The Bride of Christ Today’s passage: Revelation 21:9–27 Focus verse: “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” (Revelation 21:9) An angel—one of the angels who carried a bowl filled with one of the seven plagues—invites John to come with him. The messenger has something exciting to share. The angel whisks John […]
Jesus Did Not Come to Abolish the Law and the Prophets Too many people who read and study the Bible focus on the New Testament and dismiss the Old as no longer relevant. Yet we are wise to embrace the Old Testament. When we do, we’ll develop a greater understanding of God and who he […]
A Speculative Fiction Novella With her enemy in jail—at least for now—15-year-old Emma can now focus on the more important task of fixing all the problems at the Temple. There’s so much to do that she made a list. Seriously. There are the do-nothing priests, passive worship, and finding the missing money. Then there’s the […]
Discover How the Early Church Can Inform What We Do Today Are Your Faith Practices Stuck in a Rut? Discover how the vibrant, dynamic energy of the early church can ignite your faith journey today. In Acts Bible Study, take a transformative 40-day exploration of the fascinating narrative penned by Doctor Luke. Who better to […]
Son of Eleazar and Grandson of Aaron Phinehas is the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron. This means that Phinehas is Aaron’s grandson. While the Israelites are in the desert getting ready to take the promised land, an issue of sexual immorality arises between some of the men and Moabite women. This effectively aligns […]
Jesus Has Risen! Today’s passage: John 20:1, along with Matthew 28:2–4, Mark 16:4, and Luke 24:2–3 Focus verse: Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. (John 20:1) John, Mark, and Luke all simply write that when Mary Magdalene and her friends arrive at the tomb, […]
David Teaches Us About God as Our Shepherd In the twenty-third Psalm, the former shepherd boy David, looks to God as his Shepherd. This short six-verse Psalm is a favorite of many, who have perhaps memorized it as a child. Here are a few of the key points we can learn from the twenty-third Psalm. […]
A New Heaven and a New Earth Today’s passage: Revelation 21:1–8 Focus verse: Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. (Revelation 21:1) We receive John’s vision of a new heaven and a new earth with much excitement. The original version, courtesy of God’s […]
We’ve Lost Christmas as a Spiritual Celebration. Let’s Not Lose Easter Too Recently some groups have banned Easter egg hunts—not the activity but the name. Concerned pundits decry this as political correctness gone awry or the timid majority kowtowing to the vocal minority. Although “spring egg hunt” sounds lame, this new label doesn’t dismay me. […]
Without Good Friday, There Would be No Easter At one time, my dad received his paycheck every other week, on the last day of the workweek. With a smile, he called each of these paydays good Friday. (And he called the other Fridays Passover!) Dad enjoyed good Friday twenty-six times a year. Some years the […]