The apostle Peter seemed to coin a word in 1 Peter 4:15 for being a busybody that is not used anywhere else in the New Testament. It is a compound Greek word (allotriepiskopos), which combines two words, one of which may be familiar to you. One of the words that is used in the New Testament for an elder is the Greek…
Let's Go Back to the Bible
Let's Go Back to the Bible
Posts by David Sproule (Page 237)
The Old Testament book of Nehemiah tells of a monumental success in the days of Israel—the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem in only 52 days. It is such an exciting and satisfying event to read from chapter 2 through chapter 6. I’d like to take that account and paraphrase it to denote how a monumental success was accomplished at Palm Beach…
Since money has been thrust into a position of central importance in our society, it has become commonplace to judge someone’s value to us or our interest in them based upon their level of this world’s wealth. Consider God’s evaluation of true riches in 1 Timothy 6:17-19. First of all, we must learn to not put our “trust in uncertain riches.” The…
It is commonly asserted that Christians have no right to judge others, especially in a religious context. And, the verse that is often quoted is Matthew 7:1, “Judge not, that you be not judged.” Oh, but look at the context! Is Jesus really saying, “Don’t ever judge someone else”? Jesus teaches for us to “first remove the plank” from our own eyes,…
In the midst of a heated national and local election season, there’s seems to be a high premium on truth these days. Why is it so hard for some politicians to tell the truth? But, it’s not just in politics. Deceptive tactics are at the heart of many advertising efforts for various products. Deception is as common in many industries and workplaces…
It is truly humbling and remarkable to be aware of so many church members who do things and perform tasks for which they receive little-to-no gratitude, which is usually because other folks have little-to-no knowledge of what they have done. There is absolutely no way to be exhaustive with something like this, but take a few minutes and see what you can…
Watching the JV football player lying motionless on the field seized everyone’s attention. Trainers from both teams rushed onto the field, then the coaches and quickly someone called 911. The ambulance arrived and the paramedics rolled the stretcher onto the field. After several minutes, the boy was finally lifted onto the stretcher and rolled off the field. So, in that situation, would…
When it comes time to rotate the directional tires on your vehicle, always remember that the best tires go on the front. Oh, wait! Someone who lives in Canada disagrees–he says that the best tires always go on the back. Well, perhaps he doesn’t understand that the front tires wear a lot faster than the rear. Oh, wait! The guy from Canada…