August 30, 2017

What Should Characterize Our Giving?

Collection plate

“Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:6-7).

Periodically, it is good for us to evaluate what we do in our service to God in order to make sure we are doing what we should do with the right attitude to the best of our abilities. In this article, we are going to look at one aspect of our service to God – our giving on the first day of the week. This is not about examining the total amount that is contributed by everyone assembled in a congregation; rather, it is about individually examining ourselves by the standard of God’s word.

With this in mind, let us use the New Testament to help us consider the following question: What should characterize our giving?Continue Reading

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November 15, 2016

The Priesthood of Christ (Season 4, Episode 4)

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The Priesthood of Christ (Season 4, Episode 4)

The writer of the book of Hebrews repeatedly spoke of things under the law of Christ as being better than those under the Law of Moses. With Christ, we have a better hope (Hebrews 6:19-20; 7:19), better covenant (Hebrews 7:22; 8:6), better promises (Hebrews 8:6), and a better sacrifice (Hebrews 9:23-28). The writer told his audience, “Consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession” (Hebrews 3:1). The role of the high priest was to offer sacrifices for sins (Hebrews 5:1) and be an intercessor between God and man (Hebrews 7:24-25). The nature of Christ’s priesthood is one of the things that is better under the new law. In this episode, let us consider the priesthood of Christ.

Article: The Priesthood of Christ

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September 14, 2016

The Death of Jesus

Crucifixion of Christ

In the previous article, we considered the life of Jesus. He perfectly fulfilled the Father’s will – even in His death. This article will focus on the death of Jesus and what we should understand about it.
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August 23, 2016

Atonement (Season 3, Episode 5)

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Atonement (Season 3, Episode 5)

Three weeks ago we discussed the five types of offerings found in the book of Leviticus. One of these was the sin offering. These were made periodically, whenever someone would sin unintentionally. However, there was also an annual day of atonement – the one time a year in which the high priest would enter the most holy place. In this episode, we’re going to discuss the day of atonement and how the sacrifices were a foreshadowing of the work of Christ.

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August 2, 2016

Five Types of Offerings (Season 3, Episode 2)

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Five Types of Offerings (Season 3, Episode 2)

The book of Leviticus begins by describing five different types of offerings that were to be made. All of them were for a different purpose. And all foreshadowed a different aspect of Jesus’ sacrifice for us. They also apply to the sacrifice of self that we are to make in our service to God today. So in this episode, we’re going to look at the 5 types of offerings and see how they parallel the sacrifice of Jesus and the self-sacrifice we must make today.

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March 9, 2016

Marriage, Jesus, and the Church

Wedding

“Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.

“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless. So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does for the church, because we are members of His body. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.

“This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church. Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband” (Ephesians 5:22-33).

The passage above is often used to discuss the roles of husbands and wives. This is certainly taught in the passage. However, there is much more to being husbands and wives than just what is discussed in those verses. But what is there is for the purpose of illustrating the main point – the relationship between Christ and the church. Notice again what Paul said, “This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church” (Ephesians 5:32).

In this article, we are going to consider what the passage says about the roles of husbands and wives. From there, we will see how this explains the relationship between Christ and the church. After we understand that, we will circle back around and make some applications for our lives – particularly as it relates to marriage.
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July 14, 2015

Joshua Circumcised the People

Crossing the Jordan River

“At that time the Lord said to Joshua, ‘Make for yourself flint knives and circumcise again the sons of Israel the second time.’ So Joshua made himself flint knives and circumcised the sons of Israel at Gibeath-haaraloth.

“This is the reason why Joshua circumcised them: all the people who came out of Egypt who were males, all the men of war, died in the wilderness along the way after they came out of Egypt. For all the people who came out were circumcised, but all the people who were born in the wilderness along the way as they came out of Egypt had not been circumcised. For the sons of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, until all the nation, that is, the men of war who came out of Egypt, perished because they did not listen to the voice of the Lord, to whom the Lord had sworn that He would not let them see the land which the Lord had sworn to their fathers to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey. Their children whom He raised up in their place, Joshua circumcised; for they were uncircumcised, because they had not circumcised them along the way.

“Now when they had finished circumcising all the nation, they remained in their places in the camp until they were healed. Then the Lord said to Joshua, ‘Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.’ So the name of that place is called Gilgal to this day” (Joshua 5:2-9).

After crossing the Jordan river into the land of Canaan (Joshua 3), but before conquering the first city (Joshua 6), the Lord commanded Joshua to circumcise the sons of Israel. It is important that we understand the reasons why this was done because their physical circumcision is parallel to our spiritual circumcision. Let us consider some lessons that we can learn from this account.
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