May 17, 2021
Peculiar People
From the first century up through today, many people have watched the church and noticed that something about it is different, unique, or even a little odd.
Articles for tag: Royal Priesthood
September 16, 2019
Lesson for Sept. 22, 2019: Living Stones (1 Peter 2:1-10)
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 issue no. 10 (weeks 36-39; September 15—October 6, 2019) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ________ Lesson Aim: Build up your church by offering your life to God. ________ By Mark Scott Metaphors motivate. Metaphors are memorable. Metaphors help us talk and live (George Lakoff and Mark Johnson, Metaphors We Live By). The Bible is full of metaphors, and many metaphors are used to describe God’s people.
January 16, 2017
What Is the Church?
By Mark Scott Ask people on the street, and they”ll come up with many inadequate answers. But what would Christians say? A survey of Bible definitions gives us a clear answer. In the mid-1990s, a few doctor of ministry students from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary hit the streets of Boston, Massachusetts, to interview people. One of the 10 questions they asked was, “What does church bring to mind?” Here are some of the answers: “¢ guilt “¢ obligation “¢ uncomfortable “¢ stuffy “¢ one and one-half hours of complete boredom. Does the church need a better press agent? Did the church
November 27, 2014
It’s Good to Be an Alien
By C. Robert Wetzel “Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul” (1 Peter 2:11, New International Version ©1984). Many people are convinced of the existence of intelligent life-forms from other planets. Aliens from outer space are a staple in numerous films and television programs. These aliens may take the form of benevolent explorers or, more likely, evil invaders. But according to the apostle Peter, we need not look to outer space for aliens. We can find them in the church. In the summer of 1973, my
January 12, 2013
When You Can”t Find Your Donkey
By Tim Harlow One day, Kish lost some donkeys, so he sent his son Saul out to find them. Saul looked for days but couldn”t find the donkeys anywhere, so he went to Samuel the prophet for advice. Little did Saul know God orchestrated the whole thing so that he and Samuel would meet, because God decided Saul would be the new king of Israel. When Samuel told Saul about God”s vision of leadership, Saul was understandably reluctant. One minute he was out looking for some stubborn animals, and the next he was being told God had picked him for
