GEMS FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT“Don’t just sit there—do something!” This familiar adage applies in many situations. The crops won’t plant themselves in the spring. The cereal spilled all over the floor isn’t going to clean up itself. “If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat.” (2 Thessalonians Read More
Category: Series
STUDIES IN THE NEW TESTAMENTLet your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we may boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” (Hebrews 13:5-6) Have you ever Read More
UNDERSTANDING THE CULTS – ROSICRUCIANISM In this twelve-part series we are taking a brief look at some of the major cults, past and present, that have found adherents in the United States. Your pastor can help you if you’d like a more in-depth study of a particular group.In the arena of secret societies, Read More
“THIS WE BELIEVE” In ongoing observation of the 500th anniversary of the Lutheran Reformation, we are presenting a brief overview of the Book of Concord. The series will survey the three ecumenical creeds and the Lutheran confessions.Martin Luther once said of the Athanasian Creed, “I doubt whether the New Read More
The creation account gives surprisingly little attention to the stars. It tells us that on the fourth day God made lights and placed them in the sky, but it calls our attention mostly to the sun and the moon. The stars almost seem to be just mentioned: “He made the stars also.” Yet the stars, too, are called God’s lights “set in Read More
“And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” Matthew 2:11
As a boy, I often puzzled over the gifts of the Magi. Gold was certainly a treasure. But what was myrrh, and who was Frank? Eventually, I realized that “Frank” was not a person but a nation; that Read More
“Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled;
but fornicators and adulterers God will judge.”
(Hebrews 13:4)
“What’s the point in marriage?
It’s just a piece of paper, and a piece
of paper doesn’t define our love.”
That statement sums up how many people view marriage today. But Read More
Some lies are so obvious they can’t be disguised. So, cults rely on a trick the Navy once used when trying to hide ships on the open seas. Vessels were painted in bright, bold colors, and covered with complex geometric patterns. The idea was not concealment but confusion.
Confusion is a key factor in Christian Science. The name itself is a Read More
They think they have identified it, submerged in the clear, shallow waters near the shores of Iznik Golu in modern Turkey. This ancient church was destroyed centuries ago by an earthquake that also caused the ground to sink into the lake. The ancient name of Iznik was Nicea. In this church the Council of Nicea was held in A.D. 325, and here the Read More
A HYMN OF GLORY LET US SINGFor most, the turning of the year is a time of personal reckoning. We look at where we have been, where we are now, and where we hope to be in the future. Often, this yearly appraisal can be discouraging because we notice how many things we have either left undone or done poorly in the previous Read More