Articles for tag: Moses

August 8, 2016

Christian Standard

Lesson for August 14, 2016: Living Under God’s Mercy (Romans 9:6-18)

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 7 issue of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark Scott  In the church at Rome, there was tension that you could cut with a circumcision knife. The Jews thought the Gentiles obeyed God”s laws rather flippantly. The Gentiles thought the Jews had squandered their place as God”s people. Paul”s teaching in this text is that both groups have to live under God”s mercy. God”s plan to

May 23, 2016

Christian Standard

The Weight of Leadership

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,

January 15, 2016

Christian Standard

Let Us Celebrate

By Rick Chromey Every culture has holidays, but few sanctify more special days than Americans. Perhaps it”s because we embrace our past as good and godly. Perhaps it”s because we hunger for any reason to party or get a day off. Or perhaps it”s because we need another special day to capitalize on our consumerism. Regardless of the reason, Americans celebrate famous people like Martin Luther King Jr., St. Patrick, and Columbus. We memorialize Mondays into three-day weekends to rest from our labor. We throw parties on July 4, October 31, and December 31. We love to give thanks around

September 21, 2015

Christian Standard

Lesson for September 27, 2015: Standing Firm Against Opposition (Acts 7:1-53)

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 September 20 issue of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark Scott  Opposition always hurts. It especially hurts when it comes from kin. Stephen found that out. The second internal challenge that the church faced (certain widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of food) caused the church to select seven men to handle this oversight (Acts

September 1, 2015

Christian Standard

Why Did You Initially Get Involved in Ministry?

By Michael C. Mack In July, we asked you why you initially got involved in ministry. We defined ministry as any type of service (paid or volunteer) you engage in through your church, a parachurch organization, a civic organization, or individually. We also posted the question on our Facebook page, BestMinistryPractices, and on Twitter, @CSBestPractices. Here are the results: 35% “” Someone asked or influenced me 32.5% “” A direct calling from God (like Moses in Exodus 3) 20% “” I sensed a need to use my particular spiritual gifts and/or talents 10% “” I responded to a specific need (the need was the call)

July 27, 2015

Christian Standard

Growth, Grace, and a Writer I Like

By LeRoy Lawson   Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership: Seeing God in the Crucible of Ministry Ruth Haley Barton Downers Grove: IVP Books, 2008 Lila: A Novel Marilynne Robinson New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2014 Persuasion: A Novel Jane Austen Originally published in 1817   I”ve written here before about how much I learn from my students. Many books in this column have appeared because they told me I needed to read a favorite of theirs. Ruth Haley Barton is one of those favorites. She is president of the Transforming Center, where she and her colleagues are in the business

July 26, 2015

Christian Standard

Call Me if You Need Anything

By Tim Harlow Where do you go when weariness sets in or you”re up against a problem that won”t be solved without some muscle? When my oldest daughter was almost 3, I remember her comforting me as I left for work one day. She said, “Call me if you need anything.” Now I”m sure she meant it more sincerely than the person she had heard the empty phrase from (probably me), but all I could do was laugh. “OK, Rachel, if I have some trouble in this big crazy world, I”ll give you a call and see if you can help

July 20, 2015

Christian Standard

Reengaging the Old Testament

By Dave Henry A disparity exists for many Christians between their Old and New Testament theologies concerning the nature of God. For many Christians, the presentation of God in the Old Testament is unsettling, while God in the New Testament appears to be more gracious and loving. Within this theological frame of reference, the judgment of God rises as the prevalent theme of the Hebrew Scriptures, while the presentation of God in the incarnate Son, Jesus, reveals his love, mercy, and compassion in the New Testament. This line of interpretation discourages Christians from reading the Old Testament and incorporating its

November 23, 2014

Christian Standard

Exploring ‘the Call’ to Cross-Cultural Ministry

By Carla Williams Missionaries are normal Christians. They struggle with temptation. Their families are flawed, and they don”t always wake up with a smile on their faces and a song in their hearts. But missionaries are normal Christians who had a moment of faithful obedience. God uses different circumstances and situations to draw his followers into his plans for the nations. He leads his people, but each person chooses how to respond. He calls some who decide to disregard his voice. For others, thankfully, the choice is to step out in trust. Some believers don”t know if they”ve been called

October 2, 2014

Christian Standard

The Greatest Story, Retold

By Jennifer Johnson There are many things I love about living in Philadelphia””the history, the proximity to New York, the water ice (look it up). But this month I”m wishing I still lived in Cincinnati . . . or Orange County, California . . . or even Nashville so I could get to a show or three of Joe Boyd”s Gospel of John and his retelling of both Old and New Testament stories next year. I also wish I could take everyone I know, both my friends who have been Christians forever and the ones who think the rest of us

April 28, 2014

Christian Standard

Lesson for May 4, 2014: Jesus Resists Temptation (Deuteronomy 6:13-16; 8:3; Psalm 91:11, 12; Matthew 4:1-11)

This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. ______ By Sam E. Stone This month concludes our study of “Jesus” Fulfillment of Scripture,” as we see how he used the Old Testament so powerfully in his teaching and ministry. The giving of the Law through Moses is recorded in the book of Exodus. Much of the material is related again in the book of Deuteronomy (literally “Second Law”). It repeats and renews the message delivered to the people before they were to enter the promised land. Our New Testament

November 18, 2013

Christian Standard

Lesson for November 24, 2013: Beginning of the Tabernacle (Exodus 35″“40)

By Sam E. Stone In the account of the building of the tabernacle, one refrain stands out above everything else: “Moses did everything just as the Lord commanded him“ (see Exodus 40:16, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 32). Wilbur Fields calls these eight verses “An overview of obedience! A chronicle of compliance!” James E. Smith put it this way: “The Tabernacle is rooted in divine revelation. The Israelites merely implemented the directives of God. Eighteen times in the last two chapters the narrator emphasizes the complete compliance to the commandments of God . . . God”s commands are meant

November 11, 2013

Christian Standard

Lesson for November 17, 2013: Beginning of Freedom (Exodus 13:17-22; 14)

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 8, 2013

Christian Standard

A Distant Engagement (Matthew 26:29)

By Neal Windham God warned Israel in various ways to follow him, but not to come too close. For example, Moses demanded a full disclosure of God”s glory, but was allowed only a glimpse from the safe vantage of shielded rock. Israel was to approach God”s holy mountain, but not touch it, which of course led to certain death. Similarly, the ark of the covenant could be seen but never touched. Isaiah”s peek at God”s fantastic holiness left him totally undone, a man of “unclean lips” dwelling among people of similar spiritual darkness. And only the high priest ascended the

November 4, 2013

Christian Standard

Lesson for November 10, 2013: Beginning of Passover (Exodus 6:2-30; 12)

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

Christian Standard

Lesson for November 3, 2013: God Prepares for Deliverance (Exodus 1″“4)

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

July 20, 2013

Christian Standard

40 Under 40: Jon Weece

JON WEECE Lead follower,  Southland Christian Church  Lexington, Kentucky The new pope is giving hope to many because he”s a Jesuit. He”s humble and cares for the poor. He”s named for St. Francis. Jon Weece gives me the same hope. He has the heart of a missionary and the humility and leadership of Moses. He comes from some of the finest stock in the Christian church and carries the Weece name proudly. Southland is innovative, but not to be chic. The church exhibited its innovation by starting a huge campus in the middle of an under-resourced area, which has enabled

October 1, 2012

Christian Standard

Lesson for October 7, 2012: Stephen Defends His Faith (Acts 6:1″“7:53)

This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. ______ By Sam E. Stone After focusing on the book of Hebrews for several weeks, we now turn our attention to the book of Acts to see how God uses people of faith. With the rapid growth of the early church, it became difficult to take care of all the widows in need of food. The apostles directed the church to select seven men to oversee this important work. Some consider them the first deacons, even though that term is not

June 18, 2012

Christian Standard

Lesson for June 24, 2012: Love God; Love People (Deuteronomy 10:1-22; 16:18-20)

This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. ______ By Sam E. Stone Today”s suggested devotional reading, Micah 6:1-8, presents the same principles taught in our printed text. Both passages show the importance God places on how his people treat others. All of our lessons so far this quarter have been based on sections of “the law,” the first five books of the Old Testament. The book called Deuteronomy literally means “second law.” Moses had given the law to the people at Mount Sinai years before. But because of

May 6, 2012

Christian Standard

The Priority of Preaching

By Eddy Sanders I heard a familiar theme at lunch this past Sunday. I was sitting with a couple new to our church, and one of them said, “We”re here because of the preaching.” The couple are new enough to our church and Christian discipleship that they don”t know all of the “right” answers. They only know their honest and heartfelt answers. They”re attempting to figure out what it means to follow Jesus. Preaching has proven instrumental in their journey so far. Our conversation got me thinking about preaching, and I came to the following conclusion: Preaching should remain the

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