When You Read Revelation…..Think in Circles Not A Line
|When I first read Revelation, I viewed it linearly—as a sequential story from start to finish. However, further study has convinced me that it is better to read it cyclically, … Continued
Before You Read Revelation…….Read These 7 Books
|The book of Revelation is that it is filled with images and allusions to the Old Testament that readers today may not be familiar with. In other posts, I noted … Continued
Before You Read Revelation…….Read Zechariah
|There are a number of Old Testament books that I think someone should be familiar with in order to make sense of the various images and ideas that appear in … Continued
Before You Read Revelation…….Read Ezekiel
|Revelation is a book of the Bible that intrigues many people but also confuses many people. Part of that confusion arises because it utilizes images and ideas found in other … Continued
Before You Read Revelation…….Read Daniel
|When I ask people the book of the Bible they are most interested in studying, the most common answer I receive is the Book of Revelation. While a challenging book, … Continued
Why Read the Book of Revelation?
|Believe it or not, the first book of the Bible that I did an in-depth and formal study of was the Book of Revelation. This is the last book of … Continued
Why Obey?
|The essence of the Christian faith is that a person is made right with God not through what they do but rather through faith in Jesus. While many are comforted … Continued
Why Evangelize?
|I remember speaking with someone who expressed surprise that Faith Church is a Reformed Church in light of the strong emphasis we place upon evangelism, seen in encouraging people in … Continued
Why Pray?
|From time to time people ask me about the point of praying in light of the fact that God knows all things and that God is said to have a … Continued
Why Elders and Deacons?
|As a church rooted in the Reformed tradition, the leadership of Faith Church consists of two sets of officers known as elders and deacons. Since a key tenet of Reformed … Continued
Fishers of Men: Grown Up Thoughts on a Kids Song
|A memory I have from my childhood is heading to my grandma’s house in the summer to attend Vacation Bible School at her church in Iowa. One of the songs … Continued
How to Listen to a Sermon
|Over the course of my years in ministry, I have had the privilege and blessing to help teach others in formal and informal settings about how to write and deliver … Continued
Healings Today?
|Christians believe that the Bible is the Word of God and read in it about miracles God performed such as healing people and raising Jesus (who worked many miracles!) from … Continued
Theological Reflections About Vacations
|I remember a few years ago hearing about pastors like John Piper encouraging Christians to think about retirement from a biblical perspective rather than the way our culture often views … Continued
What Do We Mean When We Say “God Bless America”?
|A phrase that we often hear people say – and even sing – is “God Bless America.” With our nation celebrating its 250th anniversary this July 4th, I thought it … Continued
Barnabas – A John the Baptist like Figure
|I have been fascinated by the figure of John the Baptist for a long time. There is just something about this man who was very popular at his time – … Continued
A Prayer Not to Be Led into Temptation
|In the prayer that Jesus taught his disciples to pray, he tells them and us to ask that we not be led or brought into temptation (Matthew 6:13//Luke 11:4). He … Continued
When God Doesn’t Answer Your Prayer…..The Way You Wanted
|There are numerous occasions in which Jesus says that God will give to us the things that we bring before him in prayer. For example, in Luke 11:9-10 he says, … Continued
Pointers About the Parables of Jesus
|A common technique used by teachers and preachers is the use of illustrations. I don’t mean drawings (though those can be useful!) but rather using something like a story or … Continued
The Most Famous Passage from Jeremiah in the New Testament and Its Context
|The passage from the Old Testament book of Jeremiah that is probably quoted the most by Christians today is Jeremiah 29:11. While this passage may be the most famous one … Continued