April 8, 2024
April 14 Study | Spiritual Gifts
Every Christian has received grace (charis) and therefore has been given gifts (or charisma) from the Holy Spirit to be used in ministry in the body of Christ. . . .
Articles for tag: Romans 1
June 5, 2023
June 11 | Warning for Idol Worshippers
This section of Jeremiah begins 13 oracles of God’s case against Judah that continue through chapter 25. . . .
July 1, 2022
Bible Genealogies: More Than Just Lists of Names
By Megan Rawlings In a new trend among Christian users of TikTok, videos show the faces of people reading genealogies from the Bible. The readers often appear to be trying to stay awake, or they skim through the lists pretending to be interested. There is a sense of, “Skip the names; it’s no big deal. What do they have to offer anyway?” And to an extent, I understand that. Reading or listening to a long list of unfamiliar, multisyllabic names of people you don’t know begetting more people you don’t know can be daunting. But we need to read those
January 24, 2022
Jan. 30 | Discovery
In Romans 14:1-5, 13-23, what surface-level issues were people in the church having with one another . . . and what deeper issues may have been behind those problems?
January 17, 2022
Jan. 23 | Righteous Remnant
Romans 9–11 is often neglected in many Christian churches. Depending on where one falls on the nuances of Calvinism and millennialism, the content is challenging. . . .
December 27, 2021
Jan. 2 | Righteous Wrath
Romans has been responsible for more church revivals than any other New Testament book. This month, students will learn that God is righteous, and therefore judgment should be left in his hands.
April 26, 2021
May 2 | A Cry for Kingship
The Israelite elders said they wanted a king so they could be "like all the other nations." But they really wanted Yahweh not to be their king anymore.
May 10, 2020
Lesson for May 17, 2020: His Beloved Ones (Dt 30:4-6, 11-14; Lev 26:40-42)
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: ‘The Natural Response to Being Loved,” by David Faust Discovery Questions ________ Lesson Aim: Because he loves you, love him with all your heart! ________ By Mark Scott It is hard to improve the lyrics in the hymn “The Love of God” when verse 3 says, Could we with ink the
January 3, 2019
IN THE ARENA: Is It Fitting for Christians to Drink Alcohol in Moderation? (No)
In the Arena In the arena of ideas and opinions, we offer a place for Christ-centered and Christ-honoring debate on nonessential issues. This month, Ken Idleman and Zach Spiering give us two opinions on a common hot-button issue among Christians: public drinking. Tell us what you think on this issue by leaving a comment below. (Also . . . tell us what other debatable issues we should discuss “In the Arena.”) _ _ _ By Ken Idleman As I address this question, it is day four of the weeklong FBI investigation into the allegations of sexual assault leveled by Christine Blasey Ford against
December 20, 2018
‘Glory to God’ Must Come First
– Dec. 22, 1945 – As promised last week, here’s another Christmas editorial—this one from Dec. 22, 1945, just a few months after the end of World War II. The tone of this editorial by Burris Butler is revealing. There is relief that the war is over, but a high degree of unsettledness that is predictive of the decades to come. _ _ _ ‘GLORY TO GOD’ MUST COME FIRST We all need to pause a little while to listen with the shepherds of long ago to the song of the angels which rang out across the Judean hills and
November 27, 2018
Redemption Drawing Near
(This Communion meditation originally appeared on our website in December 2011. Advent is this coming Sunday, Dec. 2.) By Robert F. Hull Jr. Millions of Christians around the world celebrate this coming Sunday as the beginning of Advent, the first of four Sundays of preparation for the grand festival of light we know as Christmas. No matter how often we have observed Advent, for many of us the first Sunday still comes as a shock, for its focus is on the second coming of Jesus, not the first: People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on
August 22, 2016
Lesson for August 28, 2016: Love Fulfills the Law (Romans 12:1, 2; 13:8″“10)
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 21 issue of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark Scott The most outstanding attribute of God is love (1 John 4:8). The greatest commandment is to love God (Mark 12:30). The second greatest commandment is to love one”s neighbor (v. 31). The first listed fruit of the Holy Spirit is love (Galatians 5:22). All the commandments of God are swallowed up in love. This is why
June 20, 2016
Lesson for June 26, 2016: Ignoring God’s Plain Truth (Romans 1:18-32)
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 June 19 issue of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark Scott “There is none so blind as he who will not see.” Today”s text describes a descent into depravity. Paul”s summation of the gospel is Romans 1:16, 17″”the transforming power of Christ”s faithfulness to everyone. But before that transforming power can be effectual, sin must be
September 14, 2015
25 Ways to Show Volunteers They Matter
Tips, tactics, and testimonies by church leaders who know the value of a volunteer. Compiled by Jennifer Johnson ________ 1. Last fall, I wrote a note to each Bible study leader mentioning specific strengths I see in her. Then I read the notes aloud in our start-up leader meeting. The fun thing was they weren”t expecting this type of affirmation at the beginning of the year. “”Nancy Karpenske, women and spiritual transformation pastor, LifeBridge Christian Church, Longmont, Colorado 2. A couple of times a year we hold major serving events in our community. In our weekend services after each of these events,
February 12, 2015
Solving Sexuality
By Jason Yeatts We, as a society and a church, have unconsciously adopted an understanding of sexuality that does more harm than good. I”m not talking about our culture”s growing acceptance of homosexuality, but our acceptance of the idea of homosexuality. The two are quite different. We have picked up a language about sex that both perpetuates a wrong view of human identity and hinders the path of Christian discipleship. To understand how this has happened, we must first look at the human heart. When Scriptures declare, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10) and
October 16, 2014
Right and Righteous
By T.R. Robertson The reaction of Christians to a prominent athlete”s admission of homosexuality can provide one clue to how the church is relating to culture. On February 9, Michael Sam, a senior defensive end for the Missouri Tigers football team, publicly “came out” in an ESPN interview. The news went viral nationally. In traditional and social media, Sam was heavily praised for his courage in announcing he is gay. In May, he was drafted by the St. Louis Rams and the celebratory kiss with his boyfriend on national TV was replayed many times during the following days. This news
August 19, 2014
Lead On, Lead Up, Lead Now
By Mark A. Taylor No group will understand or fulfill its mission without a leader sounding the charge and setting the example. Eddie Lowen and I talked about this during my Beyond the Standard interview with him July 31. Churches need to be led, he said, and led by leaders with high integrity. We could say the same for school boards, corporations, or the government of any nation. But our experience with bad leadership in all of those environments may be one reason some are suspicious of leaders in the church. Can we find a leader more interested in his
August 10, 2014
What Every College Kid Needs
By Mike Kerrick From a campus minister, ideas for the students in your life. What do you give someone who is going off to college? A new laptop computer? A phone/data upgrade? A devotional book on keeping faith at college, with a nice note inside: “Praying for you every day”? These are all good ideas, especially because they point to the thing needed most in college: healthy relationships. From my experience ministering to college students, let me tell you what I mean. Healthy Relationships Begin with God According to the Barna group*, up to 61 percent of Christian students
July 22, 2014
Checklist
By Mark A. Taylor My wife and I are two of the last professionals in America to use a paper calendar. It”s not that we”re opposed to digital devices. We gladly use our smartphones. I depend on Outlook to keep appointments at work, and, increasingly at home. We”re big text messagers and Facebook users. Evenings often find us at opposite ends of the kitchen table, hunched over our respective laptops. And we”ve even Skyped with a missionary friend overseas. But I organize my week around my lists, and I need those lists on a piece of paper I can keep on
July 7, 2014
Lesson for July 13, 2014: Exercise Freedom with Caution (1 Corinthians 8, 9)
This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. ______ By Sam E. Stone Paul”s first letter to the church in Corinth was prompted by a letter from them. They evidently asked Paul”s advice on several issues. Last week we considered one such topic, sexual laxity (chapter 6). Today”s text focuses on another question: Is it permissible for Christians to eat meat that has been sacrificed to an idol? First-century Corinth was known for its worship of pagan deities. Their worship included immorality. When a pagan offered a sacrifice in
