It’s Friday! Are you rejoicing? You should be, according to Paul…
9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
(Romans 5:9-11, ESV)... continue reading
Who says, "In my dream I saw seven ears of corn, full and good, growing on a single stalk."
Which is the longest Minor Prophet?
‘Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labour or spin. Yet I tell you, not even ________ in all his splendour was dressed like one of these.
Alphabetically, which is the third last book of the bible?
I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but _____ has been making it grow.
Who is being referred to? Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
Which plague did God say would "devour what little you have left after the hail, including every tree that is growing in your fields."?
Here are 6 ways we can avoid Bible-Reading damaging our health:
1. Read it (not notes!) Just read the Bible.
I think that Bible-reading notes can be helpful, but if you have never read the Bible without notes, can I encourage you to ditch them, at least for a while? Get used to reading the Bible as a book you can understand. Read it as that love letter from Jesus. Read it to find him. You do not need notes to get it.
2. Read all of it
And this applies to all of the Bible. It is all about Jesus. It is all good, exciting, beautiful truth about our Lord and Saviour. It centres on his cross, and it sings, whispers, heralds, shouts, cries and placards his name in every chapter.... continue reading
For years, I have struggled with Bible reading. Most Christians I know struggle to read the Bible (though we don’t like to talk about it).
We wonder why it doesn’t seem to make a difference to us. We wonder why we don’t miss it when we don’t read it.
We know we should read its words, but often we don’t really feel like reading it. We know it’s true; we don’t remember it’s beautiful.
Maybe you’re in that position as you read this. Maybe you are in church leadership and wish your church family would read the Bible more (even as you wish that your own Bible-reading was more than doing your duty).
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When was the last time you felt completely at a loss to know how to handle challenging circumstances?
1 Lord, how many are my foes!
How many rise up against me!
2 Many are saying of me,
“God will not deliver him.”
3 But you, Lord, are a shield around me,
my glory, the One who lifts my head high.
4 I call out to the Lord,
and he answers me from his holy mountain.
Psalm 3:1-3... continue reading
We live in the day of the corporation—the way to get it is through slick advertising, bold slogans, innovative marketing. And then there’s the kingdom of God…
Why is the kingdom not like Coke or Nike—big, successful, all-conquering? What has been going on for the 2,000 years between the time Jesus came to establish the kingdom and the time we live in?
18 Then Jesus asked, “What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? 19 It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds perched in its branches.”
20 Again he asked, “What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? 21 It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.” Luke 13:18-21... continue reading
Which book starts, "In my former book, Theophilus…"
In the centre, round the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with _____, in front and behind.
Which is the longest book (by chapter) with an odd number of chapters?
As for zeal, persecuting _______; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless
Which Gospel contains the parable of The Good Samaritan?
Who is the first king mentioned in 1 Kings?
‘What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called the Messiah?’ Pilate asked. They all answered, ‘_______ him!’
I think you could make a pretty good case that evangelicals don’t really know what worship is—or, at least, they don’t really know what worship fully is.
Scroll through your social media feeds on a typical Sunday morning and you will see lots of talk among your churchgoing friends about worship—but I’d be willing to bet that most of that talk is focused entirely on music.
But worship is more than a genre of music or one section of a worship service. Even to speak of worship largely in terms of a worship service is not to do the subject justice. We tend to talk in compartmentalized ways about something that by its very nature cannot be compartmentalized; because, according to the Bible, worship is every human being’s way of life. We are never not worshiping. We just can’t help it.
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Have you ever walked right through the night? Maybe for fun? (I did it for a sponsored walk as a student.) Or maybe you'd broken down in the middle of nowhere? (Before the days of mobile phones.) How would you feel in the morning? (I had blisters like dinner plates.)
Now imagine the reason you've walked all night is to get some vital help. There's only one person who can help you - it's vital that they come back with you. How would you feel when you reach them? How would you feel when they tell you to go away?!
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1 I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips.
2 I will glory in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
3 Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together.
4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.
6 This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them. Psalm 34:1-7
“Extol” means “praise” or (to use a colloquial phrase!) “big up”.... continue reading
