June 5, 2024
The Gift of Pain
Micah Odor writes, "Every meaningful period of growth in my life has been a time of tremendous pain" . . .
Articles for tag: Hebrews 11
January 2, 2023
January 8 | It’s Exciting
By this point in the book of Ezra, God’s people had their hope deferred. They came back from captivity with such high hopes . . . but then the wheels fell off. . . .
December 27, 2021
Our Hope
al, but they did not. However, it wasn’t just the days of Christ’s ministry for which they longed. Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, and Moses saw a better day in the distance when God’s rule will be restored. Their hope has now become our hope.
November 22, 2021
Nov. 28 | Join the Ranks of the Faithful
The writer of Hebrews encouraged readers not to give up, to look to faithful examples, and to consider Jesus. Therein we can join the ranks of the faithful.
November 15, 2021
Nov. 21 | Discovery
How can we as a community of Christ followers be involved in helping one another to keep going?
November 8, 2021
Nov. 14 | Application
Sometimes Christians stay spiritually stagnant instead of maturing. Here are five disciplines the Lord uses to help us grow.
November 8, 2021
Nov. 14 | Discovery
What warnings does the writer give to people who remain in their spiritual immaturity and don’t grow up?
September 13, 2021
Sept. 19 | Application
The word "sacrifice" has been cheapened by overuse, David Faust writes. Is it really a sacrifice to skip dessert or give up gourmet coffee? What does sacrifice mean to us today? Here are three questions to consider . . .
September 13, 2021
Sept. 19 | Discovery
What can the law do and what can’t it do?
September 6, 2021
Sept. 12 | Discovery
The writer of Hebrews used the construction of a house (or household) as an analogy. What roles do God, Jesus, Moses, and we play in this house?
August 23, 2021
Aug. 29 | Discovery
Look at the contrasts between the “acts of the flesh” and the “fruit of the Spirit.” . . . What do those headings demonstrate to you about living as a follower of Christ?
February 22, 2021
Feb 28 | Application
By David Faust In August 1960 I had a close encounter with John F. Kennedy. It happened during a family vacation to Washington, D.C. I was 6 years old and JFK was a senator running for president of the United States. Our country was less security conscious then; there was easier access to government leaders. I was standing with my parents and my brothers on the steps outside the Capitol when JFK walked out. I still have a photo that shows one of my older brothers and my dad listening while Senator Kennedy chatted casually with the group standing there.
November 1, 2020
Blame the Leaders? (Nov. 8 Lesson Application)
This “Application” column goes with the Bible Lesson for Nov. 8, 2020: Appoint Godly Leaders (Titus 1:5-11) ________ By David Faust In an episode of the TV comedy The Office, regional manager Michael Scott makes his priorities clear. He tells his boss from the Dunder Mifflin corporate office, “I want the credit without any of the blame.” Blameless appears twice in Paul’s description of godly elders (Titus 1:6-7). If being blameless requires moral perfection and flawless decision-making, no one qualifies except Jesus. Noah was “blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God,” yet he had some less-than-stellar moments
July 27, 2020
A Powerful Death
By Stuart Powell In his description of Good Friday, Matthew shared details about three events that corresponded with the time of Jesus’ death: At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people (Matthew 27:51-53). Why do we spend so little time pondering these three acts of God—the torn curtain,
May 17, 2020
10 Foundation Stones of the Church—No. 2: Authority
By Jerry Harris A 2019 Pew Research Center study reveals that Americans’ attitudes about institutional authority are dropping like a rock. People are losing their trust in government, elected officials, education, journalism, health care, business, law enforcement, science, the military, and yes, religion. The younger we are, the less trust in institutions we have. This lack of trust bleeds down into its most basic form . . . trust in each other. Interestingly, most everyone knows this needs to be reversed and believes it can be reversed—they just don’t know how. The thing is, authority is essential for anything to
September 19, 2019
The True Test of Faith
We go back 70 years to Sept. 24, 1949, for today’s feature. In that issue, it was “announced that Dean E. Walker, head of the department of church history of the School of Religion of Butler University of Indianapolis, Ind., has accepted a call to the presidency of Milligan College.” Walker’s start date was Feb. 1, 1950, and he served until retirement in 1968. The presidential announcement serves as a lead-in to our main focus: an article (part of a series) called “The True Test of Faith” written by Dean Walker’s father, W. R. Walker. We also will include a
August 6, 2019
Faith of the 21
By Stuart Powell Some images in life are so tragic, we struggle to process what we’ve seen. In early 2015, 21 young Christian Egyptian men clad in orange jumpsuits were marched single file onto a beach in Libya. The men stopped and faced the camera and were forced to their knees. Behind each Christian was a masked radical Islamist holding a knife. We all know what came next, and most of us recoil at the thought. Many people living in Western cultures that developed from Christianity’s influence are tempted to believe martyrs are people we read about only in the
January 13, 2017
The Shedding of Blood
By Ronald G. Davis The Passover of the Hebrew people was inextricably tied to the shedding of blood. How many thousands of Egypt”s firstborn sons had to die to free the Hebrews from their bondage? And how many young and innocent lambs and goats became a hurried meal of roasted flesh? How many gallons of their blood became the blessed stripes on doorjambs and door frames? Exodus 11 and 12 describe the wonderfully awful and bloody events of that solemn and deadly night of redemption. The Passover when Jesus gathered his devoted””and not-so-devoted””12 friends and disciples in the upper room
November 25, 2016
See the Body
By Diane Stortz A young woman visited a service and was surprised by how Communion was served. The elements representing Jesus” body and blood were placed on tables around the perimeter of the room, and worshippers got out of their seats and walked to one of the tables. Some people ate the bread and drank the juice right at the tables. Some took the elements back to their seats for reflection and prayer. Some people stayed seated and prayed awhile before they went to one of the tables. Still others picked up the bread and juice and then gathered as
March 7, 2016
Are You Sure It”s Time to Move On?
By Susan Lawrence Sometimes we think we”re done. It”s time to move on. We”re ready to be finished with a season because we”re exhausted or we see a better offer. Things aren”t going well, or things are going exceptionally well. For whatever reason, we assess (or rationalize) that God is prompting us to take a step away from where we are and move on to something else. When this is the case, and we”re ready to go, it”s hard when we sense God saying, “Wait just a minute.” It happened to Simon in Luke 5. Simon and other fishermen had
