One of the first things I want you to notice about Matthew’s gospel is the fact that it’s anonymous. Nowhere in the text does it clearly say who wrote it, but there is no need to worry about the authorship of the first gospel since the early church and scholars all agree that it was Matthew, the apostle. Continue reading “The Gospel of Matthew.”
A king for Israel.
1 Samuel 8:1-9
After Samuel was old having judged Israel for 40 years, knowing he could no longer do the job, he appointed his sons as judges. The Bible tells us that these men were evil, corrupted men, and did not walk in the way of Samuel which created a problem. The elders of Israel were upset and demanded a king to lead them that was like the nations around them. This vacuum of good leadership is what lead them to demand a king. Apparently, they felt like these young judges had failed them and they needed a better way to lead the nation. Continue reading “A king for Israel.”
1 Thess. 4:9-12.
Have you ever heard someone say, “all your church does is worship and study the Bible?”
From their perspective, a church that is not doing some activity every day isn’t doing what it’s supposed to do and is failing in some way. Continue reading “A different attitude toward worship.”
In James 4:8, is one of my favorite passages in Scripture. He tells us to draw near to God and He will draw near to us. This passage has been a guiding principle in my life for years. Yet, at times, it seems more difficult than at other times. Continue reading “Drawing near to God”
The book of Zephaniah is an interesting and challenging little book. It was written by Zephaniah somewhere between 640-620 B.C. Continue reading “Zephaniah. A matter of sin and hiding.”
We don’t know a lot about the prophet apart from the information we can gain from his book. His name means “to wrestle” or “to cling” and speaks to the fact that he is literally wrestling with God for answers. Continue reading “Habakkuk: faith in crisis.”
Today, we are going to cover the book of Nahum. It is an interesting little book and one that is filled with great lessons for us. Continue reading “The book of Nahum.”
I must say that I have enjoyed the challenge of writing an article about each book of the Hebrew Bible. It has forced me to seriously read each book and digest it so that I can share the bigger points. Continue reading “The book of Micah”
We don’t know a lot about Jonah. We know his name means “dove” and that he was the son of Amittai (Jonah 1:1). Continue reading “Jonah and running from God.”
The book of Obadiah is the shortest book of the Old Testament with only 21 verses. For this reason, it is often overlooked and discounted as insignificant. Continue reading “Obadiah”
The second book, in the so-called minor prophets, is the book of Joel. I hope to encourage to give a little more attention to this book and to strive to learn from it. It has a message that is not minor, a message that is desperately needed in today’s church. Continue reading “Joel and the call to repentance.”
The book of Hosea is the first of the 12 minor prophets and was likely written during the 8th century B.C. just before the Assyrian invades. His work and prophecies focused almost entirely on the northern kingdom of Israel during its final years of existence. His ministry lasted some 34 years and it is noteworthy that Hosea is the only prophet to live and preach solely to the Northern Kingdom. Continue reading “Hosea: God wants something more.”
The book of Daniel is an interesting and challenging book since it includes many visions and prophecies. It was originally written in two languages. It appears that chapters 2-7 were written in Aramaic while the rest was written in Hebrew. Continue reading “Daniel: the prophet in the king’s court.”
Ezekiel was a vital prophet for Israel and Judah while in captivity. Continue reading “Ezekiel: the prophet with the people.”
I was talking to a Christian a few years ago about his commitment to God. He said he didn’t go to worship services much because God had “touched him.” He stated that he takes his granddaughter to services, but he had not been in three weeks. He was raised in the church; however, the church wasn’t what he expected? I then asked him what did he expect?
What do you expect from God? Continue reading “What Do You Expect From God?”
Central Haywood Church of Christ 