Category Archives: Bible

Biblical Teaching

Pastors: Please paint precise word pictures

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“This is my body which is given for you.” Luke 22:19 ESV

As important as alliteration in attracting attention, is the precision with which we use our words of wisdom offered to the world. The book of James includes a warning to teachers, which we do well to take as a reminder to be accurate in our teaching:

Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.
James 3.1

I know you’re busy as pastors and teachers, so let me get straight to the point. We need to be careful about how we describe the biblical accounts, and we should be more precise in our language regarding the Lord’s Supper. Continue Reading

Q.46 The Gospels were created by a “Telephone” game process that turned a real person named Jesus into a god

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Mark records the teachings of the Apostle Peter

Mark records the teachings of the Apostle Peter

Since this concerns the game “Telephone”, let me ask, have you ever played the game? As I recall it, this is how it was played at a summer camp I went to in my youth many years ago. The proctor created two teams and lined them up. Then he split each team so there’s a short distance between the two halves of the team. There were two teams, each team with members in a line and the line separated in the middle by a short distance. The opposing teams were far away enough so they couldn’t hear what the other team was saying. 

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Q.19 Why do all the scientific studies on prayer say it doesn’t do anything?

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Police offices pray in

Police officers in prayer in “Courageous”

In this age of easily accessible AI (artificial intelligence) it’s dangerous (in a not-very-wise sense) to make sweeping statements where you’re indicating something is always or never true, as was done with this statement. With AI at your finger tips, such statements are easily checked. I did a check, so let’s start there with what a couple of AI engines found.

The question I asked the AIs was: “How many scientific studies on prayer have there been and are there any (what percentage) that conclude that prayer is effective?”

Grok:
Grok focused in immediately on intercessory prayer and included this in its summary of results. Continue Reading

The Tower of Babel – The End of The Beginning

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The Tower of Babel? Presentation - The Tower of Babel - the End of the Beginning

Though the events recorded about the tower of Babel take up a scant nine verses in the Bible (Gen 11.1-9), its effects are visible through the ages and are revealed not only in the languages we speak and the physical differences among people groups. The account also foreshadows the times at the end and the “man of lawlessness”  foretold in scripture (2 Thess 2.3-4).  As we move inexorably further into the last days, the account of the events of Babel remind us not only of the lawless leader, the antichrist, to be revealed but also of the heart of the people who refused to obey God, making themselves easy targets of deception. It serves as a warning. Will you be among those who Continue Reading

Will you fall for giving Christmas gifts for the wrong reason?

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Baby Jesus surrounded by Joseph, Mary and gives while the two witnesses of Rev 11 await their time of ministry
A Christmas Meditation

For many people, Christmas time is, as Andy Williams sings, “The most wonderful time of the year.” [1] There are many reasons for that—the beauty of the lights, the warming of hearts that Christmas cheer brings, gathering with loved ones, and, of course, the giving and receiving of gifts. Before I get too far into this meditation, let me warn you this will not be the standard type of Christmas meditation to help you revel in the season. This is the type to make you examine your own heart closely. Jesus is the reason for the season, and we should indeed focus on God’s gift of the baby in the manger that allows us to draw near to God. But, as the apostle Paul says, ‘What I mean, brothers, is that the time is short.” (1 Cor 7.29) and it is much shorter than when Paul first gave that warning to the Corinthian church nearly 2,000 years ago. Jesus gave many signs that would portend a time of trouble before his return. Those signs are upon us. So I feel compelled to give the appropriate meditation and warning in light of the current signs of the times.

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Q.43 No one has any idea who wrote the Gospels

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The Gospel according to...

The Gospel according to…

For the average Christian, the statement: “no one has any idea who wrote the Gospels” is nonsensical. In every Bible, printed at the top of each Gospel account, is the name of the author:

The Gospel according to Matthew
The Gospel according to Mark
The Gospel according to Luke
The Gospel according to John

Sometimes it’s listed in a simplified version with just the name:

Matthew
Mark
Luke
John

Before Bibles were printed, the name of the author was included with the handwritten documents, and the name of the authors were well established from the beginning of their widespread circulation.[1] So it is not true that “no one has any idea who wrote the Gospels.” What this doubter means is he doesn’t believe that the Gospels were written by the people traditionally accepted to be the authors. He rejects what the first Christians believed from the time of initial receipt of these texts even though this belief was later confirmed by the early church. The question of authorship does not even occur to most Christians who believe the entire Bible. Continue Reading

Q.40 The Exodus – Does archaeology show it happened?

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The Split rock at Horeb - The Exodus

The Split rock at Horeb

After the resurrection, the Exodus and the miracles surrounding it are arguably the greatest miracles God performed. Indeed, before the incarnation of Jesus, God regularly identified himself as the God who brought the Israelites out of Egypt (Ex 20.2, 29.46, Ps 81.10, Jer 11.4, etc.) So this is a very important question. But like other questions in this series, it was given as a statement too long for the title. So let’s start with the original statement, point  out the implied questions, and take it from there. The original statement:

If the Exodus really happened we’d see more signs of it in archaeology. We don’t, so it’s not believable.

So let’s make explicit the implicit challenges and assumptions.
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Q.37 Only morons would believe in an invisible magic sky-daddy like God.

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"The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." Psalm 14.1 Like fools, like morons

“The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” Psalm 14.1

The first thing I notice about the person asking this question is the extreme disrespect on display in the question: “Only morons would believe in an invisible magic sky-daddy like God.” Like the ignorance of those who crucified the Lord and did not know what they were doing (Luke 23.34), this person does not realize that in his reference to God, he is insulting and blaspheming the person with the power to send him into everlasting condemnation. (Luke 12.5) Continue Reading

Easter – A Passover Journey For Christians

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From the Exodus to the Cross
A Resurrection Day Meditation

Most Christians are aware that Jesus, Yeshua, is our Passover lamb (1 Cor 5.7) and thus completes and fulfills the symbolism of the Passover. The Passover lamb was a type. Jesus is the fulfillment, the reality that the symbolism and the type pointed to. We often focus narrowly on the typology of Jesus being our Passover lamb, the sacrifice for our sins who “died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.” (1 Pe 3.18) This is or course of paramount importance because it is Yeshua’s sacrifice that makes it possible for us to have peace with God (Ep 2.14-15)  and thus enables us to live with God. (John 14.23) But for this meditation I want to widen the focus and take a look at the bigger picture of what God is doing through the Passover and Easter and the ultimate purpose for both that we should keep in mind. Continue Reading

Creation and Inerrancy: Evaluating the Mortenson vs Ross Debate

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Wolf in Sheep's clothing in lab coat with bible surrounded by sheep.

“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. (Mat 7:15)

There was a recent[1] debate on creation and inerrancy which addressed the question: “Does belief in inerrancy necessitate a particular view of the age of the earth?”[2] In contrast to U.S. political debates this election cycle where moderators prop up one candidate and challenge the other one, this debate was moderated fairly by apologist Frank Turek who holds to the old earth position[3], though you couldn’t detect it from the way he moderated. Debater Terry Mortenson holds to the young earth position, as do I, and the other debater, Hugh Ross, holds to the old earth position. Continue Reading