Posts with the category “dr-jeremy-shaffer”

In seminary, I took a Bible class that was simply titled “Romans.”  If you know anything about Romans, you know that Romans can be one of the most theologically complex books in the New Testament (som...  Read More

The Book of Acts begins by dropping the reader right into the middle of a teaching session that Jesus was conducting with His Apostles. It is apparent that the Apostles were not satisfied with knowing...  Read More

Have you ever wondered why there is a blank page in your Bible that separates the Old Testament from the New Testament? Most assume it is just a simple, bookish way to show separation between the Old ...  Read More

1. Was every prophet divinely called into service by God?Unlike the office of the priesthood, which was ancestry-based (you needed to be a descendant of Aaron), the office of the prophet was a divinel...  Read More

Song of Solomon (or Song of Songs) has, by far, produced a plethora of interpretations over the centuries. If you need some interesting, rabbit-hole reading, then look up the interpretations of Song o...  Read More

If you didn’t know, my wife and I were privileged to visit Israel earlier this year. On one Saturday afternoon, after visiting the magnificent Qumran National Park where the Dead Sea Scrolls were unea...  Read More

The third section of the Old Testament in English is called the Wisdom Literature, comprised of the books of Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon.  To some, the Wisdom Literature s...  Read More

Every Psalm can stand on its ownBy this, I mean that Psalms do not contain chapters, like in a traditional Bible book; each Psalm is unique and can function as a stand-alone song. Therefore, for examp...  Read More

As early as the Book of Deuteronomy (29:24-28), Moses warned the people of Israel that perpetual disobedience of God’s laws could lead to the most devastating discipline the nation would ever experien...  Read More

One of the reasons why many people like the Bible is because the underdog often comes away as the hero. Classic accounts of David and Goliath, Daniel and the Lion’s Den, or Moses and Pharaoh have been...  Read More

When I was younger, I learned a great song (motions included) about the 12 spies Moses sent to reconnoiter the Promised Land (Numbers 13-14). It goes like this, “Twelve men went to spy out Canaan, ten...  Read More

When I was a student in Bible college, I can vividly remember when our campus pastor announced one Sunday that he was going to embark on a new preaching series … the Book of Leviticus. As a young coll...  Read More

If you’re familiar with Jacob’s life and story, then I can almost guarantee you know at least two things about him: he worked 14 years to marry Rachel and had a night-long wrestling match with God. On...  Read More

As a sophomore in college with a history minor, I took a world geography class.  I enjoyed my somewhat animated professor who liked to remind us that when studying geography, we need to have our menta...  Read More

Yes, you read the title correctly; your eyes are not playing tricks on you.  Sometimes, the minuscule, pointless, and most aggravating things in this life have spiritual value.  Really, any part of Go...  Read More

The Passion Week of Christ is the single most important week in all of human history. Christ’s sacrificial act on the Cross provides meaning to everything in the universe. John said it best in Revelat...  Read More

Have you ever stopped to consider why the phrase “love one another” is a command in Scripture? I think the simple answer is that loving one another is not an easy task.  Loving one another takes work;...  Read More

Twenty-two years ago, when my wife and I were traveling to our honeymoon destination, we managed to get stuck in traffic. When we found ourselves stuck in traffic, I told her to reach under the seat, ...  Read More

Why is the day we celebrate Easter different each year? Have you ever asked that question? When I was younger, the holidays that did not change were always easy to remember, mainly because we would be...  Read More

This Passion Week guide is designed to help you make sense of the events of the most important week in the life of Christ while He was on earth. Each day has a brief summary of events that could serve...  Read More

Did you know that chapters and verses are not inspired? Did that get your attention? During the Medieval era of history, Stephen Langton from the University of Paris added chapters to the Biblical tex...  Read More

When January of 2020 began, I had such high hopes for the year, especially because this would be the year in which I would get a chance to knock off the item at the very top of my bucket list. My wife...  Read More

“Well, that’s something I didn’t know,” says every Bible reader (sarcastically, of course). I’m not trying to insult your intelligence, but sometimes every Bible reader and student of Scripture needs ...  Read More

Did you know that sometimes your Bible translation is giving you vital information that is hidden in plain sight? When there is a change in the font style make sure you pay attention because that smal...  Read More

Location, location, location is the mantra in the real estate world, but did you know that this mantra is also a big deal in the world of the Bible? No, I’m not trying to sell you biblical real estate...  Read More

Cross-referencing might just be one of the most important tools for Bible study, and in the same breath, it also might be one of the most underutilized tools. A seasoned Bible reader knows the value o...  Read More

Fireworks, gathering with family, outdoor concerts, and good food have always been the ingredients to a proper celebration of America’s birthday. This July, the United States will celebrate that 246 y...  Read More

The Jewish festival, which is termed in the Greek language as “Pentecost,” is the same festival we find in the Old Testament called the “Feast of Weeks” or “Feast of Harvest” (Lev.23:15-ff). The actua...  Read More

In the world of Bible study, a commentary is a very helpful tool, however, there are so many of them that the average Christian doesn’t know where to start. In addition to this, many different types o...  Read More

When I was just starting out in this life-long pursuit of reading my Bible, I rarely spent any time with that collection of maps in the back of my Bible. Today, many study Bibles include various maps ...  Read More

A Parallel Bible is not a Bible translation, it is a way of organizing many translations into one Bible. Normally, two to four translations can be included in a Parallel Bible, and typically they are ...  Read More

When I start a construction project, I always take an inventory to make sure that I have the proper tools needed to completed the job. In a similar way, when you undertake the study of God’s Word you ...  Read More

Have you ever asked yourself that question? The Bible is a really big book, but it’s made up of 66 individual books that vary in size. Did you know that many of those books can be read in one-hour rea...  Read More

In 1 Thessalonians 5:18, it says, “give thanks in all circumstances...” This reminder from Paul teaches us that it is God’s will that we have a spirit of gratitude.Gratitude is easy when life is going...  Read More

2021 marks the 5th anniversary of our church-wide Bible reading challenge. Many of you have been with us from the beginning, but there might be some out there who are new to LMBC and don’t know what i...  Read More

For as long as I have been in ministry, Sunday morning services have always started with Saturdays.  Saturdays are the days in ministry life that you are thankful for because they give you time to get...  Read More

God of the hills and valleys has been popularized through song in recent years; if you listen to Christian radio then you will likely know the songs. But the expression God of the hills and the valley...  Read More