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This week we’re talking about the Bible as a practical book. On this podcast, we try to focus on what the Bible says and how we can apply it. Why do we do this? Because that is how God expects us to use His word.Continue Reading
During the apostle Paul’s second preaching tour, he met a young man named Timothy. Paul was so impressed with him that he wanted Timothy to accompany him on his journey (Acts 16:3). As Luke introduced Timothy in this passage, we can see that it was not just Paul who held this young man in high regard.
“Paul came also to Derbe and to Lystra. And a disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek, and he was well spoken of by the brethren who were in Lystra and Iconium” (Acts 16:1-2).
What made Timothy such an outstanding young man? The passage above does not give us much information (other than the fact that he was “a disciple”), yet we learn more from Paul’s second letter to Timothy about what set him apart from others.Continue Reading
When we study “church” history, we are limited to what has been recorded in the past and preserved until the present. Because of this, there are religious groups from various times and places that we know little or nothing about. I recently learned about one of these groups while browsing Barton W. Stone’s journal, The Christian Messenger. An excerpt titled, A Christian Church among the Arabs, Turks & Persians, described a “Christian Church” in the Middle East.
“On the shores of the River Tigris, there exists a Christian Church, the members of which call themselves Chaldeans, and trace their origin to the time of the Apostles. It is supposed that they number 500,000 souls. But little is known of these people. The Papists attempted to make an impression on them some years ago, but failed, and that because of the Bible, of which they had many manuscript copies. Since it has been discovered that these Bible Christians have no printing establishments among them, and no books, the British & Foreign Bible Society, are making arrangements to provide them with printed copies of the Bible.” (Excerpt from The Christian Messenger, Volume 2)
The quote above was published in 1827. This “Christian Church” in the area of the Tigris River called themselves Chaldeans, numbered half a million people, and claimed to trace their origin to the apostles in the first century.Continue Reading
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This week we’re talking about those who find the Bible – particularly the writings of the apostle Paul – to be offensive. In a recent video, a woman who is a “pastor” in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America explained during a service that they skipped over some of the text when they read from “Corinthians” because it was, in her words, “yikes” and that Paul was being a “jerk.” There are a few things I want us to talk about in response to that.Continue Reading
Few preachers associated with the Restoration Movement fought so strongly and effectively against innovations and apostasy than Daniel Sommer (1850-1940). His efforts were motivated by a profound respect for the word of God, and his ability to defend the truth as he did was possible because of his diligence in studying the Scriptures. This respect and diligence can be seen in the quote below from Allen Sommer – the son of Daniel Sommer – as he recalled the memory of his father.
“When he was home, as a child I remember going to bed at night leaving Father seated at a writing table with the Book open before him, and a piece of heavy paper or card-board bent around the coal-oil lamp chimney, to shade his eyes … there he was—reading and writing—always writing and reading … And when I sleepily drifted into the room next morning, there he was—reading that Book, and writing … always writing and reading. I wondered if he’d been there all night … Sometimes he’d pause, lift his massive head and shoulders and gaze straight ahead. I wondered then what he saw. Later I concluded he was turning over in his mind a scripture, looking under, around, and behind, for safe-and-sane solution…” (Faith and Facts Quarterly, Volume 48, Number 2, p. 19).
Daniel Sommer had such a habit of Bible study that his young son wondered if he ever went to sleep or stayed up all night with the word of God open before him. This diligence is commendable. We all need to strive to maintain such a habit of studying the Scriptures. Yet there was more involved in the study done by Sommer than just the time he spent in it. His young son noticed the time, but as Allen Sommer grew up, he realized that his father’s approach to the Scriptures – looking for a “safe-and-sane solution” to the issue at hand – enabled him to teach and defend the truth so effectively.Continue Reading
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This week we’re talking about how AI can be used to generate “fake” Bible verses. The danger in this is that those who are not familiar with the Scriptures can be easily deceived by fake verses that sound vaguely like Biblical statements but contain teaching that is contrary to what the Bible actually says. Instead, they will provide some sense of comfort to people who simply want to hear what they want to hear.Continue Reading
[Note: I was invited to speak at the Cane Ridge Meeting House on June 17, 2023, to discuss the Cane Ridge revival and how it compared with other modern-day revivals, such as the one that occurred at Asbury University a few months earlier. A recording of this lecture will be included at the bottom of this article. This article is based on my notes from that lecture.]
The Cane Ridge Meeting House in Bourbon County, Kentucky, was the site of a revival in 1801. This momentous occasion has been called “America’s Pentecost.” The event helped launch a movement – often called the “Restoration Movement” or the “Stone-Campbell Movement” (named after Barton W. Stone and Alexander Campbell). Barton W. Stone preached at the Cane Ridge church and played a leading role in the revival that occurred in that place.
From time to time, we hear of “revivals” happening today. Recently, a “revival” at Asbury University drew national attention. What should we think about such events? The revival at Cane Ridge that occurred over two hundred years ago has some lessons that can help us answer that question.Continue Reading
Peter issued this challenge to all Christians: “But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence” (1 Peter 3:15). However, many Christians feel unprepared to do this; therefore, many conversations that could potentially lead people to the truth never get started.
This book will help equip all Christians to start engaging in spiritual conversations with those around them by providing simple answers to some basic Bible questions. Being ready to give an answer does not mean having an answer to every possible question at the drop of a hat. Instead, it means being able to give a ready answer to questions that are fundamental to our faith that can open the door to further discussions and studies with those who are interested. By studying the material in this book and becoming familiar with the Scriptures cited in each answer, Christians will be better prepared and have more confidence when they discuss their faith with others.
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