August 14, 2023
August 20 | Application (‘The Crumbling House’)
I wondered, "What made a home that once looked classy and inviting become so ugly and empty?" . . .
Articles for tag: Ephesians 2:1
November 1, 2022
Peace for All Seasons
By Douglas Redford (This article, reprinted here with minor updates, first appeared in Christian Standard on December 22, 1985.) During the Christmas season in 1984, an event occurred which served as a revealing commentary on the times. Bishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa, an Anglican church leader, was in Oslo, Norway, to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. But the presentation was held up for more than an hour after an anonymous telephone caller told an Oslo newspaper that a bomb had been placed in the reception hall and would explode in 10 minutes. Although a careful search turned up nothing,
September 5, 2022
No Tourniquet Required
That the outpouring of Jesus’ blood was not halted on Calvary meant death for him . . . but life for us.
May 16, 2022
May 22 | The Story of the Running Father
The parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin clearly set up the parable of the lost son(s). And all three parables connect back to the criticism of the religious elite in Luke 15:1-2.
December 27, 2021
Jan. 2 | Righteous Wrath
Romans has been responsible for more church revivals than any other New Testament book. This month, students will learn that God is righteous, and therefore judgment should be left in his hands.
October 11, 2021
He Himself Is Our Peace
It was anything but peaceful when peace came to this world. . . .
February 1, 2021
Who Will Break Down the Walls?
After all the upheaval of 2020, the world needs some reconciliation. Truth is, it always has. Struggling and estranged marriages . . . damaged friendships and divided families . . . polarized political parties . . . racial strife . . . churches from the same movement disembodied over methodological preferences. Who can possibly break down the walls of hostility that divide us? “[God] reconciled us to himself throughChrist.” That answers the question, but there’s more! “. . . and gave us the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:18). As crazy as it might sound, we, as reconciled sinners,
October 12, 2020
Don’t Get Sloppy (Oct. 18 Lesson Application)
This “Application” column goes with the Bible Lesson for Oct. 18, 2020: How To (2 Timothy 2:14-26; 3:1-9) ________ By David Faust An NFL Hall of Fame player passed along a tip he learned from a coach: “Always arrive a few minutes early for practice.” Punctuality itself wasn’t the main point. The coach advised, “Be disciplined off the field, and you will perform better on the field.” Why do soldiers in boot camp make their beds every morning? Why do parents ask their children to brush their teeth twice a day? Why does the book of Proverbs advise us to
March 19, 2020
When Good Gifts Are Wrapped in Ugly Paper: How We Can Be Bright Lights in Dark Circumstances
By Jerry Harris Sometimes our greatest gifts and opportunities come wrapped in ugly paper. With our hearts and lives in distress because of the COVID-19 pandemic, it would be easy to cave in to our fears and get lost in this “lower” story. Consider Joseph in the Old Testament. He had plenty of reasons to give in to selfish emotions, but he instead chose to see his circumstances from a “higher” story point of view. This was Joseph’s attitude: “Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what
October 29, 2018
Lesson for November 4, 2018: Gentile Inclusion in the Church (Acts 10:28-48)
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 issue no. 11 (weeks 41–44; October 14—November 4, 2018) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ Lesson Aim: God includes all in his church. ______ By Mark Scott Years ago Dr. Marshall Leggett was preaching on Acts 10, 11 at Broadway Christian Church in Lexington, Kentucky, and his opening line of the message was, “That door just keeps getting wider.” One cannot read the Book of Acts without being impressed
October 7, 2018
You Do You
By Michael C. Mack You do you. When managing editor Jim Nieman asked what I’ve learned over the last year and a half as Christian Standard editor, this is the first thing that came to mind. You do you. It’s a common catchphrase in today’s culture that means “Just be yourself.” (It can also be used as a sarcastic response to someone who is doing something simply because they want to. Pastor Jeremy: “My new 10-week sermon series is titled, ‘Spiritual Lessons from Paddington 2.’” Elder Frank: “You do you, pal.” Or . . . Student: “I’m having Declaration
December 7, 2016
Incarnation
By Jim Tune “”˜The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “˜God with us”)” (Matthew 1:23). We build our walls and we call it peace. In Northern Ireland, miles and miles of “peace walls” snake through Belfast and some other cities to separate Catholic and Protestant neighborhoods. The first walls were built in 1969 during the outbreak of “the Troubles.” Even since the Good Friday peace agreement was finally reached in 1998, many miles of new walls have been built. Forty-eight peace walls exist in Northern Ireland today. They divide
September 5, 2016
The Eternal and Spiritual Significance of Work
By Eddy Sanders Your work has spiritual importance. I”m not writing that only to Sunday school teachers, small group leaders, elders, and preachers, but also to those with “regular” jobs. Work with spiritual and eternal significance applies to believers regardless of their job title. Yet, somewhere along the way, the divine side of work was separated from regular work and was perceived as less significant. The Old Testament scholar Christopher Wright raised this issue for me a few years ago. In The Mission of God”s People, he writes, “The great majority of believers do not get sent out as traveling
June 20, 2016
Lesson for June 26, 2016: Ignoring God’s Plain Truth (Romans 1:18-32)
Dr. Mark Scott wrote this treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson. Scott teaches preaching and New Testament at Ozark Christian College, Joplin, Missouri, and has held preaching ministries in Missouri, Illinois, and Colorado. This lesson treatment is published in the June 19 issue of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark Scott “There is none so blind as he who will not see.” Today”s text describes a descent into depravity. Paul”s summation of the gospel is Romans 1:16, 17″”the transforming power of Christ”s faithfulness to everyone. But before that transforming power can be effectual, sin must be
May 13, 2016
Crowded Tables
By Tom Lawson One thing Americans traveling in the United Kingdom will notice almost immediately involves what people call “personal space.” Houses are smaller. Automobiles are smaller. City streets are smaller. People simply live closer together. Nowhere is this more evident, or more awkward, than when eating lunch in a sidewalk cafe or British pub. Do not expect to eat alone. Even if you are by yourself, you will not be eating alone. The American custom of devoting an entire table to a group, or even a single person, is simply ignored. If there are empty places, don”t be surprised
November 17, 2014
Lesson for November 23, 2014: Inheritance Marks a New Beginning (Ezekiel 47:13-23; Acts 2:37-47)
This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. It is published in the November 16 issue of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Sam E. Stone Our final lesson from Ezekiel brings us to the largest section of the book””chapters 40″“48. This apocalyptic message has been described as a “counter-vision” to the disaster of Ezekiel 8″“11. At that time God”s glory departed from the temple, but now he had returned (43:1-5). The promised restoration was shown to be fulfilled as the land was divided among the tribes
December 9, 2013
Lesson for December 15, 2013: Zechariah Prophesies About His Son John (Luke 1:57-80)
By Sam E. Stone It had been 400 years since the last of the Old Testament prophets appeared on the scene in Israel. The angel Gabriel”s announcement””first to Zechariah, then to Mary””broke Heaven”s silence. When Zechariah was told that he and his elderly wife, Elizabeth, would be the parents of a son (John), the old priest was incredulous. Because he asked the angel for a sign, he was unable to speak from that moment on. On the other hand, when Mary learned that she would be the mother of the Messiah, she humbly submitted herself to be the Lord”s slave.
June 3, 2013
Lesson for June 9, 2013: Worship with Thanksgiving (Isaiah 12)
By Sam E. Stone The apostle Paul told Christians, “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). This is undoubtedly good advice, but it is often difficult to do. When Isaiah warned the people of God”s coming judgment on the nation of Israel, he gave them a similar message. In last week”s lesson we studied Isaiah”s call to the prophetic ministry (Isaiah 6). The chapters that follow (7-11) foretell the coming of Immanuel, the Messiah. This is good news! But along with these words of hope, Isaiah also described God”s coming punishment for his unbelieving
February 12, 2013
What We’re Learning on Our Walk (Part 2)
By Mike Baker I am unashamed to tell you I want my church to grow! I want it to grow numerically because every person counted on a Sunday morning is a life that matters, a story of redemption, and a person in need of a Savior. But numeric growth is not the only growth God desires for his church. With increased attendance and baptisms come the responsibility of encouraging spiritual growth in those God has entrusted to our care. Early in my ministry, I was easily impressed. I often thought, Cool, our numbers are growing, naively believing our work was
December 13, 2009
The Point of Christianity 4: Reconciling Male and Female
 by Douglas A. Foster The first article in this series began with a question: “What is the point of Christianity?” My one-word answer was reconciliation. From the first sin in Genesis to the throne scene in Revelation, reconciliation is at the heart of God”s dealings with humanity.  If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself,
