I read this article once about an American who went to the island of Crete and was conversing with one of the natives of the island. A translation problem came up. The Cretian had been reading some Western literature and was confused by the term “making love” and wanted this American to explain it to him. Rather sheepishly, the man had to explain how we use the term “making love”.
The main purpose of the gospel records furnishes us with how Jesus overcame temptation and sin to ultimately “save his people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21). Besides that, Jesus gives us vignettes of a time afterwards where many people would come to believe and be saved through the words of the Apostles (John 17:20-21). Yet, even in this it would be the Lord Jesus who would work through his believers (John 10:16). The principle verse in this regards is Matthew 16:18,
In our day and age, recommendations are a very effective tool for an employer or admission office to assess the qualities of an applicant. Modern conveniences like the social networking site LinkedIn make commendations a key part of your profile. They add validity to a person’s trustworthiness and true capabilities.
The epistles of John are the quintessential fellowship letters. From beginning to end, it is the underlying theme. Not just one letter but all three speak of fellowship in truth and love. They are connected not only by subject but also by a progression through time on how to practically deal with error under differing circumstances.
The topic of the epistles is established early on in 1 John 1:3.
In memory of Forrest Brinkerhoff
This is a very sad time for all of us losing a loved one. It’s a time of grief. A time of sorrow. Tears well up in the eyes and roll down the cheeks. Allowed to flow freely they drop to the ground and more follow.
In our last class, we looked at several cities that Hosea would have been to and more than likely prophesied against at those very locations. None though were as important as Bethel and Samaria. These two places are the hallmarks of the problems with Israel. Bethel, or Bethaven as we shall see, was the religious problem of Israel, idolatry in all its ugly self-serving. Samaria was the political problem of Israel, in all its brash self-reliance. Their history will be important to understand, their current problems during Hosea’s times are highly relevant, but most important of all is re
At the University of Washington, where I went to school, the student newspaper always had these ads for participating in psychology experiments. I just recently read about one of these by a fellow named John Gottman. He would invite young newly married couples into his laboratory and film them in a 15-minute conversation while measuring several things like heart rate, temperature and how often they “jiggled” in their chair. They were instructed to discuss any topic from their marriage that had become a point of contention. It could be something as simple as their dog.
Let me ask you a question. What is the oldest living organism on the earth?
A tree would be the correct answer---specifically the Methuselah tree in California that is said to be 4,843 year old. Apparently, trees don’t die of old age like humans, that is, they would live an extremely long time if not subject to disease, drought or fire. This gives some meaning to Isaiah’s saying, “… as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands” (65:22).
I hope you don’t mind if I take some time to tell you a true story. I heard it on the radio and it deeply moved me. I have thought about it often afterward and even though it has nothing in it about Jesus, my mind could see some remarkable types of what he did in laying down his life for us. I feel my job in any exhortation is to draw you to the memorials with the right state of mind, realizing the importance and gravity of this situation. So, as I relate this story to you, maybe you can try and contemplate yourselves how this relates to the work of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Hosea presents a challenge for Bible students who like to put events in order and neatly put them in a box. There are no nice little milestones given to say what year or month a prophecy happened. Beyond the first verse, there are no indications to who was reigning. There are no common markers like, “thus sayeth the Lord.”
