A “serious argument” broke out in the church at Antioch (Acts 15:2). The Greek word translated here as “argument” is staseos. It comes from a word that means “to stand” (as in “to take a stand”) and can carry the meaning of a dispute or even a riot. In Acts 19:40 the CSB translates the…
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“Lord, how happy is anyone you discipline and teach from your law” (Ps. 94:12). Happy to be disciplined? Is that even possible? The writer of Hebrews said, “No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful” (Heb. 12:11a). Unpleasant and painful sounds right. But then he said this: “Later on … it [discipline] yields the…
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“Woo-hoo! We’re in Leviticus!” (Words seldom heard in a Bible study group.) Maybe we could more easily enumerate the reasons we don’t love reading and studying Leviticus: It’s difficult to understand. It’s boring. It’s not relevant. Yes, Leviticus is a challenging book to understand. Boring? Maybe when you compare to other biblical books, like the…
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“God’s work is not man working for God; it is God’s own work, though often wrought through man’s hands.” (Hudson Taylor) God graciously chooses to do His work through His people, enabling and equipping them to do what He desires them to do. His Spirit equips His people to do His work for His glory.…
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With the Red Sea in front of them, mountains on both sides of them, and Pharaoh’s army “coming after them,” the Israelites “were terrified” (Ex. 14:10). From the Israelites’ perspective, they had a very good reason to be afraid. From Moses’ perspective of faith, they had a very good reason to not be afraid: the…
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