October 9, 2023
It’s been said, “When the Lord starts blessin’, the devil starts messin.’” Right when the gospel was taking root and “the number of disciples was increasing” (Acts 6:1), an internal dispute threatened the fledgling church. . . .
May 1, 2021
Here are the top three things I looked for when hiring staff.
July 27, 2020
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 August 2020 issue of Christian Standard + The Lookout. (Subscribe to our print edition.) ________ Lesson Aim: Be strong and courageous; our God is a God who saves. ________ By Mark Scott Psalm 20:7 says, “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.” Rahab the prostitute did that. Psalm 34:7 says, “The angel of the Lord encamps around
January 27, 2020
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. 2 (weeks 5-8; February 2-23, 2020) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ________ Lesson Aim: Trust the Lord to honor his promises in spite of what appear to be overwhelming obstacles. ________ By Mark Scott Abraham Lincoln will be remembered this month. He delivered his powerful 271-word address at the Gettysburg Battlefield/Cemetery on November 19, 1863. One line from it is, “That these dead shall
August 6, 2018
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. 7 (weeks 25–28; July 22—August 12, 2018) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark Scott Three activities occupied center stage for the earliest church in the book of Acts. Those three activities were preaching the gospel, baptizing the converts, and planting the church. But running under the radar of those three was the collection for the saints. Jesus had taught his disciples to care for
By Rick Chromey It’s so easy to forget. Most often our memory fades with time. We forget how we felt. We forget details and even reasons. Our memory of something can become jaded, biased, foggy, or lost. Sometimes our memory is damaged by age. It’s not that we want to forget, but rather, we simply can’t remember. God understands the peril of human forgetfulness. Our minds sometimes need a little jogging through a metaphor, object lesson, or visual cue. Sometimes we need to re-create the experience. The ancient Passover meal was something God used to remind the Israelites of their
May 23, 2016
By Tim Harlow There is always a great deal of chatter among my peers about succession planning and the right time to step away from leadership of the local church. I have been at my post for 26 years and would like to make it another 14. But I am only one year away from the senior discount at IHOP. If that weren”t bad enough, it also means that next year I qualify for the 55+ Ministers and Wives Conference. Ben Merold spoke this year! How can I be in the same category as Ben Merold? I interned under him,
November 11, 2013
By Sam E. Stone Last week we reviewed the institution of the Passover meal when the Israelites prepared to leave their bondage in Egypt. With the death of every firstborn Egyptian, Pharaoh relented and gave permission for God”s people to leave. As they did, the presence of God went before them, visible in a pillar of cloud and of fire (Exodus 13:21). God told them to take a most unlikely route. He directed them toward the Red Sea rather than going northward on the Via Maris through the land of the Philistines (13:18). Their circuitous route made Pharaoh conclude that
November 4, 2013
By Sam E. Stone “The deliverance of Israel from the bondage of Egypt was at hand; also their adoption as the nation of Jehovah,” writes C. F. Keil. “But for this a divine consecration was necessary, that their outward severance from the land of Egypt might be accompanied by an inward severance from everything of an Egyptian or heathen nature. This consecration was to be imparted by the Passover””a festival which was to lay the foundation for Israel”s birth into the new life of grace and fellowship with God, and to renew it perpetually in time to come.” God gave
October 28, 2013
By Sam E. Stone In our study of Genesis we saw God appear to Abraham (Genesis 15), reaffirming his promise to make of him a great nation. But God indicated that Abraham”s descendants would have to remain in Egypt for 400 years (v. 13). While the Israelites were enslaved there, a baby boy was born. His mother hid him in a basket (a papyrus boat) and placed it in the Nile River, hoping his life would be spared. Pharaoh”s daughter found him and drew him out of the water, giving him the name Moses. Moses saw that, while he had
June 3, 2013
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
September 17, 2012
This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. ______ By Sam E. Stone The supremacy of the new covenant over the old is the theme of today”s text. Thomas Hewitt explained, “The author”s aim in this is to show that higher privileges carry with them greater responsibilities.” He makes his point by contrasting two mountains, Mount Sinai (also called Mount Horeb) and Mount Zion, explaining what each site means. Mountain of Terror Hebrews 12:18-21 The role of Mount Sinai in Old Testament history is unparalleled. It was here
January 19, 2011
By Matt Proctor (This is the first of six articles Matt Proctor will write this year under the theme, “Reading the Bible for All It’s Worth.) All human beings love a good story, so when God wanted to communicate the most important message in the universe to us, guess what he did? He told stories . . . and we”ve been captivated ever since. The Bible, and especially the Old Testament, is chock-full of narratives. The Old Testament is two-thirds of Scripture, and more than 40 percent of the Old Testament is narrative. In Sunday school children are still taught much-loved
November 1, 2010
This week”s treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson (for November 7) is written by Jason Jones, an elementary school principal in Clinton County, Ohio. God is Awesome (Psalm 66:1-12) By Jason Jones It was a simple family outing on a lazy, late-summer Saturday. A cool breeze kept the smell of fresh kettle-popped popcorn permeating through the fairgrounds. My 4-year-old boy was having the time of his life riding a real train, jumping on giant inflatables, and playing alongside other like-minded toddlers. My baby girl observed from her stroller and laughed at every silly dance move her brother performed for
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