Today, many people are misinformed about Christianity. Some are attracted to Christianity today for just having a social change. Others are attracted to Christianity by hearing the claims of some preachers who say they have power to heal people of their various diseases in the name Jesus Christ. Such, though, is not true. No man on earth today has the power to miraculously heal people, as Christ and His apostles were able to do. Those who claim such powers are deceiving people in the name of religion. Jesus performed many miracles. He healed the sick and raised the dead, among many other supernatural wonderful works. The Bible says, “And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:30–31). Note, if you will, Jesus did many signs and miracles, in the presence of His disciples. He performed many signs and miracles in the presence of His disciples, whom He had chosen in the beginning to be His witnesses, after His death, resurrection and ascension back to Heaven. Jesus had not come primarily from Heaven to the Earth to work signs and miracles. He had come to die for sinners, to be the propitiation for the sins of the world (1 John 4:9–10). After His death, burial and resurrection from the dead, and before …

I once heard a story that illustrates a very important, but oftentimes understated, principle. A grandmother was commenting on her 8-year-old grandson’s interest in their congregation’s effort to help collect funds for orphans overseas. He would save his allowance and put the money in a container for the special contribution. When she asked him why he was so interested in helping out with this, his response was simple but powerful. “I want to help kids who need to be helped, and all I would do with the money anyway is buy another toy.” The grandmother commented, “I wonder how many toys I could give up to help others in need?” Children have tender hearts, and many times they have a better insight into the kind of heart God wants us to have than what we adults sometimes demonstrate. Certainly, God wants us to have a heart of generosity, which comes from understanding how blessed we truly are. Paul wrote to the church in Corinth about this after they began to hesitate in fulfilling a promise to give generously for the needs of the poor saints elsewhere. He reminded them, “Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren to go to you ahead of time, and prepare your generous gift beforehand, which you had previously promised, that it may be ready as a matter of generosity and not as a grudging obligation” (2 Corinthians 9:5 NKJV). Paul did not want them to think they were being taken advantage of by …

Theme: Unconditional Faithfulness in God (Revelation 2:10) Text: Acts 8:1-4; 2 Corinthians 4:8–9 Introduction I became a Christian when I was thirteen years old. Before my conversion, I was a Muslim. I had memorized a huge portion of the Quran and led public prayers at the Mosque. After studying the Bible with World Bible School and learning about God’s plan of salvation, I was baptized, though unknown to my family. I knew if they found out that I was baptized that I would suffer for this decision. Every Sunday, I went to meet with the church without permission. I would wait until no one was around and literally escaped to worship. Every time, I would return to a fine spanking from my eldest brother. This continued for two years. I remembered one Sunday my brother stood behind the gate and waited for me to return. As soon as I entered the yard, he clutched me by the collar and gave me a slap to the face. One slap was all it took to throw me onto the dirt floor. As I lay there, I saw him lift his right foot to kick me. What made him hold back is still unknown to me, but I was glad that he didn’t kick me. However, after two years, my family and the Muslim community were convinced that I was determined to follow Christ, and the persecution was withdrawn. I couldn’t understand back then why God would allow me to suffer even though I was …

The word “send” is translated by at least 10 different words in the New Testament. The most common is “apostello” with and without prepositional prefixes. Because the word “apostello” is defined as “send in an official way” and is the same word God used when He sent His Son, some may have assumed that it always involves a divine call and sending as when Jesus “sent” his apostles. Although the word was the normal one used for an official sending, it did not necessarily involve either divine or miraculous activity. It is the word used when Pilate’s wife sent a message to him. It is the word used when Herod sent and seized John. The word was used when the church sent Judas and Silas to Antioch. Barnabas, as well as Paul, was called an apostle apparently because they were sent by the church in Antioch and had previously been sent by the church in Jerusalem. After having read the more than 700 times the word “apostello” is used in the Septuagint, and the more than 400 times the various forms of the word “send” are used in the New Testament, I am convinced of the following things: 1. Paul was not in Romans 10:15, teaching anything at all about the necessity of a local congregation sending or supporting anyone before he is authorized or able to preach. His emphasis here was upon the original proclamation of the Gospel, which he called “the word of faith, which we preach.” His …

The life of Jesus is the most exceptional and interesting life ever lived. We are able to view the life of Jesus through the Gospel accounts written by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. While God ultimately authors all four Gospel accounts, there are different things in each account (2 Timothy 3:16–17). While the first three (the Synoptics) have a great deal of similarity among them, Bible students have correctly noticed that John approaches the life of Christ from a different angle. John’s Gospel record was probably the last one to be written of the four. He neither includes information about the miraculous birth of Jesus, nor does he record the Sermon on the Mount. Likewise, he does not mention the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness. Yet, John’s Gospel account is not inferior in any way to the others. His audience and emphasis differs from the Synoptics, but he gives a glorious picture of the life of Christ, nonetheless. The Occasion of Writing Near the end of the first century when John wrote his Gospel record, there was false doctrine concerning Jesus entering the church (2 Peter 2:1). Elsewhere John had warned Christians to test the things they were taught so they did not deviate from the truth (1 John 4:1). Some, who were never genuine converts, snuck into the church and were teaching false doctrine about the identity of Jesus (1 John 2:18–19). This group of false teachers was known as the Gnostics (or the knowing ones). They claimed …

Let’s examine the Jewish priesthood. I want to show how it needed to be replaced by a more perfect sacrifice. That perfect sacrifice is the High Priest and King, Jesus, Who reigns in Heaven today and offers atonement for all—to both Jews and Gentiles (Ephesians 2:14–18). Introduction: A.D. 70 It all began on the fourteenth day of Nisan, A.D. 70, the period the Jews called the Passover. The city was brimming with Jews and proselytes from all over the world. They had traveled to Jerusalem, the Holy City, for their once a year pilgrimage to partake of the Feast. The city of Jerusalem came under attack by the Roman Empire during this time. The Zealots, a radical group of Jews who resisted Roman rule, were considered the primary cause of the invasion. By the seventy-second day of the siege, three of the remaining walls were taken, the Agrippa and the Antona being the chief of these. Twelve days later (84th day) the sacrifices in the Temple ceased. On the ninth day of Ab, the 105th day of the siege, the temple and lower city were burnt. In the destroying of the temple by the Romans, two significant events occurred. First, prophecy was fulfilled. Jesus had said that not one stone would be left upon another (Matthew 24). Second, the lineage of the priesthood was terminated forever. Without the records to show lineage, no descendant of Aaron could prove his right to offer sacrifice or enter the Holy of Holies. God foreknew it would …

A popular expression once said, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” Sometimes, however, “When the going gets tough, many turn back to what was easier.” That was the case initially with the apostles following the crucifixion of Jesus. John gave an account of this third time (John 21:14) Jesus appeared to His disciples following His resurrection. “After these things Jesus showed Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias… Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together. Simon Peter said to them, ‘I am going fishing.’ They said to him, ‘We are going with you also’” (John 21:1–3a). The Sea of Tiberias was another name for the Sea of Galilee (John 6:1). Jesus told the apostles before He was murdered that He would meet them in Galilee after He had risen (Matthew 26:32). Thus, it should not have been a surprise when He appeared as He promised, but this, among other things, showed that the apostles were not able by themselves to continue the work where Christ left off (John 16:12–13). When Peter said, “I am going fishing,” he seemed to have had the attitude, “Jesus is gone. It’s over. What a great ride it was, but now it’s time to get back to what I was doing before.” Peter’s attitude also influenced six other apostles who went with him (John 21:2). Those apostles fished that night and caught nothing …

As a dad, I am constantly evaluating how I am doing as a father. Like all parents, I have things I do well and things that I greatly need to improve. One of the things that I try to think about is that I am not just a dad; I am a Christian dad. There are so many things that, as a dad, I want for my children, but more than anything else, I need to want and to work towards them being faithful servants of God with a faith of their own. However, how do I do this? What are some things that would help me be a better Christian dad and help my children develop a faith of their own? Have a Convicted, Growing and Working Faith (Hebrews 11:1; 2 Peter 1:5–8; James 2:14–26; Philippians 4:9). The excuse given by many children who walk away from God is that they did not see a living and active faith among their parents or other adult mentors. How convicted am I really? Is it evident to others? Make God and the Church a Priority (Matthew 6:33; Mark 12:30; Ecclesiastes 12:13). If God and the church are not a priority to us, why would our children want to make Him a priority for them? God is to be more than first; He is to be our all. Teach the Truth, the Whole Truth and Nothing but the Truth (John 17:17; Acts 20:27; 2 Timothy 2:15; 2 Timothy 4:1–5). I cannot teach what I do …

Being happy in Jesus isn’t hype; it’s the steady joy of belonging to Jesus. He said, “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full” (John 15:11 NKJV). Circumstances change, but Christ doesn’t change (Hebrews 13:8). Stay close to Him, trust His Word, obey His way and joy grows deep. This week, practice rejoicing. “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4).

In studying the Bible, we will discover a recurring motif of shepherds and sheep. In the opening pages of inspiration, Abel is set as the world’s first shepherd (Genesis 4:2). Later, Moses is charged with keeping Jethro’s flocks (Exodus 3:1). One of the most widely known shepherds of all might be King David (1 Samuel 16:11). While these men (and many others) served as shepherds at various points in life, none would carry the same weight of responsibility nor the depth of love as the Good Shepherd Himself, Jesus. A look at John 10 will reveal the significance of our Lord’s role as the Good Shepherd. Offers His Life What sets the Good Shepherd apart from all others? For one, He was not only willing to give His life for the sake of His sheep, but He actually did it. Prior to being anointed as king, David faced the danger of confronting various wild beasts for the sake of his father’s sheep. He risked his life but did not lose it for the flock (1 Samuel 17:34–36). On the other hand, Jesus knew the dangers that lay ahead of Him, and yet, He pressed on. In a discussion with Peter, Jesus spoke plainly of His fate. “From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day” (Matthew 16:21). It is …

The word “son” means someone’s male descendant or one he has adopted to fill that role. Jesus was called the Son of God for another reason. He was God’s Son by birth (Luke 1:34-35), but the title “Son of God” most often refers to Jesus being of the same nature as God. When Jesus called God His Father, the Jews understood he was claiming to be God (John 5:17–24). John declared Jesus was God come down to earth. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made” (John 1:1–3). John said that the Word was with God at the beginning and was God. All things were made by Him is proof that He is God, since God was the Creator (Genesis 1:1; compare Colossians 1:16–17). This Word, Who was God, John plainly showed to be Jesus (John 1:14). The Father testified to Jesus’ sonship on two separate occasions. After Jesus’ baptism, “A voice came from heaven, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’” On the Mount of Transfiguration, after Peter suggested making tabernacles for Moses, Elijah and Jesus, “A bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!’” (Matthew 3:13–17; 17:1–5). The Jews understood that Jesus being …