Posts in studies
Introduction to 1 Peter Series
The message of 1 Peter is rich in theology, drawing from these doctrines much about Christian faith and practice, and it especially offers a lot of encouraging perspectives on the sufferings and persecutions that believers in Christ endure and, I expect, must face as never before in this 21st century.
Introduction to Christian Worldview Series
Informally, a worldview describes the way people view reality and their answers to life's ultimate questions. It is a sort of layman's philosophy of life and everyone has one, conscious or unconscious. The big clash factor in so much public and private dialogue in general and in Christian witnessing in particular is rooted in conflicting worldviews. The better sense we have of the lineaments of our own worldview and confidence it, the better equipped we will be to speak truth to others, recognizing the clash points and bringing the Scriptures to bear at the points where those false ...
Introduction to James
One might called the Epistle of James, who was the brother of our Lord, not the apostle who was martyred early, the "Proverbs" of the New Testament. The OT book of Proverbs echoes through this epistle like no other. Like Proverbs, James deals in 'wisdom' and shows us where the rubber meets the road in practical discipleship. He was a man who cuts to the chase and tells it like it is. He makes it clear as crystal that faith detached from faith-driven obedience is no faith at all, but an impostor. He does not teach, as some have charged ...
Introduction to Ephesians
In the middle of my seminary training, I returned to my native state of West Virginia in hope of finding some place, God willing, to gain some preaching experience. The Lord worked that out fortunately and that summer I preached through Paul's Epistle to the Ephesians. That was my first preaching experience and my first attempt to teach through a book of the Bible. My efforts, I'm sure, were not stellar, but they were earnest and greatly rewarding. At the end of that summer, the church, their pulpit then vacant, asked me to become their pastor and agreed ...
Introduction to the Thessalonian epistles
The church in Thessalonica, located in ancient Macedonia, was a persecuted congregation distinguished by its "works of faith, labor of love and steadfastness of hope"---the hallmarks of Christian authenticity in every generation. No wonder the apostle speaks so much in these two letters about our hope and things relating to the end times. It is so important for believers to keep looking up and to not just live in the present, but, as the Apostle Peter says (1 Peter 1.13) to "gird your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to ...
Introduction to Exodus
The Book of Exodus is so-called because it relates the exodus of the Hebrews from Egypt and the fulfillment of God's Word and promise to Abraham in Genesis that his descendants would spend 400 years in Egyptian bondage, but that God would remember them and bring them back into the promised land. So it is the story of God's faithfulness to His promises and the progress of His plan of redemption. The central figure is Moses, who as a deliverer and a prophet is a type or foreshadowing of the ultimate prophet and redeemer of mankind--our Lord Jesus ...
Introduction to Gospel of John
After Paul's Epistle to the Romans, and right up there with it, my favorite book of the Bible is the Gospel of John. John writes in a style to pray for. . .with a profound simplicity. So straightforward, yet weighty. And one never has to wonder what his purpose is: "Many other signs therefore Jesus also performed in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name." (John 20 ...
Introduction to 2 Timothy
The Apostle Paul wrote this epistle to Timothy, his pastoral protege, during his Roman imprisonment. It is a marvelous pastoral tract about enduring hardness as good soldiers of Christ Jesus, fighting the good fight, keeping the faith, and staying on task as shepherds and servants of Jesus Christ in difficult times. In a day when the churches in the West and American churches in particular are facing perilous times, are generally unprepared for them, and far too many shepherds are spiritually and morally unfit and negligent, 2 Timothy may provide the incentive as well as the prescription for getting back ...
Introduction to Colossians
If Paul's Epistle to the Ephesians highlights the glory of the Church, the body of Christ, his Epistle to the Colossians underscores the supremacy of Christ, the head of the Church. These two epistles accentuate many of the same themes, both theological and practical, so that they complement one another and help us interpret each other in certain places.
In our day, a time when the magnitude of Christ is lost on many, even in our churches, the overarching message about His deity and supremacy in all things is something of a lost chord that needs to be rediscovered ...
Introduction to 1 John
1 John was written to 1st century believers in Asia Minor to guard themselves against a pernicious heresy that today we know as incipient or pre-gnosticism, a cluster of teachings that took sin lightly, believed in salvation by 'enlightenment' via secret rites, and was socially elitist, etc. To expose them and to give believers some benchmarks by which to test themselves John provides some tests of authenticity.
Gnosticism may have come and gone but certain features of it continue to manifest themselves to this day and must be taken as serious threats to the integrity of the faith. The epistle ...
Recent Posts
- Introduction to 1 Peter Series
- Introduction to Christian Worldview Series
- Introduction to James
- Introduction to Ephesians
- Introduction to the Thessalonian epistles
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