The Professions of the Apostles

The apostles fishing with Jesus

“Jesus summoned His twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness. Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; and James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed Him” (Matthew 10:1-4).

After spending an extensive amount of time with them over a period of three years, Jesus sent His apostles into all the world to preach the gospel. These men were chosen from various backgrounds. We do not know what all of them did before Jesus called them, but we do know this for a few.

For those whose backgrounds are known, there are some lessons we can learn. We can also see that Jesus offered them (and us) something far better than any earthly employment.Continue Reading

Answering Basic Questions (Part 6): What Is the Church?

Answering Basic Questions

When people hear the word “church,” they will likely have many different ideas about what a church should look like, how it should be organized, and what it should be doing. However, we need to understand the description of the church that is given in the New Testament. This is how we can find the Lord’s church today.

So what is the church? Let us notice four points.Continue Reading

Answering Basic Questions (Part 4): Who Is Jesus?

Answering Basic Questions

Virtually everyone we will meet has at least heard of Jesus, though they may have different opinions or assumptions about Him. Some may see Him as a great teacher. Others might think that he was just a Jewish rabbi. There are also those who believe that He was nothing more than a myth or a legend. Then there are believers who will affirm that He is the Son of God.

So who is Jesus? We will just scratch the surface here, but let us consider four points to help us answer that question.Continue Reading

How Should Christians View America’s Role in Supporting Israel? (Episode 7)

Plain Bible Teaching Podcast

The question we’ll be considering in this episode was submitted via the podcast question submission form:

How should Christians view America’s role in supporting Israel?

This is a political topic because it is about government policy. Yet many religious people believe there is a Biblical mandate for the national support of the modern state of Israel. To answer this question from a Biblical perspective, we’re going to consider a few principles.

Additional resources:

Do you have a question you would like to submit for a future episode? Fill out the Plain Bible Teaching Podcast question form.

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Let Us Show Gratitude

Thankful

“Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe” (Hebrews 12:28).

In this passage that talks about the Lord’s kingdom and the need to serve God with “reverence and godly fear” (KJV), there is one key point that connects these ideas together – the importance of gratitude.Continue Reading

A Personal Relationship with Jesus

Man Praying

Many people in the religious world talk about having a “personal relationship with Jesus.” On the surface, this may sound good and appealing. After all, is there anyone who believes in Jesus but would not want this?

However, rather than thinking about how this sounds, we ought to consider what this means. In fact, different people may mean different things when they talk about a “personal relationship with Jesus.” Rather than focusing on what people might mean by this, we need to be concerned with what the Bible says. Are we to have a “personal relationship with Jesus”? If so, what is this relationship to look like? This is what we will consider in this article.Continue Reading

Great Days in History (Part 5): The Day of Pentecost

Great Days in History

“When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance” (Acts 2:1-4).

The day of Pentecost – called the Feast of Weeks in the Old Testament (Exodus 34:22; Deuteronomy 16:10) – occurred fifty days after the Passover (Leviticus 23:15-16). This was to be observed every year by the Jews; however, this lesson is not about the annual event, but one specific day – the day of Pentecost following Jesus’ ascension.Continue Reading