Let's Go Back to the Bible

Posts by David Sproule (Page 37)

It’s not just about reading

There is no better part of your day (don’t even try to argue against this!) than when you get to read your Bible! Thus, reading it should be a principal part of each day. But, we must do more than merely run our eyes over lines of text. We must take time to understand it. The Ethiopian eunuch was reading from Isaiah 53, but Philip…

The “rock” foundation 

How shameful that some have tried to suggest that the church of Jesus Christ was founded upon Peter! When Jesus said, in Matthew 16:18, “You are Peter,” his name is from the Greek petros, which is “a stone that might be thrown or easily removed.” But, the “rock” on which Jesus would “build” His “church” is the Greek petra, which is “a mass of…

Jesus Loved the Church

Many people today, including some Christians, have a view of the church that does not harmonize with the view that Christ had (and would have us to have) toward the church.  The church is often viewed today as something that is “optional,” or as a “crutch” for those who are weak-minded, or as a “charitable organization” that takes donations, or as a…

The Lord lives, therefore…

In one of the lengthier psalms, David extolled all that the Lord had done for him. The Lord “saved” him (Psa. 18:3), “heard” him (18:6), “flew upon the wings of the wind” for him (18:10), “thundered from heaven” for him (18:13), “took” him (18:16), “drew” him out of danger (18:16), “delivered” him from the enemy (18:17, 43, 48, 50), “supported” him (18:18), “delighted”…

Worthy to be praised

The word “worthy” means “having worth or value; of commendable excellence or merit; deserving attention, respect, admiration.” Read those words one more time. Then think about the words of Psalm 18:3 – “I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised.” Our Lord is WORTHY to be praised! There are many reasons for that, but note the ones that David emphasizes in…

Taste Test

As Jesus hung in agony on the cross, they offered Him “sour wine mingled with gall to drink.  But when He had tasted it, He would not drink” (Matt. 27:34).  The word “tasted” there is not hard to figure out.  It is the same word found in John 2:9, when the master of the feast “tasted the water that was made wine.” …

What did Jesus not do?

When faced with challenging situations in life, it is a good practice to ask, “What would Jesus do?” An even better practice is to ask, “What did Jesus do?” When considering what Jesus actually did, consider also what Jesus did not do. When Jesus was put on trial and even while He hung on the cross, Jesus was “mocked” (Matt. 27:29, 31, 41), “treated…with…

A key to dealing with persecutions

The epistle of First Peter was written to first-century Christians, who were dealing with pressures and persecutions from non-Christians. It was truly a “fiery trial” of their faith (1 Pet. 4:12) that they were facing. How could they deal with these “various trials” (1:6) and overcome them? The book is filled with imperatives, as Peter provides direction to defeat the devil’s efforts (5:8), but his…