The Tabernacle diagram above is one of many artistic Bible sketches that you will find decorating the halls of our children’s ministry. The artwork was drawn from a perspective of looking down from the heavens into the camp of Israel. Besides fleshing out the living words of Scripture into a visual diagram, what many seem to enjoy is the symmetry and ordered nature of the artwork. When some have t...

Have you ever tried to comfort someone who was facing difficulties in life with the phrase “God is in control”? We use that phrase to try to bring some peace or relief to someone who might be facing physical, financial, or even spiritual issues in their life. To declare that God is in control means that He is sovereign. He has the power, wisdom, and supreme authority to do anything He chooses with...

Among the most celebrated masterpieces of the Renaissance era are the Sistine Chapel frescoes painted by Michelangelo in the early 16th century. Yet in the following centuries, soot, grime, and even water slowly began to take their toll, diminishing a pure rendering of his original work. If it were not for an extensive restoration project undertaken in the early 1980s, observers today would not be...

The Bible is filled with words of great theological significance, practical importance, and memorable prose. If one were to undertake the task of choosing the single word that defines the entire Bible, most would aptly select the word (name): Jesus. Could there be a weightier word than Jesus? Allow me humbly to suggest that there might be one: redemption. Such a majestic and overwhelming word. In ...

In 2023, my life group, Journey Through The Word, did a study called, “Enduring Hope”. These words are from the blog I posted for the final day of the study.The last days of a study are always bittersweet for me. While I’m anxious to move on to the next adventure of our journey through God’s Word – I most often want to linger in the present adventure – soaking up more of the insight and wisdom in ...

Every Christmas season, we’re surrounded by the language of gifts. Commercials count down the “must-haves,” stores promise the “perfect present,” and children rehearse their wish lists with the precision of seasoned negotiators. Yet even with the bustle of wrapping paper and decorated trees, believers know that the true wonder of Christmas cannot be measured by price tags or packaged in a box.The ...

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 (some even say the whole Bible). I thoroughly enjoyed the class and all of our discussions, but I was not looking forward to finals week. When that fateful week arrived, our instructor told us we only nee...

The gospel of John presented Jesus in multiple ways compared to the synoptics. John shared his eyewitness account (the last three and a half years of Jesus’ ministry) and seems to ignore much of what Matthew, Mark, and Luke described. Why is John’s gospel so different? For instance:“Jesus’ genealogyan account of our Lord’s birthany events in our Lord’s childhoodour Lord’s baptismour Lord’s temptat...

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 about the kingdom; they were obsessed with knowing when it was to come.  Notice how verse six , of chapter 1, shows their persistence, “they kept asking Him, has the time come…” (NLT). Undoubtedly, t...

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 and the New. But should we show a separation? The Bible is one grand narrative of God’s redemption and reconciliation of mankind collated into two volumes. Since both Testaments are part of God’s gran...