On his Third Missionary Journey, Paul paused to meet with some special friends—the elders of the church in Ephesus. They all sat down and discussed the work of the church and prayed together. From Paul’s words on that occasion, we learn much about the work of a faithful preacher. Consider these qualities and responsibilities of God’s evangelists: He is to live a…
Let's Go Back to the Bible
Let's Go Back to the Bible
Posts by David Sproule (Page 77)
Most of us likely eat much better than the average person in other parts of the world. But, is it really all about what’s on the table? What if all we could bring to the table to eat was “herbs” or a “dry crust of bread”? That wouldn’t be very good, would it? Certainly, we would rather have a table full of festive dishes to fill…
Sometimes things happen and we want to know, “Why?” We look and search and dig and wonder and fret and worry about the “Why?” We get so desperate sometimes that we start to make up reasons and explanations in our minds to satisfy our search for “Why?” Oftentimes (and almost always) those reasons and explanations are not well-founded and cause us to settle our thoughts…
Five times in his letters, Paul used the expression, “This is a faithful saying,” and all of them are found in his letters to Timothy and Titus. Of course, all Scripture is comprised of the “faithful sayings” of God, but let us see what we can learn from these five truths that Paul identifies as “faithful.” The first “faithful saying” focuses on…
Jesus said, “As you wish that others would do to you, do so to them” (Luke 6:31). Do you wish that others would chew you out and curse at you? No? Then don’t do that to them! Do you wish that others would make fun of you and laugh at you? No? Then don’t do that to them! Do you wish that others would talk about you behind your…
Some preachers are very skilled at what they do. Some are very dynamic and can really keep your attention. Some really know the Scriptures and can make them come alive. But do you realize that many of these so-called “skilled” preachers are in error? Is that a big deal? The inspired historian Luke tells us of a preacher, named Apollos, who was “an eloquent man…
When something extraordinary happens today, it is sometimes exclaimed by someone, “It’s a miracle!” However, is that a justifiable statement or explanation? It is vital that we always use Bible words in the way that the Bible uses those terms. The word “miracle” is certainly a Bible term, and it is defined as “works of a supernatural origin and character, such as…
The trial of Jesus before the Jews was a complete charade, a mockery of anything called justice and an obvious effort to manipulate the outcome in favor of their twisted plot! As “many false witnessed came forward” to lie about Jesus, He “kept silent” (Matt. 26:60-63). Then, when Jesus affirmed His deity, the “court” came unglued and accused Him of “blasphemy” (26:63-65). They pronounced their…