Hospitality in Disciple Making
Little things can make a tremendous impact. I live in Michigan. This past winter, we had a storm that brought in a mix of rain, ice, wind, snow, and brutal cold. The day the storm hit, I had a wedding to officiate. There was a layer of ice, topped with a few inches of snow,...
Devin Robertson
Can Women Serve as Elders in the Church? 5 Questions to Ask about 1 Timothy 3
Disciples of Jesus are facing big challenges in our culture today. One of the difficulties is the increasing cultural accusations of misogyny and patriarchy directed at the local church. If we are honest with ourselves, with this kind of pressure, it is easy to look for a way to re-interpret our understanding of some passages...
Bobby Harrington
Family Discipleship Blueprint: A Year-by-Year Guide to Family Discipleship
As helpful as church programming can be, Christian parents are waking up to the role God has given them to disciple their children. Families are realizing more than ever that they need more than a few ideas to succeed in…
Joel Singleton
Who is the God of the Bible? A Foundational Question We Don’t Ask Nearly Enough
Who is the God of the Bible? He’s the Creator, responsible for all we see. He’s the One whose majesty is beyond contemplation—we should continually be in awe of Him. He’s the one who shows us love, in spite of ourselves. And He is holy, holy, holy, and therefore worthy of our deepest devotion. A...
Paul Huyghebaert
What Is a Church? The What.
As I have studied Scripture, I have found that one of the core elements of church comes from the word itself. We can understand this crucial element by noting that the Greek word for “church” in the original Greek manuscripts of the New Testament is the word ekklesia. The word was widely used for several...
Bobby Harrington
Step into Scripture: A Daily Journey to Understanding Your Bible
A GUIDE TO UNDERSTANDING, LOVING, AND BEING TRANSFORMED BY SCRIPTURE Perhaps you’ve wanted to read and understand the Bible, but it’s intimidating. Is it really possible for a regular person to understand such a massive, ancient book? And even if…
Tina Wilson
The Great Mother’s Day Temptation
What kind of grinch would want to cancel Mother’s Day? As it turns out, the first person to petition to have Mother’s Day canceled wasn’t a grinch at all. She was the person who had invented it. The Origin of Mother’s Day Anna Jarvis was the ninth of eleven children born to Granville and Ann...
Daniel McCoy
Two Effects the Word of God Can Have on You
What effect does the Word of God have on you? It’s not the same for every person. The following is an excerpt from Tina Wilson’s 365-day chronological Bible study Step into Scripture: A Daily Journey to Understanding Your Bible. Not everyone who hears the Word of God changes for the better. The prophet Isaiah wrote...
Tina Wilson
What Is Expository Preaching? What It Isn’t, What It Is, and Why It Matters
What is expository preaching? Rather than a particular method or style, expository preaching is a theological/philosophical approach to preaching which makes a text of Scripture central. Expository preaching builds from discerning a text’s pericope, exegeting it, discerning its form and intent, and exploring appropriate application. Nearly half a century ago, preaching students were introduced to...
Chuck Sackett
A Christian’s Four Mission Fields
Global missionaries often use the term “mission field” to describe where they have been called by God to take the gospel. Yet there are actually four “mission fields” followers of Jesus are commanded by God to work in. Each of these fields needs reintegrating into both our individual and church lives. The Bible indicates that...
Andrew J
Some Ideas for Reaching Veterans through Your Church
In my previous article “A Suffering Group We’ve Largely Forgotten,” I addressed the way in which the church has struggled to provide holistic care for the military veterans within our communities. I am both a lead minister and a veteran, and I am passionate about mobilizing churches to minister to veterans; after all, you would...
Chris Lake
Foreword to ‘Male and Female: A Biblical Look at Gender’
The following is one of the forewords for the book Male & Female: A Biblical Look at Gender, edited by Renée Webb Sproles. Henny-Penny, we are told in various versions of the story, was a chick hit upon the head by a single falling acorn. She concludes the “sky is falling” and precipitates mass hysteria...
Rick Oster
Formula for Growing Up Baby Christians
Do you have any Christians in your church who should be way past the baby stage, but they’re not? Unfortunately, this article is not mainly about them. The question here is, have you ever found yourself acting immaturely, like a spiritual infant, when you should know better? When you take an introspective look, do you recall times when...
Anthony Walker
How Do I Become a Better Listener?
You’ve heard the old joke: My wife told me I have two main faults. One is I’m not a good listener, and I don’t remember what the other one is. Then there was the guy who was convinced that his wife needed hearing aids. So he devised a plan to test her. From the kitchen,...
Jim Frech
What Is the Trinity in the Bible?
What is the Trinity in the Bible? God, who reveals himself through creation, showed himself specially to Abraham and his descendants. In the gospel, God revealed himself as three persons but one God: the Father sent his only Son, and they sent forth the Spirit. The following is an excerpt from Matthew W. Bates, The Gospel...
Matthew W. Bates
The Breastplate of Righteousness: 3 Ways Righteousness Guards Our Hearts
In describing spiritual “armor” which protect followers of Jesus, the apostle Paul includes the “breastplate of righteousness.” But what is it about righteousness that protects us? How does righteousness, as a physical breastplate protects the heart, guard our inner life? Here are three ways. Former U.S. Senate chaplain Peter Marshall gave the following illustration: “An...
Daniel McCoy