September 5, 2022
September 11 | New Heart
Ezekiel continued to prepare the exiles in Babylon for the new days ahead. Now it was time to paint a brighter picture for their future beyond Babylon.
Articles for tag: Ezekiel 3
August 1, 2022
August 7 | Sent to a Rebellious People
The major prophetic book of Ezekiel is the Judges of the exile. It is the Dark Ages of captivity for Israel. This prophet-priest had to announce that sin came with consequences. With this lesson, we launch a two-month study of this book.
March 1, 2022
Authentic Messiah
By Jerry Harris Belief has incredible power, doesn’t it? And to think, in some ways, we believe the same story of the Messiah the people of Israel have believed for thousands of years. It is quite revealing. Christ is a Greek term translated from the Hebrew word Messiah, and it’s more a title than anything else. It came from a compilation of Old Testament Scriptures like Deuteronomy 18:18. It means “anointed,” and it was reserved for prophets, priests, and kings. But this one person, this “super” person, would be all three. The Jews placed all their hopes and dreams in
May 1, 2021
The ABCs of Chasing Strays
Like it or not, many seats remain empty on Sunday morning, and rather than stew about it, we should do something about it. Now is the time to chase strays.
April 12, 2021
Where Is Our Hope?
Where is our hope? Do we fear life's ugly circumstances will become our grave? We need to build our hope on what God promised through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross
January 8, 2019
Can Dry Bones Live Again?
By Ronald G. Davis Old Doc Richardson, of my Appalachian hometown, kept a human skeleton on display in his office. Carefully wired together and suspended from a metal stand, that skeleton clinked and clanked at the slightest touch of my small-child hand. It was eerie. It was also obvious to my unsophisticated mind: Whoever’s bones these were would never come to life again. Those bones were dead and dry. In Ezekiel 37, when God led Ezekiel back and forth across a field filled with bones, he asked the prophet a simple question: “Son of man, can these bones live?” Now
July 17, 2017
Lesson for July 23, 2017: Ezekiel (Ezekiel 1″“3)
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 July 16, 2017, issue of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark Scott The librarian says, “You are what you read.” The designer says, “You are what you wear.” The athlete says, “You are what you train.” Hollywood says, “You are what you watch.” But the dietician says, “You are what you eat.” Ezekiel”s call to prophetic service embraced eating something. The call of Ezekiel was involved, took
February 11, 2016
My Theology and My Calling
By Doug Lucas I might have tried to become a doctor. That”s what my mother wanted. Honestly, my dad didn”t care, just so long as I landed a “secure job.” Perhaps I would have done something with music. Everyone told me I had a gift for playing piano. My high school guidance counselor said my academic test scores were high enough that I could take my pick of universities across the land. And somehow, I managed to finish high school as valedictorian and president of the student body. He argued that I had a good chance at a full-time scholarship
July 20, 2015
Lesson for July 26, 2015: God’s Matchless Mercy (Micah 7:11-20)
This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. It is published in the July 19 issue of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Sam E. Stone This month our study has focused on the message of another of the minor prophets””Micah. As Allen A. MacRae pointed out, “Micah”s message alternates between oracles of doom and oracles of hope. The theme is judgment and deliverance by God. Micah also stresses that God hates idolatry, injustice, rebellion and empty ritualism, but he delights in pardoning the penitent. The
April 14, 2014
Lesson for April 20, 2014: The Third Day (Hosea 6:1-3; Luke 24:1-12)
This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. ______ By Sam E. Stone Hosea prophesied during the eighth century BC, speaking to the people in the Northern Kingdom””Israel. In today”s text he calls them again to repentance, including words that remind us of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. The passage from Luke provides many details about the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, showing the events alluded to in Hosea”s message. Revived on the Third Day Hosea 6:1-3 Hosea compared the sinful disobedience of Israel to
December 7, 2013
Sheep-Care 101
By James Riley Estep Jr. The imagery of shepherding is, without question, Scripture”s dominant metaphor for leadership formation. The patriarchs, Moses, David, and Amos the prophet had experience as shepherds, and that experience prepared them, in part, to assume their places as leaders of God”s people. The Old Testament and New Testament both use the shepherd metaphor frequently, yet few people today are familiar with the profession. In Ezekiel 34 and elsewhere, the qualities of bad shepherds vs. good shepherds are described. The shepherd image is so pronounced in the ancient world that the rulers and kings of Israel were
November 27, 2012
Ezekiel”s Endless Summer
By Jay Engelbrecht I tend to be skeptical, but the facts have convinced me. As new heat records continue to be set, decade after decade, as the evidence continues to mount, I can no longer deny that climate change is real. When my dad was growing up, his family butchered a cow every November, then hung a side of beef outside, and ate off it all winter. The meat never spoiled. I live in the same area, but these days, I play football in short sleeves with my son on November afternoons. Thirty years ago I helped a neighbor put
August 13, 2012
Lesson for August 19, 2012: God Promised a Righteous Branch (Jeremiah 23:1-8; 33)
This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. ______ By Sam E. Stone God sent the prophet Jeremiah to the southern kingdom of Judah. He faced difficult challenges seeing conditions in Judah go from bad to worse. The previous chapter (22) outlines the failings of three evil kings who had succeeded Josiah. The rulers are spoken of as “shepherds.” These men should have been pastors of the flock, lovingly caring for the people and leading them in the right paths. Instead they were just the opposite. They shed innocent
October 4, 2011
Commonsense Suggestions About Elders
By Chuck Sackett “A Parable of Two Churches“ (a sidebar) is my attempt to capture the past 37 years of observations and experiences. I”ve been privileged to be the preacher in three very different congregations. And while serving as a Bible college and seminary professor, I worked in various capacities with dozens of congregations. What follows are practical suggestions for how congregations can have healthy, effective elderships. These are simply reminders of the obvious. I”ve seen them work in a variety of settings, expressed in various ways, ending with varied results. Every church I”ve seen believes it is doing church
March 18, 2007
Coaching God’s Team (Part 1)
Jim Putman compares the church to a team and argues “winning” is defined by making disciples. He examines sobering statistics and urges leaders to return to Jesus’ relational disciple-making game plan.
January 28, 2007
How Should We Define “˜Leadership”?
Three leadership models shape today’s church, but only one is biblical. Randy Gariss contrasts storefront and foreman approaches with shepherding—personal pursuit, prayer, compassion, and responsibility for God’s people.
November 30, 2005
Coaching God”s Team (Part 1)
Jim Putman views the church through a coach’s eyes and argues “winning” means making disciples. He challenges leaders to return to relational discipleship and to face hard realities without giving up on the mission.
