October 6, 2025
MEDICINE FOR THE HEART
Consider this time of Communion in our worship service as an opportunity given to revive our spiritual heart. It's a "heart healthy" meal for the spiritual heart.
Articles for tag: New International Version
September 29, 2025
THE WELCOME SIGHT OF BLOOD
At the cross, God used bloodshed and a gruesome instrument of death to further his holy purposes and provide salvation for lost humanity.
June 10, 2024
Faultless
Pilate spoke more truth about Jesus than he knew. . . .
THROWBACK THURSDAY: Thistle’s ‘Seven Multisyllabic Mistakes in Preaching’ (1990)
In this "Epistle from Thistle," the columnist and correspondent describes (in his own unique way) "seven multisyllabic mistakes, or 'speaking faults,' preachers or, I suppose, any public speaker can make." . . .
May 2, 2024
THROWBACK THURSDAY: ‘What Makes a Good Church Leader?’ (1968)
"God’s Word provides some rather explicit instruction concerning the basis for choosing church leaders," Sam E. Stone wrote in 1968. "Four basic principles are outlined in the opening verses of 1 Timothy 3." . . .
January 23, 2023
Sharing a Meal, Sharing a Life
Taking Communion is a very personal matter, but it is also a shared meal . . .
November 1, 2022
Peace for All Seasons
By Douglas Redford (This article, reprinted here with minor updates, first appeared in Christian Standard on December 22, 1985.) During the Christmas season in 1984, an event occurred which served as a revealing commentary on the times. Bishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa, an Anglican church leader, was in Oslo, Norway, to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. But the presentation was held up for more than an hour after an anonymous telephone caller told an Oslo newspaper that a bomb had been placed in the reception hall and would explode in 10 minutes. Although a careful search turned up nothing,
February 7, 2022
Feb. 13 | Application
Has life disappointed you? Have others disappointed you? How about the church . . . or God?
December 30, 2020
Ordinary Guy
By John Caldwell (adapted from his new book) I am a pretty ordinary guy. I’m not dumb, but neither am I brilliant. While I love sports, I’m certainly not athletically gifted. I was a decent trumpet player in my high school and college days, but I was second chair, not first chair. I don’t light up a room when I enter it. Actually, I’m pretty much an introvert who, if given the choice, would sit in a chair in the corner and read a book rather than socialize. I’m not ugly, but neither would most consider handsome (my wife and
May 18, 2020
Lesson for May 24, 2020: I Catch No Glimpse of Him! (Job 2:11-13; 23:1-17)
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 May 2020 issue of Christian Standard + The Lookout. (Subscribe to our print edition.) ________ COMPANION RESOURCES: Application: “If Only I Knew Where to Find Him,” by David Faust Discovery Questions ________ Lesson Aim: Don’t be silenced by the darkness. ________ By Mark Scott When we were young, we were taught about the patience of Job. Then as we matured and read the book of Job, many of us
May 3, 2020
Discovery Questions for May 10, 2020
(These Discovery questions go with the Bible lesson for May 10, 2020: “His Treasured Possession.” For a detailed explanation of how to use Discovery Bible Study, click here.) By Leigh Mackenzie 1. What challenges did you face this past week? 2. Over the last seven days, what impact on people around you did you make simply by living a holy life? Ask three people—two readers and one reteller—to help. Ask the two readers to each read Deuteronomy 4:29-40 in turn (possibly from different Bible versions) and then ask the group what they observe in the passage. What captured their attention?
October 17, 2019
Harmony in Giving
This article from 1964 obviously wasn’t the last word on the appropriate level of Christian giving, but it did contain interesting information and the writer effectively applied Scripture to make her points. Before diving in, here’s some context that should help with the section of the article titled “Sacrificial?” The writer says her family’s “take-home pay” in 1964 was $600 per month, or approximately $7,200 for the year. A U.S. Census Bureau online document says, “The median income [not take-home income] of all families in 1964 was about $6,600.” From this we can conclude that the writer’s family was earning
October 14, 2019
Lesson for Oct. 20, 2019: Persevere in Truth (2 Peter 1:12–2:3)
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 issue no. 11 (weeks 41-44; October 13—November 3, 2019) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ________ Lesson Aim: Firmly establish yourself in the truth, because there will be false teachers. ________ By Mark Scott “Close” works if the game is horseshoes. But for rocket science and neurosurgery close is not good enough. There is another area where close is not good enough. It is the truth of
August 26, 2019
Lesson for Sept. 1, 2019: Work with Your Hands (Ecclesiastes 2:24-26; 3:12-14)
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. 9 (weeks 32-35; August 18—September 8, 2019) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ________ Lesson Aim: The work of our hands is designed to bring joy and meaning to our lives. ________ By Mark Scott It is providential to have this lesson this weekend. Labor Day is a holiday, officially recognized in 1894, to honor the American worker. Toward the end of the 1800s, at
February 18, 2019
Lesson for February 24, 2019: God Is with You When You Feel Outcast (Ishmael/Hagar)
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 3–24, 2019) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ Lesson Text: Genesis 21:8-20; 17:19, 20 Lesson Aim: Know that even when others abandon you, God will not. ______ By Mark Scott Headings matter. The New International Version titles this text, “Hagar and Ishmael Sent Away.” The English Standard Version titles this text, “God Protects Hagar and Ishmael.” The first heading emphasizes Abraham’s duty. The latter
December 31, 2018
Lesson for January 6, 2019: A Gift of Faith that Pleases God (Abel—Genesis 4:2-16)
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. 1 (weeks 1–4; January 6–27, 2019) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ Lesson Aim: By giving of our first and best we exhibit a pleasing faith like Abel. ______ By Mark Scott Things went downhill fast after the serpent deceived our first parents in Genesis 3. Adam and Eve failed to trust the goodness of God and embraced a culture of death. Sin can cause even our
July 30, 2018
Lesson for August 5, 2018: God’s Justice (Romans 2:1-12)
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 We rarely do justice well. God always does justice well. Romans is about the justice of God—real righteousness. As Paul built a bridge between Jews and Gentiles in the church at Rome he explained what God’s justice looks like. Following the opening greeting and his typical thanksgiving, Paul stated the
January 8, 2018
Lesson for January 14, 2018: A Bold Faith (Daniel 3:19-23, 26-28)
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. 1–4 (January 7-28, 2018) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark Scott The prophet Daniel himself took center stage in last week’s lesson. In this week’s lesson his three friends are at the center of the controversy. We move from food to fire. Another person who actually occupies a large portion of the first chapters of the book of Daniel is Nebuchadnezzar. It seems odd
May 22, 2017
Lesson for May 28, 2017: Pervasive Love (Jonah 4)
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 May 21, 2017, issue of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark Scott God”s love is pervasive (expanding, spreading, and permeating). Jonah”s love was narrow, miserly, and shrunken. The angry prophet desperately needed to get on the same page with the Lord when it came to his wide embrace of all people. That is the story of Jonah 4. Last week”s lesson dealt with forgiveness. Jonah could announce
May 15, 2017
Lesson for May 21, 2017: Forgiving Love (Jonah 3; Nahum 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 May 14, 2017, issue of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark Scott God”s forgiving love was in place for Nineveh but also for Jonah himself. The God of the Bible is the God of the second chance, and Jonah got his. The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time. Even though Jonah was a reluctant prophet who did not have forgiving love in his
