October 2, 2023
October 8 | Sharing and Pretending
The church was considered by onlookers not only as a dangerous place but also a desired place. . . .
Articles for tag: Old Testament
September 25, 2023
October 1 | Birth of the Church
Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and so was the church. . . .
August 28, 2023
September 3 | The Shulammite Woman Speaks
In Song of Songs, students will learn of a woman’s love for her husband, the husband’s love for his wife, the watchful celebration of their love by the couple’s attendants, and the Lord of love whose love is the basis for all other loves. . . .
July 10, 2023
July 16 | Hope in God’s Loving-Kindness
Jeremiah 31 is clearly one of the high-water marks of the Old Testament. The new covenant is announced toward the end of the chapter; its text is quoted at length in Hebrews 8:7-13. But a bit earlier in the chapter is a messianic verse . . .
Preaching the Mother’s Day Sermon with Creativity and Compassion
"Over time I have become more aware of the pain many women, and sometimes men, experience on Mother’s Day," our Preach columnist Chris Philbeck shares. "Here are some suggestions that might help us reframe Mother’s Day in a way that blesses everyone . . ."
Again
Here we go again. It’s time for Communion, again. Once more with feeling! Right? . . .
March 6, 2023
March 12 | Grant Me Mercy
The eighth-century BC prophet Micah (like his counterparts Amos and Hosea) prophesied against the northern and southern kingdoms. Micah cried out against idolatry, immorality, leadership crises, and family deterioration. But his prophecy had some bright spots . . .
The Listener’s Role in Preaching
By Chris Philbeck Recently I’ve been walking through a season of life filled with disappointment. At one point my attitude got so bad I decided I needed to listen to a great sermon on how to overcome disappointment. I’ve always loved to listen to great preaching; I try to carve out time for that each week. I found a sermon from Dr. David Jeremiah called, “Joseph: Overcoming Disappointment.” I got out a notepad and a pen, clicked the link on my computer, and the first thing I heard him say was, “God takes our setbacks and turns them into comebacks.
January 30, 2023
February 5 | Application (‘Keys to Courage’)
Fear seems more common than faith these days. . . . But over the course of my life, my best decisions have been the times when I chose to walk by faith, not by sight.
December 15, 2022
THROWBACK THURSDAY: ‘The Approved Precedent of the Shepherds’ (1972)
Certain groups in Christendom do not observe Christmas nor do they commemorate the birth of Christ under any designation. One such body maintains that no such commemoration is required by Scripture. . . .
November 1, 2022
How Do We Answer the Great Questions in Life?
By Chris Philbeck Our preaching team decided to devote June to an “Ask Me Anything” series. I know that’s nothing new or dramatic; churches and preachers have been doing these kinds of message series for years. But I’ve never done one, so we encouraged our church family to send in their questions during May. And even though I had a basic expectation of the kinds of questions people would submit, I was surprised by the response. On the first weekend of the series, I began by saying that upon reviewing the questions I was left with two overwhelming feelings. First
October 24, 2022
October 30 | Rooted in Worship
Worship is at the heart of Scripture. Worship was compromised in Eden (Genesis 3:1-19). What we worship is what we become (Hosea 9:10; Romans 1:23). The angel told John to “worship God” (Revelation 22:9). The Old Testament hymnal (the book of Psalms) called God’s people to worship. . . .
September 12, 2022
September 18 | Dry Bones
The vision of the valley of dry bones that Ezekiel was given pictured this new life and restoration of Israel to their homeland.
June 20, 2022
June 26 | Be Ready for the Day of the Lord
Joel and Obadiah each had something to say about the day of the Lord. For Joel it was the signal that God was turning a new page in history. . . . For Obadiah it was that all nations should take a cue from the defeat of Edom for how they treated God’s people.
June 20, 2022
June 26 | Application
The universe is headed toward a climactic end—the consummation of the ages orchestrated by the Lord himself. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. We live in the middle—believing what God has done in the past, trusting him in the present, and looking toward the future with hope. . . .
June 6, 2022
Motive
By Randy Ballinger “When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law” (Matthew 7:28-29, emphasis mine). Imagine being on that Galilean mountainside as Jesus amazed the people with his words. Jesus didn’t simply recite Old Testament Law—as the scribes and Pharisees did—Jesus provided God-ordained insight. For example, Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said . . . ‘You shall not murder. . . .’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother or
May 30, 2022
The Heavenly Harvest
By Doug Redford Today (Sunday, June 5) is Pentecost Sunday, celebrating the beginning of the church on the Day of Pentecost as recorded in Acts 2. In the Old Testament, Pentecost was one of the three most significant feasts observed annually by the Israelites (Passover and Tabernacles were the others). Pentecost as instituted in the Law of Moses was primarily a harvest festival, coming seven weeks, or 50 days, after the Passover celebration (thus the name Pentecost, derived from the Greek for fiftieth). It was also known as the day of firstfruits (Numbers 28:26) because the first loaves made from
GNPI Releases Animated Bible Video Series for Children
Good News Productions International has released a new animated video project for kids in hard-to-reach places—especially Muslim-majority countries. The "Amazing Stories" series—10 years in the making—features videos depicting 10 Old Testament and 10 New Testament stories. Each video is about five minutes in length. . . .
January 24, 2022
Jan. 30 | Righteous Relationships
Faith that does not produce faithfulness is not worth a fig. The new right standing with God that has been created by the gospel has a practical side. Doctrine always shows up in duty. . . .
November 15, 2021
Nov. 21 | Application
When we are discouraged and feel like giving up, the book of Hebrews urges us to take the better way and persevere.
