Every translation I checked for 2 Thessalonians 3:3 begins the verse with the word “But.” What’s the big deal about that? The chapter begins with Paul asking his brethren to “pray for us.” First and foremost, Paul wanted “the word of the Lord” to be able to “run swiftly and be glorified.” Then, he longed to “be delivered from unreasonable and wicked…
Let's Go Back to the Bible
Let's Go Back to the Bible
Posts by David Sproule (Page 177)
We are hearing a lot about Syria in the news these days, and none of it is good. What is happening in Syria is very serious! Here is a nation that has been engaged in a horrific civil war for more than five years, which has claimed the lives of more than 250,000 people. Whatever the cause of this violence and however…
Faithful Christians are responsible for standing for truth (Eph. 6:10-14) and giving an answer to questions that are asked (1 Pet. 3:15). It is truly amazing how God supplied the answers in His Word (cf. 2 Pet. 1:3; 2 Tim. 3:16-17), even before many of the answers were ever needed. Consider this. Which of the apostles was married? Was James? John? Matthew?…
Surely there’s nothing wrong with it, right? A customer in a restaurant with self-service fountain drinks asks the cashier for a water cup. A small (maybe 9 oz.), translucent cup is handed to the “customer,” so that he can dispense some drinking water into his free water cup. The customer then makes his way to the dispenser and proceeds to make another…
In reading through the Old Testament, a Bible reader will find that God had some very specific laws to which He expected His people to adhere. At first reading, some may appear to be superfluous or extreme or just plain unnecessary. It is possible that some Jews may have thought, “That’s no big deal. I can handle that. This doesn’t apply to…
American screenwriter, director and film producer, Joss Whedon (known for “Avengers” and “Buffy, the Vampire Slayer”), once said, “Loneliness is about the scariest thing out there.” For too many people, they would agree with that conclusion. But, let’s make a distinction. Do you think there were any Bible characters who experienced loneliness? Joseph? David? Jeremiah? Paul? Most certainly there were times when…
While most Christians know “The Golden Rule,” there are many of us who have a hard time living it consistently. Meditate on this paraphrase (“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”), and ask yourself, “Is this my standard operating procedure?” What if God had said, “Think about others as you would have them think about you”? Do I…
As one reads through the pages of the New Testament, there is no doubt that the preaching of first-century Christians is something that deserves our careful inspection and emulation. Their preaching was (1) successful, as individuals from all walks of life and all backgrounds were being converted (Acts 2:5-40; 8:5-13; 9:1-18; 10:1-48; 16:11-40; Phil. 1:13; 4:22). Their preaching was (2) wide-spread, as…