Focal Passage: I Corinthians 2:6-16 

I have heard it said that Baptists have their own Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Bible. Obviously, this humorous statement is meant to highlight the lack of emphasis that a lot of Baptists put on the third person of the Trinity. 

Let me be clear what this article is about. We are not going to explore the reasons why this might be the case. We are going to study some of the reasons why the Holy Spirit and His work in our lives is essential to our fruitfulness as followers of [Read more…]

Focal Passage: Romans 6:5-14

“A picture is worth a thousand words.” While some have attributed this saying to Napoleon and some to Einstein, we don’t really know for sure who originally coined this phrase.

Regardless of who said it first the meaning remains the same. Pictures can communicate multiple and complex ideas in a single snapshot while it would take many words to accomplish the same thing.

I’m pretty sure printing a picture here in place of written content breaks the B&R rules, so I’m going to do my best to describe an image to you. The main point of our passage is for believers to live out the reality that we are dead to sin and alive to God. [Read more…]

Focal Passage: Psalm 99:1-9 

“Our God is an awesome God, he reigns from Heaven above … .” My guess is that you finished singing that line in your head before reading this sentence. 

“Awesome God” originally written by Rich Mullins was a favorite in churches and youth groups some years ago (and for some, it still is).

 If you’re like me, you couldn’t forget that song even if you tried. Words put to music stick with us. God created us that way. 

In light of this, consider the nature of the Psalms and the implications related to the doctrine of inspiration. The Psalms are essentially musical poetry. So, God gave us beautifully constructed musical poetry to sing back to Him in worship.  [Read more…]

Focal Passage: Acts 16:1-5, II Timothy 2:1-2, 3:10-12 

The term oxymoron is defined by the Oxford dictionary as “a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction.” Some short examples of an oxymoron are open secret, clearly confused or my personal favorite — jumbo shrimp. 

We might like to think that II Timothy 3:12 would fall into this literary category. Notice that the desire for godliness and the surety of persecution are linked together. God did not intend for us to see these two realities as contradictory. 

Describing someone as godly/persecuted is not an oxymoron. In fact, God tells us emphatically “all who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”  [Read more…]

Focal Passage: Acts 9:26-28, 11:22-26, 15:36-40 

Isn’t it encouraging to read about the conflict between Paul and Barnabas? What?! How can their disagreement be encouraging? Critics and skeptics attack the Bible with striking regularity. 

One of the arguments they make is that the Bible is merely a compilation of contrived stories to serve a religious purpose rather than eye-witness accounts of actual events. If this was the case then why would Luke, the author of Acts, describe this disagreement in such detail? He wouldn’t. This narrative and others like it serve as affirmations of the reliability of Scripture. 

Those of us that believe in the infallibility of the Bible don’t necessarily need evidence of the accuracy of the Word of God. We already have a high view of Scripture. It is encouraging to be reminded of the historical precision of biblical accounts. We can also learn a great deal from the way God worked through real, flawed, sinful people in Bible times. A brief glimpse into Barnabas’ part in this story will help us as we are seeking to be faithful as Christ-followers today. [Read more…]

Focal Passage: Esther 2:5-7, 4:8-17 

Why are you reading this article? Instead of saying “I’m not sure, I have some other things to do,” and put it down, keep reading. 

I know I’m about to wade into some dangerous waters but are you reading according to the sovereignty of God or your free will? Think about that question. 

The physical abilities necessary to read and the class you may be preparing for were given to you by God, right? But didn’t you have to open the paper and make the choice to use your eyes and brain to comprehend these words? 

I bring this up not to say that I’m going to unravel the deep mystery of the sovereign foreknowledge of God and the free will of man, but because our passage displays the tension between these two realities beautifully. Oftentimes following God is difficult, we can follow faithfully as we understand this tension with greater clarity.  [Read more…]

Focal Passage: I  Samuel 2:22-26, 3:7-10, 15-18 

Before vocational ministry, I was a deckhand on a fishing boat. Whether it’s snapper fishing in the Gulf of Mexico or catfishing in the Tennessee River, every fisherman knows the rarer the fish the more exciting the catch.

For example, we were going through the motions of a typical day offshore catching snappers when quite literally, out of the blue, we hooked a sailfish. As this electric-blue billfish jumped out of the water through a chaotic thirty-minute fight, everyone put down their fishing poles just to watch the action. 

Take this illustration and do your best to contextualize God’s Word to Samuel. I Samuel 3:1 says, “… And the word of the Lord was rare in those days. …” Out of the blue came the voice of the living God. When they realized what was happening Samuel and Eli stopped what they were doing and listened. [Read more…]

Focal Passage: Numbers 27:12-23 

You know the Great Commission, “Go therefore and make converts. …” If you’re familiar with Matthew 28:19 you’re aware that is wrong. Jesus calls His followers to make disciples, not converts. To be clear, conversion is a biblical, necessary experience (Acts 15:3). 

The Oxford dictionary defines conversion as, “a change in one’s religious beliefs.” Trusting Christ is so much more than a change in a belief system. Christ-followers should identify themselves as disciples who make disciples.

What does this have to do with Moses and Joshua? The kind of relationship that Moses and Joshua display is built into the word “disciple.” The word itself calls for the existence of a teacher and a learner.  [Read more…]

Focal Passage: Exodus 18:9-11, 14-21 

A burning bush, a split sea, broken tablets before an idol of gold. When one considers the life of Moses it is likely that one of these iconic biblical scenes comes to mind. Moses is one of the most well-known people in the entire Bible and the key figure in some of the most dynamic and important parts of the Old Testament. 

One of the more inconspicuous, yet essential characters in the Exodus narrative is Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law. The passages we are considering cover two conversations between Jethro and his son-in-law. Let’s explore these passages and notice helpful principles for our relationships today.

The first kind of relationships that many Christ-followers struggle with involves friends or family members that are unbelievers. Many Christians find it easier to be evangelistic with complete strangers.  [Read more…]

Focal Passage: Numbers 12:1-15 

Being unduly critical, without warrant and grace, is sin. In fact, the Bible calls believers to put away all kinds of attitudes, behaviors, and speech. As Ephesians 4:29-32 notes we are to put away filthy talk, bitterness, anger, slander, malice, and gossip. If most people followed this biblical admonition they would say very little.

Through the story of Moses recorded in Numbers 12 we see what God thinks about criticism and how to deal with it. In brief, God hates the sins of criticism, gossip, slander, and backbiting. 

Comparison leads to criticism (Numbers 12:1-3). Miriam and Aaron were bring critical of Moses. Why? For two reasons. 

First, they disagreed with Moses’ choice of a wife. She was a Cushite woman, an easy target for the hyper-critical. Cowards go after the family members of leaders. 

Second, they were jealous of Moses’ role and relationship with God as God’s main mouthpiece. In other words, Moses thought he was so special that God could only speak through him and not Aaron or Miriam. Yet, Moses never made this distinction, God did. 

Notice two responses as noted in verse 3. First, God heard these criticisms. This means that when we are being unfairly criticized we can rest assured that God hears and knows about the gossip. Second, Moses’ response was masterful — he remained humble. Moses did not retaliate.

Shrum

Criticism questions God’s work (Numbers 12:4-9). God alone knows why He chooses the people, places, and events of life in order to accomplish His will. If God chooses to bless someone that is His prerogative. 

God called Aaron and Miriam to account for their critical attitudes. He reminded them that while God does speak in other ways to other people and prophets in all times, He spoke directly with Moses in a special and unique way. 

God chose Moses because, though not perfect, he was faithful. Rather than speaking in riddles and mysteries as God so often did to many of the prophets, God spoke directly and openly with Moses. Further, God’s anger burned against Aaron and Miriam. 

When we criticize others, especially when they appear to be spiritually successful and we’re not, we are questioning how God works. God is the one who chooses whom He will bless. 

Confess and repent of a critical spirit (Numbers 12:10-15). As God confronted Aaron and Miriam, the text notes that Miriam’s skin began to be diseased, resembling snow (maybe leprosy). 

When Aaron saw what God did to Miriam he asked for mercy from God. Further, he asked God to not hold this sin against them. 

In an act of mercy, God used Moses to heal Miriam. Miriam was moved outside the camp for seven days after which she was healed and the people of God were able to move on.

Living with a critical spirit is unnecessary. It is small-minded, rude, despicable, immature, callous, and rooted in jealousy. Gossip and slander in a family and in the church is damaging, detrimental, and divisive. 

If you have a critical attitude that is not helpful and does not ultimately seek God’s glory and the best for others, you need to repent and start anew. Your family and the church can ill afford to live with people who cannot control their own tongues (James 3:1-12). B&R