Isn’t it interesting how we sometimes speak for someone else, when they are not even present with us? We can be engaged in a conversation about taking a possible action, and the person we’re talking to might say something like, “I don’t think your dad/mom/spouse/friend/boss would want you to do that.” While that third party is not physically present, it is conjectured…
Let's Go Back to the Bible
Let's Go Back to the Bible
Posts by David Sproule (Page 199)
Before entering the Promised Land (inhabited by pagan idolaters), the Jews were commanded, “You shall destroy their altars” (Ex. 34:13; Deut. 7:5; 12:3). In Judges 6, Gideon tore down his father’s altar of Baal (6:25-32). King Asa “removed the altars of the foreign gods” (2 Chron. 14:3). The Israelites, led by Jehoiada the priest, “went to the temple of Baal, and…broke in…
If someone never believes, teaches or practices a doctrine or a manner of life that is contrary to the will of God, could that person ever be guilty in the eyes of God? Let me ask that another way: if a Christian knows of others who are spreading false doctrine (but the Christian never believes it or teaches such himself), or if…
As with most professions, preachers are often asked, “What made you want to become a preacher?” To that question, I usually answer, “My grandfather,” which leads to a series of other questions. “Was he a preacher, too?” No. “Was he an elder?” No. “A deacon?” No. “Did he teach Bible classes or take a lead in worship services?” No, never. Totally perplexed,…
It is interesting to try to figure out where certain sayings and phrases originated. According to multiple sources, the famous proverb, “Honesty is the best policy,” was first stated by Sir Edwin Sandys in 1599. Sir Edwin Sandys was (get this!) an English politician and one of the founders of the first English settlements in Jamestown, Virginia. Kind of ironic (don’t you…
This congregation is truly blessed! I am so thankful that the Blackmer family has returned to Palm Beach Lakes and that Josh will be working with this church again! The excitement that has been building (since this was announced back in February) is now becoming a reality. Josh Blackmer is a great man and we are blessed to have him back! I…
Have you ever heard a recording of your voice (maybe on a voicemail or a video) and thought, “That’s not how I sound…is it? Is that really how I sound to other people?” In our minds (and in our ears), we “hear ourselves” one way, but hearing a recording might sound more “pitchy” or nasal or strained or “throaty.” It can make…
Psalm 124 begins with these words, “If it had not been the Lord who was on our side” (Psa. 124:1). How bad would it have been? “If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, when men rose up against us, then they would have swallowed us alive…then the waters would have overwhelmed us” (124:2-4). Have you ever felt…