While only mentioned sparingly in Scripture, Apollos was a key figure in the early church. When first introduced in Acts 18, he was “an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures” (18:24). Not only that, “this man had been instructed in the way of the Lord” (18:25). Notice that he was “mighty” (dunatos: able, competent, powerful) in the Scriptures, and he had…

At an auction for some very rare and precious collectibles, two bidders were “going at it.” The older bidder, unknown to everyone else in the room, had snatched one of the most valuable pieces in the auction, which really irked a young “opponent.” Determined to “stick it to” the old man, the young hot  head ran up the bid on the final…

As the Lord lives, America is doomed! His Word, which cannot fail, warned that “the city…is overthrown by …the wicked” (Prov. 11:11) and “the house of the wicked will be overthrown” (Prov. 14:11). Because “sin is a reproach to any people” (Prov. 14:34), “the righteous God wisely considers the house of the wicked, overthrowing the wicked for their wickedness” (Prov. 21:12). When…

With very few exceptions, every one of us is surrounded on a daily basis by individuals whose souls are lost in sin and separated from God! Take a moment to look around you right now — the next person you see is lost! It’s not only true that he was lost and that he will be lost, but the truth is that…

The apostle Paul was forced to leave the infant church of Thessalonica before he was confident about the state of their faith. When he “could no longer endure it,” he sent Timothy “to know [their] faith” (1 Thess. 3:1, 5). When Timothy returned with “good news of [their] faith and love” (3:6), Paul was “comforted” (3:7) and said that he could now…

In the ancient Roman culture, when slaves went about their work, they would tie a long white apron (called egkomboma) on over their other garments. Why is that significant? The word egkomboma is not found in the Greek New Testament, but the verb form (egkomboomai) is used one time–in 1 Peter 5:5.  “Clothe yourselves (egkomboomai) with humility.” Literally, “tie on the apron…

The Greek “god of fire” was Hephaestus, one of the sons of Zeus, but he’s a lower case “g” god — i.e., a fake god! Do you know who the real “God of fire” is, with a capital “G”? In Daniel 3, Nebuchadnezzar was furious with the unwavering faith of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Hego, so he had his fiery furnace heated “seven…

As a fisherman, Peter knew a lot about fishing, but he also knew a lot about catching. When he had “toiled all night and caught nothing,” there can be little doubt that he had done all that he knew how to successfully do to catch fish. He’d been fishing that night, but not catching. Jesus sat in his boat and told him,…