Articles (Page 25)
Teaching the Bible Well Even if You Only Have 5 Minutes to Speak
My church meets in multiple “home congregations” throughout Kansas City. Most weeks in our church gatherings, we have an “open sharing time.” During this portion of our meeting, people are free to communicate with the group in various ways, such as by sharing a testimony, telling about an evangelistic experience they recently had, confessing sin, and asking for prayer. During this time, the men of the church are free to teach something briefly from Scripture (usually for 5 to 10…
My Preferred Way to Read the Bible
It’s presumptuous for a man to suggest that he knows the best method for everyone to read the Bible. But I’m going to tell you the way that I best read the Bible . . . and why it works so well for me. I’ve been a Bible reader for many years and the plans I’ve followed are certainly varied. At times I’ve read the Bible through every seven weeks. I believe I even read it in a month a…
Christian Brothers Taking Care of Us
The “innards” are being redone. We had a problem in our home with a fireplace. The repair costs close to the same price as the purchase of a new direct gas unit, so we opted for that, and planned to do some of the work to save money. It was also time to check our furnace for the year, something we don’t do that often but seemed right at this time due to some “issues.” The furnace check revealed that…
Appearances of Christ to Paul
Paul saw Christ. There, on the road to Damascus in Syria the future apostle met up with a vision of Christ that shaped his entire future, the future of the Christian world, and of the world in general. Later, in his defense to King Agrippa, he recalled what Christ said to him on that day: “But get up and stand on your feet; for this purpose I have APPEARED to you, to appoint you a minister and a witness not…
Persons Expelled from the Church and Attending Church Meetings
I have often heard through the years that those who have been disciplined out of a church should nonetheless be allowed to attend as non-members. I want to submit my view on the matter. The passage about the man who committed incest is instructive. This is found in 1 Cor 5. Look carefully at what Paul instructed the Corinthian church to do concerning this man. Note the strong language: —“so that the one who has done this deed would be…
In or Out
You may think you can be a little bit into Christ, but this is impossible. You are either in Him or not in Him. If you are “in Him,” you are “complete in Him” and “members of His body.” And you are “accepted in the Beloved.” “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us.” If a man is “in Christ,” he is a new…
Jerusalem Update: November 2013
“You know what I love about living here?” These were the first words I heard from Bryan’s mouth this morning. I peeked my head into our tiny bathroom area where Bryan was carrying out his morning bug massacre to hear his answer. “I love how many problems we have here. It’s great.” You might think this answer sounded Pollyannish, but I understood exactly what he meant. Of course, unlike our escalating bug problem, a few weightier ones we’ve been dealing…
Thanksgiving in Ethiopia: Ministry in Hosanna
I just finished an outstanding lunch at the missionary guesthouse—mashed potatoes, cooked carrots, dressing, chicken, and a unique salad that included bananas. It was like Thanksgiving in Ethiopia! Not surprisingly, the attendance at this lunch was higher than most days. We hope the people we served in Hosanna this past weekend enjoyed the food for the soul that we gave them. Our plan is so simple: teach the Bible. What else do they ultimately need? And what else has God…
From Ethiopia: Ministry in Goha Tsion
While driving back from a weekend of ministry in a town called Goha Tsion, we learned from a church planter with us that just yesterday (Sunday) a mini-bus crashed into another vehicle on the same route we were taking. 13 people died and 4 are in critical condition. I was able to get a picture of the vehicles as we drove by, although the picture doesn’t illustrate just how devastating the crash really was. It was a reminder to us…
The Glory on the Mountain; the Glory in You
After Moses encounters the preincarnate Christ on the mountain called Horeb seven times, the glory of the Lord comes on the newly erected Tabernacle, the new meeting place. It is a holy place because God is there. Later this glory will come on the Solomonic Temple, but later still, thanks to God, on His church at Pentecost. We are the temple of the New Covenant, where the Spirit dwells and we can behold the glory of Christ with unveiled face…
Jerusalem Update: October 2013
Elliff October Update You know the feeling. You stop paying much attention to the paths you walk (or drive) every day, you go to the same stores and buy the same foods, you see the same people and grow to enjoy their company . . . it’s the feeling of settling in. Though surprises still often tap us on the shoulder, this welcome feeling has been growing in us this last month. Lately we’ve found that a good way to…
The Plagues on Egypt Memory Tool
One, water to blood; Two, toads in mud; Three, thriving gnats; Four, flies that splat; Five, flocks that drop; Six, sores that pop; Seven, stones and storming; Eight, eaters swarming; Nine, nighttime bumbling; Ten, tykes are tumbling.