March 29, 2021
Apr 4 | Discovery
As you go into the world this week, how will you carry out your purpose in making disciples?
Articles for tag: Resurrection
March 18, 2021
When You Baptize . . .
There is no sermon so eloquent on the subject of Christian baptism as a properly performed baptism, C.J. Sharp wrote in 1951. The way in which it is performed determines whether its message is made or marred.
January 11, 2021
The Death of Evil
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. saw in minority groups’ struggles for social equality in America a parallel with Israel’s bondage in Egypt. King envisioned God’s goodness would deliver the U.S. from the evil of segregation.
December 17, 2020
His Biography Is Not Complete
Edwin V. Hayden wrote this Christmas editorial 50 years ago. _ _ _ God Sent His Son An editorialDec. 20, 1970; p. 10 How remarkable is the biography of God’s Son! . . . God’s messengers of old spoke of a maiden conceiving, of a son being born, and of Bethlehem as the place from which a timeless ruler would come. The heart of a man named Joseph provided Matthew with the key to the mystery. . . . The explanation in Matthew 1 combines Joseph’s experience with Isaiah’s prophecy. In chapter 2, it brings Micah’s prophecy to bear on
November 23, 2020
Lesson for Nov. 29, 2020: Seek Reconciliation (Philemon 8-21)
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 November 2020 issue of Christian Standard + The Lookout. (Subscribe to our print edition.) ________ COMPANION RESOURCES “I Missed You” by David Faust (Lesson Application) Discovery Questions for Nov. 29, 2020 ________ Lesson Aim: Allow the gospel of Jesus Christ to break down the barriers that divide believers of different social statuses. ________ By Mark Scott The year 2020 will be remembered for virus and volatility. The virus created
November 22, 2020
The Missing Piece
The concept of peace was like a refrain in my early years. Every Sunday morning in the Catholic church where I grew up, we exchanged a “sign of peace.” I was an admirer of Mother Teresa, who often wrote and spoke about peace. “Works of love are works of peace,” she said. We regularly sang a hymn in our church that begin with the words, “Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me.” It’s a beautiful song with admirable sentiments. I truly wanted to “take each moment and live each moment” as a peacemaker. Yet, theologically
July 20, 2020
How Far Can You See? (July 26 Lesson Application)
By David Faust How far can you see into the distance? With 20/20 vision you can read the optometrist’s eye chart accurately at a distance of 20 feet, but healthy human eyes can see a lot farther than that. Those fluffy white cumulus clouds floating overhead are probably more than 2,000 feet away, and you can see the moon though it’s 238,855 miles from Earth and the sun though it’s 93 million miles away. How far can you see into the future? Maybe you’ve heard the advice, “Dream 20 years ahead, think 10 years ahead, plan five years ahead.” The
Perspective
By Jon Wren One evening more than 2,000 years ago, Jesus and his followers huddled in a house in Jerusalem and shared a meal we now call Communion. We don’t have any details about what the house looked like or who owned it. But in that house that night, a small group of fishermen and outcasts huddled together for a meal while hiding out from the authorities. Today, untold numbers of tourists from around the world visit Jerusalem to visit places where scholars think that house might possibly have been. Think about that for a moment. When Jesus’ followers took
April 27, 2020
Application for May 3: Dare to Be Different
(This “Application“ column goes with the Bible lesson for May 3, 2020: “His Holy Nation.“) By David Faust Don’t libel me with labels. Don’t put me into a cultural box. I have rooted for the Cincinnati Reds most of my life, but my main identity isn’t “sports fan.” I’m a baby boomer, but generational labels don’t tell you everything about me or my builder, gen X, and millennial friends. I have experienced what Scripture calls the new birth, but I prefer not to be called “a born-again Christian” as if that’s something strange. In the first century there wasn’t any
April 12, 2020
Discovery Questions for April 19, 2020
(Click here for a detailed explanation of how to use the Discovery Bible Study.) By Leigh Mackenzie Study Questions for Groups 1. With whom did you share the message and hope of Resurrection last week? 2. From this past week, what are you thankful for? (Be specific . . . more than, “I’m thankful for a good day” or “a great family.”) Ask three people—two readers and one reteller—for their help. Ask the first reader to read John 21:1-14, 24, 25 aloud. Then ask the second person to read it again, perhaps from a different version. Ask the third person
April 6, 2020
The Science of Memory
By Jon Wren As modern science learns more and more about the human brain, some of the biggest findings have centered on memory. New research is helping us understand not only how we remember things, but also why we remember some things more than others. Interestingly, new findings show that nothing creates a stronger memory than experience and repetition. For example, when we meet someone and learn their name, that information goes to a specific part of the brain called the hippocampus. That’s where the brain stores facts and figures. But the circumstances about where, why, and how we met
April 6, 2020
Discovery Questions for April 12, 2020
(Click here for a detailed explanation of how to use the Discovery Bible Study.) By Leigh Mackenzie Study Questions for Groups 1. If you had the opportunity this past week to share Jesus’ miracle of feeding more than 5,000 people with someone, how did that go? 2. What challenges did you face last week? (Be specific!) Ask three people—two readers and one reteller—for their help. Ask the first reader to read John 11:17-27 aloud. Then ask the second person to read it again, perhaps from a different version. Ask the third person to retell the narrative in about 60 seconds
March 15, 2020
Resurrection Sunday: A Way to Live
By Gary L. Johnson Several important American holidays are for the purpose of remembering. Memorial Day is set aside so we can remember our war dead, whereas Veterans Day is for remembering the men and women who served in our nation’s military. A grand remembrance happens every July 4 as we celebrate our nation’s independence. We have religious holidays—Christmas and Easter—to remember the birth of Jesus and his resurrection from the dead. Yet, Easter is more than a holiday marked with ham dinners and Easter egg hunts. It’s more than a day to fill baskets with candy and churches with
March 15, 2020
Mary Magdalene: Go and Tell
(An eyewitness’ account*) By Ely Lozada Mary Magdalene had been watching for hours. Now, the jeering crowd was gone and only the women mourning Jesus remained at the cross together. An unfamiliar man approached them; he too had sorrow etched on his face. “I have permission to take away Jesus’ body, so that it may be laid to rest away from this terrible place.” She noticed he paid no mind to the sweat and blood around them, this man whose fine clothing surely would be soiled by this gruesome task. He spoke tenderly to Jesus’ mother as he told them
March 15, 2020
Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus: Respect and Honor
(An eyewitness’ account*) By Mark E. Moore Hi, my name is Joseph, but you can call me Joe. Just to clarify, there are a lot of Joes where I come from. Surely, you’ve heard of Joseph the carpenter, the stepfather of Jesus. A lesser-known Joseph traveled with the apostle Paul on his great adventures. This Joseph is mentioned several times by my friend, the physician and historian named Luke. But Luke called him by his nickname, Barnabas. I am but one of many Joes where I come from because one of the patriarchs of my people (and my namesake) was
March 15, 2020
Guards at the Tomb: A Tale of Two Soldiers
By Ryan Rasmussen “What am I supposed to do with this money?” the soldier asked as he jiggled a bag of coins on the table. “It feels . . . tainted.” “Just enjoy it, man,” offered the second soldier. “How often does an opportunity like this come along for us? All we have to do is tell a little lie. No big deal.” But it felt like a big deal. A weight hung in the air as a strong wind pushed through the partially covered window of the dimly lit room. Two Roman soldiers sat counting their hush money. It
March 15, 2020
The Apostle John: Transformed by Love
By Vince Antonucci Researchers tell us our identity drives our behavior. We think we make decisions based on a rational analysis of pros and cons. But far more often we make choices based on what James March called the “identity model.” March, a Stanford University professor who died in 2018, said when making a decision we essentially (and mostly subconsciously) ask ourselves three questions: Who am I? What kind of situation is this? What would someone like me do in this situation? What you do is determined by what you think of yourself. Growing up, I was quickly and consistently
March 15, 2020
The Angels: Messengers of Hope at the Empty Tomb
By John Caldwell I have a confession to make. In well over half a century of ministry, I’ve never preached about the angels as they relate to the resurrection of Christ. I have manuscripts of all my Easter sermons, but I’ve searched in vain through scores of them for any significant focus on the angels. I fear that many of us have seen angels only as “bit players” in the Easter story. In reality, however, the angels play a major role. Angels in the Bible Angels have many roles in Scripture, and they would make for an interesting study; after
March 15, 2020
Cleopas: The Journey That Forever Changed Us
(An eyewitness’ account*) By Glen Elliott To Luke, my brother in the Lord, from Cleopas. I understand you’ve been collecting eyewitness accounts about the life of Jesus. Here is mine. I live in a small town called Emmaus. I have made the journey to and from Jerusalem many times in my life. But one such journey forever changed me. Here’s what happened that Sunday. Passover Week in Jerusalem A friend and I had been in Jerusalem for the Passover celebration with others who were following one who was clearly a prophet. God had not sent a prophet to his
March 15, 2020
Hope in the Dark
By Jerry Harris Were you scared of the dark when you were a kid? There are two reasons we naturally fear darkness: Darkness makes us see things that aren’t really there. Darkness keeps us from seeing things that actually are there. I remember seeing scary shadows in my room at night when I was little. I needed to have a night-light on or leave my bedroom door slightly open. But the closet—that needed to be closed. I feared the darkness of the closet . . . and the darkness under the bed. I remember imagining things were coming to life
