallet
By Eddie Lowen Not long ago, removing my wallet from my pants pocket became difficult. That”s a good thing, right? On Subway restaurants” TV commercial, a thick wallet is evidence of frugal spending and increasing net worth. Dave Ramsey likes fat wallets. However, my wallet was gaining girth from items other than legal tender and dead presidents. Membership cards were to blame. Multiple membership cards. Some were plastic, others card stock. I emptied my wallet and discovered nearly a dozen membership cards to seemingly every organization in our city and beyond. A sampling of my memberships includes: Sam”s Club, which
March 5, 2012
Lesson for March 11, 2012: The Word Became Flesh (John 1:1-18)
Sam E. Stone examines John 1:1-14, exploring Christ as the eternal Word, the true light who came into the world, and the Word who became flesh and dwelt among us.
February 27, 2012
Lesson for March 4, 2012: Wisdom”s Origin (Proverbs 8)
Sam E. Stone examines Proverbs 8 and its portrait of wisdom as present with God in creation, calling people to listen, gain understanding, and find life.
December 20, 2009
Living with Expectancy
Alan Ahlgrim reflects on Christmas, expectancy, and the light of Christ, reminding readers that God’s greatest gift is not always what we expected, but the Savior we need.
We Would Like to See Jesus
Dave Butts challenges longtime believers to recover a passionate desire to see and know Christ, focusing again on his presence and supremacy rather than allowing familiarity and spiritual coldness to take hold.
May 21, 2006
Perplexed
Vince Antonucci reflects on truth, love, and grace as churches respond to gay people who wonder whether they are welcome in a Bible-based congregation.
The Da Vinci Code . . . and Beyond (Part 3)
Rubel Shelly challenges John Shelby Spong’s rejection of Christian orthodoxy, arguing from Paul’s earliest writings while acknowledging institutional church failures and calling Christians to combine apologetics with authentic discipleship.
