I’ve just been thinking lately of the impact of some verses which contrast the vast distance between God’s “home” and ours. The Bible describes the earth as the footstool of God (Acts 7:49). Then, there is that language used by David and others which emphasizes His grandeur. “For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward…

It is absolutely astounding how complex and misconstrued some folks have made the Biblical teaching on the kingdom of God.  It is a major theme in Scripture, but let’s see if we can see it in its simplicity. God prophesied His coming kingdom for centuries. The King of this kingdom would come from the tribe of Judah (Gen. 49:10), through the lineage…

The worship and service of God’s priests revealed at Mt. Sinai set the stage for a marvelous revelation of the place of priests who serve Him in the New Testament. There are many lessons to be learned as to how He used priests then and now. For one to be a priest in the Old Testament, he had to be of the…

Let us consider one final passage in this study on giving as an avenue of worship on the first day of the week.  It is sometimes suggested that the only example we have of the early church “giving in worship” involved meeting the benevolent need of the brethren in Jerusalem.  However, such is not the only time we read about congregations giving…

Two opposites cannot both be right at the same time. It goes without saying, but I will say it, an item cannot be black and white at the same time. Two plus two cannot equal four and also equal five. There cannot be 16 ounces in a pound and 8 ounces in one. Nothing can change this truth. It is inherently true.…

Americans do not like confrontations and will do all they can to avoid them. We have a spirit of compromise and seek to find common ground by using “politically” correct speech in dealing with matters. This is so different from the way God deals with us. Our God is a confrontational God. In the very beginning, He confronted those in error. His…

The New Testament church began on a Sunday in Acts 2 (the day of Pentecost was 50 days after Passover, Lev. 23:15-16).  From its beginning, the Bible says that “they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers” (2:42).  Numerous scholars have readily identified the words of Acts 2:42 as a description of New…

When the baskets (or plates) are passed during a worship assembly, is the act of dropping something into that collection/contribution basket an action of worship?  Consider this:  how would we determine if congregational singing is an act of worship? if praying is an act of worship? if the preaching is an act of worship? if the Lord’s Supper is an act of…