By Alex Kneen
When Rob first posed this question to me, my mind flashed to a picture of a person sitting at a desk in a dimly lit room with pen and paper and Bible open before him. Hearing the word study conjures an image, and from that image, I took Rob’s question to mean, “Does Scripture command us to sit down with scripture, pen and paper and read it, take notes, look up definitions with a concordance or dictionary, use cross references, and come to a conclusion that is concise and applicable?”
Of course, Rob warned me about using 2 Timothy 3:16, which states, “All scripture...
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I’m a firm believer in the power of riddles. I love riddles and enjoy the challenge of solving them. They force me to think in unconventional, abnormal ways – to approach the entire space differently. I enjoy finding and seeing the patterns that emerge in the datasets, and working the various iterations through my imagination. I love my job. But to the point of this post, I propose that riddles provide excellent critical thinking exercises, and that anyone who proposes to study anything, should desire to hone their critical thinking skills. A good friend of mine James Babbington and I had a number...
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1 Corinthians 2:13
1 Peter 1:10
1 Peter 1:25
1 Thessalonians 2:13
1 Timothy 4:15
2 Peter 1:19-21
2 Timothy 3:15
Acts 3:24
Acts 10:43
Acts 13:27
Acts 17:2
Acts 17:11
Amos 3:7
Colossians 3:16
Deuteronomy 4:1-10
Deuteronomy 6:6
Deuteronomy 8:3
Deuteronomy 11:18
Deuteronomy 17:18-20
Deuteronomy 29:29
Deuteronomy 31:11
Exodus 24:3
Isaiah 8:20
Isaiah 34:16
Isaiah 40:8
James 1:21-25
Jeremiah 8:9
Job 23:12
John 5:39
John 5:37-47
Joshua 1:8
Luke 4:4
Luke 10:25
Luke 16:27-31
Luke 24:25-27
Luke 24:45
Matthew 4:4
Matthew...
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What is Prayer? Wayne Grudem says that “Prayer may be defined as follows: Prayer is personal communication with God”. Now that is a mighty wide definition. Especially considering the various types of prayers that we can include; under the heading of “prayer” we have prayers of: Adoration Confession Intercession (asking something for others) Petition (asking something for ourselves) Praise Thanksgiving Prayer is one of, if not the, most important activities of our Christian life. It is a conversation with God – a conversation in which the entire Trinity (God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy...
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Have you ever considered that it would be nice to be able to handle every situation in a way that honors God? To be totally prepared to handle every situation in such a way as to bring glory to God’s name? This is not only possible; it is God’s will for each Christian. Our memory verse this week (2 Timothy 3:16-17 - 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work. ) is the basis of this proposition. Once you know what God says and how to put it into...
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There is an infamous sculpture by Bobbie Carly entitled “Self Made Man” which depicts the upper torso of a man who is chiseling himself out of stone. It captures and communicates with great clarity the western concept that we are who we make ourselves to be and celebrates those who claim to have “made something of themselves.” However, this fails to capture or communicate the biblical truth.
It is not our works that empowers our salvation; it is our salvation that empowers our works.
We see Ephesians 2:8-10 English Standard Version [ESV] teach...
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The doctrine of Scripture is of the utmost importance to those who pursue Christ. It is by means of the written Word (preached and read) that God reveals salvation to us and then causes us to mature in the grace that it is in the Incarnate Word of God, Christ Jesus.
If the written Word of God lacks authority, so must the Incarnate Word of God.
If the written Word of God is riddled with errors, God is untrustworthy.
If only Bible Scholars can comprehend Scripture, who would be saved?
If the Scriptures are unnecessary, where else would we find knowledge of salvation?
If the Scriptures...
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A study of Ruth clearly demonstrates how “God moves in mysterious ways, His wonders to perform”[1]. We might imagine that our main characters never sat around thinking, “God is preparing me to be an Ancestor in the Royal Line of Judah!” More likely they were caught up, as we tend to be, in what they perceived as a difficult, ordinary life. Only after they have played their parts well, can they look back and see how God was working alongside them all along. The story of Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz provides a wonderful illustration of God’s Providence and a fantastic opportunity for us to delve...
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In Season 8, Episode 1 of NCIS, Franks mentions the Unspoken Rule to Jethro, “You do what you have to do for family.” Fortunately, for Ruth and Naomi, this was not an “Unspoken Rule” but part of the Levitical Law. Leviticus 25:47-55, English Standard Version [ESV] details this aspect of the law and Deuteronomy 25:5-6, ESV clarify the specifics of what a kinsman redeemer is responsible for in the case of a widow with no sons, also referred to as Levirate Marriage. There are four specific guidelines associated with assuming the role of the Kinsman Redeemer that bear recognition: He must...
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As a youth, we attended a church that had a large focus on college students. If you moved to town, and began attending our church in the summer, you would find a small community of a few hundred gathered regularly and living life together. However, the moment students began to arrive at Mississippi State University for the fall semester the church would begin to burst at the seams and the congregation became numbered much closer to the thousands, with the median age being around twenty. It turns out that back in the 80’s our church was Evangelical, Missional, & Intentional – much like what...
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