A Brief Historical Background of Acts

The eternal struggle of the Christian preacher and teacher is to bring antiquity to contemporary audiences in such a manner that transports these modern hearers into the shoes of the people in the past while simultaneously leaving behind biases, preconceived notions, modern senses of morality and understanding.   The context of the original audience must beContinue reading “A Brief Historical Background of Acts”

Sermons That Made Us

Purity is an appropriate topic for all Christians of all maturity levels.  Scripture sees purity as an essential characteristic of the Christian and sins of a sexual nature often derive much more significant and severe consequences than other sins. Consider David and Bathsheeba (2 Samuel 11) and Paul’s statements in 1 Corinthians 6:15-18.  Rick HollandContinue reading “Sermons That Made Us”

The Abrahamic Covenant

The promise of redemption came to Adam and Eve in Genesis 3:15, but it was through Abraham that the future pathway for redemption was realized.  Alexander writes, “In terms of the number of chapters given over to him, Abraham is clearly the most important of all the human characters in Genesis.”  The Abrahamic Covenant andContinue reading “The Abrahamic Covenant”

Thankfulness After the Unknown

Yazmin and I celebrated our sixth year wedding anniversary and our son’s fifth birthday yesterday. Our little townhome was the site of a child-wrought tempest as piñatas were shattered, pizza and cake were devoured, and toys littered the countryside. There is nothing like watching several boys have fun with each other while the parents chit-chatContinue reading “Thankfulness After the Unknown”

The Agony of Lost Opportunity

Who among us can make a bold statement such as, “I have no regrets in life?” As Christians, we know that we will never regret not sinning but at the same time, we continue to sin in this fallen world. We who are redeemed are undoubtedly filled with the regrets of our sins, yet weContinue reading “The Agony of Lost Opportunity”

Remembering Our Hope

Scripture is filled with many instances of deliberate and permanent reminders of the Lord’s mercy, kindness, compassion, love, and faithfulness. In Joshua, Twelve stones were left in the Jordan River to be left as a reminder of what the Lord had accomplished that day. A powerful river was brought to a halt so that IsraelContinue reading “Remembering Our Hope”

The Hidden Years

Jesus’s childhood lacks any explicit information, apart from Luke’s account, that gives biographical access to His daily living from birth to the start of His earthly ministry.  The knowledge that readers of the Bible have to go on is historical cues and context surrounding typical childhoods of the Jews during Jesus’ time.  Aptly named theContinue reading “The Hidden Years”

Inerrancy and Hermeneutics

George Bernard Shaw is credited with saying, “The English and Americans are two peoples divided by a common language.”[1] Language is varied and complex and differs from location to location.  The method by which humans communicate with one another differs from nation to nation and person to person.  The language barrier between people of theContinue reading “Inerrancy and Hermeneutics”

The Quest for the Great Theological “One-Liner”

Any consumer of media will tell you their list of favorite “one-liners.”  These “one-liners” are often the satisfying climax to demonstrating complete and total victory over an opponent or foreshadowing to an epic event that achieves a win for the good guys.  The classic example is the “Oh yeah?  You and whose army?”  To whichContinue reading “The Quest for the Great Theological “One-Liner””