Bible | a New Testament church

March 7, 2021December 17, 2024

A Famine of God’s Word in the Land

According to the 2017 Legatum Prosperity Index, Canada was listed among the top 10 most prosperous nations in the world. When we hear the word “famine,” it is about other nations, not our own. Yet, there is a serious famine in our country, and most are oblivious to it.

Amos 8:11 reads, “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine on the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD.”

February 24, 2019January 7, 2025

Isaiah’s Use of the Spiritual Hydrological Cycle

Hydrogeology is the science of water distribution through the earth. Consider a simple description of the hydrological cycle:

Rain falls to the ground, nourishing plants, supplying drinking water, etc..
Water seeps into the ground or runs off into creeks and rivers if the ground is saturated.
Creeks, rivers and groundwater flow into large bodies of water (lakes, seas, oceans).
Water returns to the sky from these large bodies through the process of evaporation.

January 20, 2019January 7, 2025

Reading Other People’s Mail – A Fresh Perspective on Bible Study

Have you ever received other people’s mail? There have been times when we’ve received envelopes addressed to the former occupant of our house. Of course, the accepted practice is to write “Return to Sender” or “Not at this address” on the envelope and send it back through the postal system. Hopefully, through time, the stray items no longer show up in the mailbox.

July 18, 2018March 24, 2025

Where Is The Letter To The Laodiceans? Uncovering Its Mystery

Colossians 4:16 reads, “…when this epistle is read among you, see that it is read also in the church of the Laodiceans, and that you likewise read the epistle from Laodicea.”

Have you ever wondered about the letter to Laodicea? Where is it, and why is it not in the Bible? Indeed, there is reason to be concerned and to investigate. If it is an inspired epistle that is missing, we have a problem! If it is an uninspired letter, then why would Paul set it on par with the Colossian letter, which is in the canon of Scripture?

August 8, 2010December 26, 2024

What Happened to the Epistle to the Laodiceans?

At the conclusion of the epistle to the Colossians, the apostle Paul wrote, “…when this epistle is read among you, see that it is read also in the church of the Laodiceans, and that you likewise read the epistle from Laodicea” (Colossians 4:16). Where is this epistle that Paul wrote to the church at Laodicea? Why is it not in the New Testament?

August 8, 2010March 24, 2025

The Laodicean Letter, Third Century

The document below is believed to have been written near the end of the third century and therefore could not be written by Paul to the Laodiceans.

March 7, 2010March 24, 2025

Checking The Greek: Insights from the Original New Testament Language

I’ve heard a good friend and fellow preacher say from time to time that he knows a little Greek. And then, the punch line comes, “He owns a great little restaurant down the street.” All joking aside, I know that he, like all preachers, would like to be more familiar with the Greek, the language the New Testament was originally penned in.

February 28, 2010March 24, 2025

What It Means To Preach Christ

In Acts 8:5 we read, “Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them.” Later, the text records, “But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized” (Acts 8:12).

Sometimes, when we preach on a controversial topic, people object by asking, “Why don’t you just preach Christ?” It is most assuredly essential to preach Christ. Even though some dishonest preachers were trying to increase Paul’s persecution while he was in prison, he rejoiced “that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached” (Philippians 1:15-18).

What, then, does it mean to preach Christ?

January 17, 2010December 30, 2024

Sincere Skepticism: Critical Thinking And Analysis For Better Bible Interpretation

For several years in the early 2000s, we featured two articles each week in our bulletin. The first addresses a variety of topics, and the second is a response to supposed Bible contradictions. Some promote skepticism about the Bible, which I am ok with, so long as it is sincere skepticism. The Skeptic’s Annotated Bible website has been a major source of these alleged errors.

February 1, 2009November 21, 2024

Genesis Musings: A Fresh Perspective On Some Beginning Things

In recent months, I have enjoyed studying the details of Genesis 1-11. My primary purpose was to note the relationship between the Genesis account of creation and the etymology of certain Chinese characters, resulting in material compiled as The Genesis Echo. During my research, I discovered a few interesting but seldom mentioned tidbits from the early chapters of Genesis. Consider some Genesis musings.