July 29, 2009

By Faith Moses Left Egypt

Moses Kills the Egyptian

Moses is one of the great characters in the Bible. His example of faith is pointed out to us in Hebrews 11 – the chapter of faith. The Hebrew writer mentioned a few things that Moses did to please God – he “refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter,” “kept the Passover,” and “passed through the Red Sea” (Hebrews 11:24, 28, 29). These are plainly understood from the history given in the book of Exodus.

However, one of the events mentioned has more questions surrounding it: “By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him who is unseen” (Hebrews 11:27). What event was the Hebrew writer referring to when he wrote this? Was he talking about the exodus when Moses led the people out of the land of Egypt? Or was he talking about Moses’ departure from Egypt to the land of Midian after killing the Egyptian he saw mistreating one of his Hebrew brethren (Exodus 2:11-15)?
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July 27, 2009

New Bible

Bible

When I was in college I bought a New Testament that would fit in my back pocket. I wanted to have a Bible with me wherever I was in case an opportunity came up where it would be handy to have one. I have carried this New Testament in my back pocket for the last nine years.

Naturally, after years of regular use, this Bible slowly began to wear out. Recently it reached the point where pages were falling out. It was time to replace it. After searching the internet and receiving suggestions from others, I found an acceptable replacement. After receiving it, one of the first things I did was tear out a couple of pages.
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July 19, 2009

Waiting for a Sign

Man by the water

There are times in our lives when we have difficult decisions to make. In considering major decisions such as choosing a spouse, deciding where to live, what course to pursue in college, what job to take, and so on, we wonder what choice is best and are often anxious about our decision because of the major impact it will have on our life and even the lives of others.

For Christians that believe in a loving and powerful God, it is natural to want to seek guidance from Him when we have to make decisions like these. But what sort of guidance are we seeking? And are we truly seeking His guidance or are we merely attributing things to Him and then making ourselves believe that the Lord led us to make a certain decision?

It is not uncommon to hear people talk about receiving signs from God. These “signs” come in many different forms – weather events, phone calls, scheduling conflicts, job promotions, being passed over for a promotion, or even being laid off, etc. The list is virtually endless. People take events like these as if they are signs from God and, therefore, the reason to make one decision over another. Does the Bible have anything to say about this?
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July 11, 2009

Why Do We Assemble?

Pews

The New Testament gives three reasons why it is important for Christians to assemble:

  1. We assemble to worship God (John 4:24).
  2. We assemble to encourage our brethren (Hebrews 10:25).
  3. We assemble to gain encouragement from our brethren (Hebrews 10:25).

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July 9, 2009

What Is Sin?

No Trespassing

The Scriptures are clear in depicting sin as something terrible. Sin separates us from God (Isaiah 59:2). The punishment for it is eternal, spiritual death (Romans 6:23). Sin is the reason why Jesus had to suffer a torturous death on the cross (1 Peter 2:24). But some may not have learned or may need to be reminded about what sin is. Let us notice three brief points.
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July 7, 2009

“Behold, the Lamb of God”

Cross

John’s mission was to prepare the way for Christ (Isaiah 40:3; Malachi 3:1). On a day when he saw Jesus coming to the place he was preaching and baptizing, John announced, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29).

There is a lot in John’s statement. Much of it may not have been understood at first. This is to be expected with prophecies. But as time went on and different things happened (Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, the establishment of His church, etc.), those who heard him could go back to declarations like this one and see more clearly the clues that were given and confirm the fact that God was behind all of this.
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July 4, 2009

David’s Mighty Men

David's Mighty Men

There were certain individuals referred to as David’s “mighty men” (2 Samuel 23:8). David was king over Israel and often engaged in battles with the surrounding nations. These men were distinguished for their courage and accomplishments in his service.

Today, Jesus is a ruler who descended from David (Matthew 1:1; Romans 1:3). But His kingdom is spiritual in nature (John 18:36). His servants fight for Him – just as David’s men – yet ours is a spiritual fight (2 Corinthians 10:3). However, we can learn from David’s mighty men to see how we are to serve Christ today.
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