April 12, 2021
Apr 18 | A New State of Mind
In answering the religious leaders' questions about death and taxes, Jesus drew a bead on a new state of mind about those issues.
Articles for tag: Romans 11
March 1, 2021
How to Preach with Biblical Authority
I grew up in a small church on the west side of Tulsa, Oklahoma. My mother, who loved to sing, was part of the church choir. This was during the days when there was a midweek service followed by choir practice. One Wednesday when I was about 10, I was in the sanctuary (there’s a word you don’t hear much anymore) waiting for choir practice to end so we could go home. While I was waiting, the preacher, Delmar Debault, came in and walked over to where I was standing. As he talked to me, he took my face into
February 15, 2021
Feb 21 | Discovery
Study Questions for Groups By Michael C. Mack 1. In what specific ways did you act with love and mercy toward others last week? 2. What opportunity came your way or what challenge did you face as you acted with love and mercy? Ask three people—two readers and one reteller—to help. Ask the readers to read James 3:1-12 one after the other, preferably from different Bible versions. Ask the third person to summarize the main points of the passage. 3. In general, why should we be careful with what we say? 4. Let’s dig deeper into this Bible passage:
February 1, 2021
COVID-19, Elders, and Forgiveness
The challenges of COVID-19 have made it more important for elders and church staff members to manage relationships with great care and discernment. This has not been easy for leaders. Satan has attacked relationships between brothers and sisters in the body with full force. Breaking and shattering relationships has always been one of his greatest weapons. Here is the heart of the problem: COVID-19 and its ramifications have presented our church leaders with stormy seas that are dangerous and difficult to successfully navigate in our relationships in the body of Christ. In meeting with leaders in churches of all sizes
July 15, 2020
10 Foundation Stones of the Church—No. 4: Preaching the Word
By Jerry Harris When I started this series of articles based on Acts 2:41-47 and titled it “Closed on Sunday,” I never imagined this phrase would also describe a new reality brought on by a pandemic. But with this new reality, and as we consider the future, the prescriptions in Acts 2 become all the more important. We began this series with baptism—just like the first-century church—and then proceeded into authority and the Word of God itself. This article will explore the God-designed and commissioned delivery system for his Word—preaching. Have you ever used Amazon? Perhaps you have Amazon Prime.
June 14, 2020
Dual Citizenship
By Jim Estep Lyrics by Buffalo Springfield from 1966 are coming true: “There’s battle lines being drawn, and nobody’s right if everybody’s wrong . . . singing songs and they’re carrying signs, mostly say, ‘hooray for our side.’” Democrat, Republican, independent. Red, blue, purple. Radical right and social democrats. We live in what may be the most polarized period in U.S. history, short of the Civil War. Regardless of where you live, in what country, within which state or province, we all live in the tension between two worlds. Our dual citizenship between here and Heaven. Living in the Dichotomy
November 18, 2019
Lesson for Nov. 24, 2019: Empty Worship (Isaiah 1:10-20)
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. 12 (weeks 45-48; November 10—December 1, 2019) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ________ Lesson Aim: Worship through praise and right living. ________ By Mark Scott Henry Alford (1810-71) wrote “Come, Ye Thankful People, Come.” But on this Thanksgiving Sunday, what if our worship is not thankful? What if it is empty? During Isaiah’s prophetic ministry Israel’s worship was anything but thankful. The lack of
April 30, 2019
Removing Barriers to Community
By Melinda Gividen A story from Newton, Massachusetts, just outside Boston, is spreading joy across the country. Two-year-old Samantha Savitz lives there with her family; they moved to the neighborhood right before Sam was born. From the start, neighbors have loved on Sam and her family, sharing such things as cookies and casseroles with them. But the story grew more interesting when the family, and then the neighbors, learned that Samantha was born deaf. Over the last two years, Sam has become the most popular girl on the block. She takes daily walks with her parents, waving and smiling at
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
August 14, 2017
Lesson for August 20, 2017: Called to Preach (Acts 9:1-31)
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 13, 2017, issue of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark Scott The opening line in John R.W. Stott”s book Between Two Worlds: The Art of Preaching in the Twentieth Century is, “Preaching is indispensable to Christianity.” The apostle Paul argues for that truth in Romans 10:14-17 and 1 Corinthians 1:18-31. More specifically it is the message preached that is indispensable. But how can one hear the
August 15, 2016
Lesson for August 21, 2016: Grafted In (Romans 11:11-24)
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 14 issue of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark Scott Dad used to say, “The greatest word in John 3:16 is “˜whosoever,” because that one word gets us into the kingdom of God.” Paul would likely agree. Paul was a Jew, and due to that heritage had ready access to salvation. But Paul was also the apostle to the Gentiles, and due to that calling wanted
Empty/Full
By Nancy Karpenske A cup, a gas tank, a bank account, a house, even a heart can be described as empty. Typically when something is empty, the implication is it”s not worth very much, or it is waiting to be filled. Philippians 2:7 says Jesus emptied himself of godly power. He emptied himself of godly glory. The Message says, “He set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave.” That emptying process looked like this: He humbled himself, he showed up on earth as a human, he accepted the role of a servant, he obeyed
January 23, 2016
Birth Days, Death Days
By Chris Travis I”ll never forget the day my wife, Lindsay, called me at the office and told me she was pregnant. I had dreamed about this moment. She texted a photo of the pregnancy test, and seeing those two little pink lines felt like Christmas morning. It felt like being in love! I”ll never forget that first ultrasound: those tiny hands and that tiny profile and that tiny heart puffing away. It took my breath away. We had a hilarious plan for how we would surprise our parents. We live in New York City (we moved here to help
January 26, 2015
Dying to Self and Discovering Much More
By Jan Johnson Would I or wouldn”t I say it? My friend had just bought a new specialty Bible (one with notes) and was showing me what she liked about it. But I couldn”t hear her because my mind was jammed with thoughts of telling her that I had written many of that Bible”s notes and introductory articles. When she asked me a question, I realized I was too busy listening to the argument in my mind to hear my friend. So I looked directly into her eyes, knowing she wanted my attention. Loving her meant letting go of my
January 10, 2015
A Healthy Church Is Evangelistic
By David Bycroft About 20 years ago during a doctor”s visit, I learned I had some serious health problems. My doctor described my problems and what would happen if I did not address them. Part of me wanted to ignore the situation and go on living like nothing was wrong. After all, everything on the surface seemed just fine. Instead, with the urging of my wife, we began making some lifestyle changes that would improve my quality of life and give me a better chance at quantity of life. It would have been foolish to ignore my doctor”s advice and
September 29, 2014
Lesson for October 5, 2014: Yet Will I Rejoice (Job 1; Psalm 56; Habakkuk 1″“3)
This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. It is published in the September 28 issue of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Sam E. Stone All that is known of the Old Testament prophet Habakkuk is found in his short book. Even this does not tell us his genealogy, nor when he prophesied. Most Bible students place him as a contemporary of Jeremiah (627-586 BC). The book begins with God raising up the Babylonians as an instrument to punish Palestine. Habakkuk delivered two complaints to
April 28, 2014
Does Worship Belong in Small Groups?
By Michael C. Mack QUESTION: Should we worship in our small group? ANSWER: Does a heart belong in the human body? Does an operating system belong on a computer? Does peanut butter go well with jelly? Does chocolate belong in a chocolate chip cookie? Worship makes a small group run. It”s what holds it together. It”s what makes a sweet aroma, pleasing to God. The question about whether worship belongs in a small group usually comes from Christians who believe for some reason, and with no biblical support, that worship should be reserved for a certain place (the church building)
Training for Godliness
By Danny R. Von Kanel Approaching the last lap, Allen”s third-place position was typical. We had crossed the countryside to watch him run races, but in the end, there was little drama. Allen, it seemed, finished each two-mile run in third place. But this race would be different. Rounding the curve, Allen pulled even with the second runner. Halfway through the last lap, Allen pulled even with the first-place runner. Then a sprint ensued to the finish line . . . but Allen lost by a nose. Running has application to the Christian life. First Timothy 4:8 says, “For physical
May 23, 2013
Should Our Small Group Take a Summer Break?
By Michael C. Mack QUESTION: Some members of our group want to keep meeting as usual through the summer, while others want to take a break. What do you think? ANSWER: Most groups do one of two things over the summer, stop meeting until September or keep going even if attendance is inconsistent. But perhaps these aren”t the only options! Before discussing various other possibilities, let”s look first at the pros and cons of meeting over the summer: Pros A great small group is like family. A family does not stop being a family over the summer. I
October 18, 2012
Keeping it Christlike on Facebook
I”ll begin this week”s column with a couple of confessions. Confession One: I spend some time on Facebook every day, probably as much as the average user (20 minutes), and I don”t feel bad about it. After all, one in 13 people on the planet is a Facebook user, and more than half of them, like me, visit the site daily. That figures out to about 270 million others who could make my same confession; it”s a cinch I”m not alone. Confession Two: I plan to vote for Mitt Romney. And once again, with the polls consistently showing an American
