It’s an Xbox 360 controller, Grandpa!
Editor’s note: When one of our staff spent time playing video games with his grandson, he gleaned an insight into the challenges that face us when we try to explain the gospel message to someone who is biblically illiterate. My wife and I were visiting our grandchildren for the first time since they acquired a […]
It’s not about the light bulb!
How life’s interruptions are hidden opportunities to further the gospel. Pastor Dave,* in his closing remarks on Sunday, quoted 2 Corinthians 5:20: “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us.” He challenged the congregation to believe the Lord for “divine appointments” in the coming week. He explained that if we […]
Why do you give the name Yahweh high profile in By This Name and What are Christmas and Easter all about?
For those with limited experience confronting non-biblical worldviews, the use of Yahweh in these books seems a little unnecessary. Why even bring that name up? Will it not be confused with Jehovah Witnesses? To start with, those who are biblically illiterate wouldn’t know that the name Jehovah and Yahweh are related. So it is no problem to […]
Theology, Mystery and an Old Riddle
Theology—the way it could have been If I am honest, I sometimes wish that the Bible had been written more like a textbook of systematic theology. I wish that the Apostle John would have included an inspired chart along with his letter to the seven churches. It would have been helpful if Ezekiel had spelled […]
How do I use visual aids to teach the Tabernacle to children?
The tabernacle of Moses can be a difficult subject to teach, especially to children. How do you explain the meaning of this seemingly obsolete structure, its strange furnishings, and all the complicated priestly rituals related to it? Pam*, a children’s ministry director at a California church, found that with the help of the free Sunday […]
How can I know that things are right between me and God? How can I know that when I die I will live forever in a place that is secure and happy?
Before we can answer that question, we need to recognize some things about God and ourselves. 1. First of all we need to understand that the Lord God is a holy God. He exists in all His majesty, being the Creator-Owner of the Universe. He is a loving, caring God, but equally He is also […]
Divine North!
Spiritual stories are a hot commodity. This was evident in the leaflet thrust into my hand by an eager panhandler in downtown Edinburgh. “Storyteller Angela Knowles is on a journey into the rich and diverse world of stories in faiths and spiritualities. Would you like to share that exploration?” The pamphlet was a reminder that […]
What is the point of the Bible?
“I’ve read and read… but what’s the point?!” My friend Joel* was confused and his frustration boiled over as we talked. A college student with a girlfriend and a new baby at home, Joel sincerely wanted to make better decisions for his young family. In his desperation he told me that he had begun to […]
What problems come about from assuming too much when we share the message of the Bible?
“I gotta get going!” Anthony* tossed the phrase into the discussion with a shrug and a backwards step. Then he bolted out of sight around the corner without so much as a wave. He did not return. A familiar sense of frustration crept in as I watched Anthony disappear… I recalled my teenage years when […]
Where in the Scriptures does it say that God told Cain and Abel to bring a blood sacrifice?
Question: Where in the Scriptures does it say that God told Cain and Abel to bring a blood sacrifice? My Bible footnotes say that the problem was with Cain’s attitude, not the sacrifice—that a bloodless offering was quite acceptable. Brief Answer: We know from Hebrews 11:4 that God considered Cain’s sacrifice the wrong sacrifice. The […]