March 13, 2023
When you find yourself in low places—morally, physically, relationally, or circumstantially—the God of grace is able to repair your “broken walls” and restore what seems ruined (Amos 9:11). . . .
December 14, 2020
This “Application” column goes with the Bible Lesson for Dec. 20, 2020: Fulfilled through Promise (Matthew 2:1-15) ________ By David Faust While in Israel filming a documentary about the basics of the Christian faith, I visited Herodium, the palatial residence designed for King Herod’s protection and pleasure. By all accounts Herod was paranoid and cruel. He tortured and killed family members, servants, and bodyguards. Ironically, this ruthless ruler who destroyed so many lives was an innovative and prolific builder who oversaw the construction of enormous forts, palaces, water projects, and Jerusalem’s crown jewel, the Jewish temple. Herodium (also known as
July 27, 2020
Study Questions for Groups 1. What answers to prayer did you receive over the last week? Ask three people—two readers and one reteller—to help. Ask the readers to read Joshua 2:1-16 one after the other, preferably from different Bible versions. Then ask the same two readers to each read Joshua 6:15-25. Ask the third person to retell the story in their own words as if telling it to a group of adolescents. 2. What, if anything, surprises you from these passages? 3. Let’s look more closely at some of the details: • In what parts of this narrative do you
July 20, 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 July 2020 issue of Christian Standard + The Lookout. (Subscribe to our print edition.) ________ Lesson Aim: Be strong and courageous; God is faithful to keep all his promises. ________ By Mark Scott Proverbs 13:12 says, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life” (English Standard Version). Israel had longed for the Promised Land for years. Their hearts were sick for their
July 13, 2020
By David Faust Three times in four verses, the Lord told Joshua to be strong and courageous (Joshua 1:6-9). Joshua needed courage to step into the shoes previously occupied by Moses, lead the Israelites through the flooded Jordan River, and overcome Jericho’s fortified walls. Courage brings to mind military heroes like the troops who stormed the beaches of Normandy on D-Day. It makes us think of brave adventurers like Amelia Earhart, the first female aviator to fly solo nonstop across the Atlantic Ocean, or John Glenn, the first American to orbit the earth (and who flew into space again at
May 19, 2019
From After Class Podcast As Christian parents, weâ™re always looking for family-friendly vacation destinations. Since our young toddler had been to Disney five times already, it was time to mix things up a bit. So imagine our delight when just two hours north of Orlando, in the beautiful city of Paradise, opened the ultimate Christian theme park, The Greatest Story Ever Strolled. Immediately upon entering the majestic pearly gates, we were transported into the exotic world of Scripture. Characters decked out in authentic robes and sashes strolled along sandstone walkways while camel-led carts leisurely transported guests down lanes lined with
December 10, 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. 13 (weeks 49–53; December 9–30, 2018) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ Lesson Aim: Let Jesus transform your whole life. ______ By Mark Scott The ultimate objective of preaching and teaching is not just conveying information. It is achieving transformation (Andy Stanley, Communicating for a Change). Believers often know more Bible than they are living. If anyone needed a transformation of his whole life it was Zacchaeus
May 23, 2016
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 May 22 issue of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark Scott “The gospel is for sellouts.” That is how our oldest son, Casey, began his senior sermon in Bible College chapel. His text was the story of Zacchaeus. He turned the message in two directions: first Zacchaeus was a sellout to Rome, and second Zacchaeus was a
February 1, 2011
(This is the second of six articles Matt Proctor will write this year under the theme, “Reading the Bible for All It”s Worth.) By Matt Proctor When we read one of these Hebrew narratives, we want to discover the author”s intended meaning. This guards us against imposing our own meaning on the text. How do we uncover the clues to the author”s intended meaning? I love Warren Wiersbe”s observation in The Wiersbe Bible Commentary: The Complete Old Testament, “If you don”t talk to your Bible, your Bible isn”t likely to talk to you!” In other words, if you don”t ask the text
February 21, 2010
By Marshall Hayden It was our first trip with church members to the Holy Land. Driving from the airport, our guide (who has since become our favorite guide) asked the bus driver to pull onto the shoulder of the road about a hundred yards from the top of a hill. “Follow me,” he said. As we topped the rise, there it was, spread out ahead of us, filling the horizon! “Welcome to your spiritual home,” he said. When we climbed back on the bus we heard the first strains of a recording, “Jerusalem.” It was pretty quiet. Except for a
September 23, 2007
By Doyle Roth Those who have traveled to the Holy Land know what an amazing journey it is. We recently completed a trip and were once again blessed as we saw the geographical context in which much of the Scriptures were written. Archaeologists continue to uncover history that consistently confirms the Word of God. We traveled around the country and walked in the footsteps of Jesus and many people from the Old and New Testaments. Our trip included stops at Bethlehem, Nazareth, Capernaum, the Mount of Beatitudes, Caesarea, the Dead Sea, Qumran, and Jerusalem. Special Places The Sea of Galilee
April 7, 2026
John B. Penrose Jr
April 7, 2026
David Faust
March 27, 2026
Rick Cherok