God created a world and covenanted with a people. As this family grew into a nation, they were sovereignly placed into the most powerful nation in the world. This nation now had the opportunity to tell all nations about the God above all other gods.
The reality of Scripture indicates a glorious message – the omniscient God desires to communicate with us. The way we undertake bibliology will be the single most determining factor in developing our theology.
1 Thessalonians 2:13-16 – In every culture, people’s opinions are rampant and varied, but we need the consistent, reliable source of truth found in the Word of God. Scripture is our sole standard as we seek to live for Jesus.
As God works through a family to usher in redemption to the world, the opening pages of the Bible portray a grouping of fragile people prone to multiple failures. Despite their missteps, God proves His unwavering faithfulness time and time again.
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. With that opening line, the Bible begins and God’s grand narrative for redemption never looks back. Beyond those opening lines, do you know what God is trying to communicate?
For all the failed attempts at reading God’s Word, you still have this nagging desire to know it better. Instead of wallowing in regret or focusing on failures, make a plan to go forward. You can read the Bible. You can know God better.
We all know the discouragement that comes when we attempt to read the Bible with great eagerness only to quit once a personal streak is broken. If we are going to be committed to knowing the God of the Bible, we must maintain our time in it.
While much of the world is busy making resolutions that may not last the month, I want to encourage you instead to make a plan for the most life-changing habit you can have in this life – reading your Bible. It’s time to put down the excuses.
The Old Testament archives the beginning of God’s work to redeem God’s people. From the very beginning, God had a plan that no enmity or enemy could stop.
The 52-Week Bible Reading Plan is developed by Michael Coley and has a unique structure. For those who struggle reading through some of the more challenging sections of Scripture, this plan guides you through a different genre every day.
The very fact that we study the Bible in English implies that someone has already interpreted the original message into our language. Discover the Bible’s organization and its numerous translations to understand some of our interpretive challenges.
Epistles are letters written for specific purposes. It is essential to determine who wrote the letter, who received it, and why it was sent.
As we live our lives, love our homes, and lead our churches, there are many ways in which we can determine our direction. There are plenty of opinions out there, but is God’s Word reliable enough to transcend those fleeting thoughts?
No amount of compassion will make you invincible to the needs of your own soul. Your unwillingness to care for yourself will actually deprive you the opportunity to minister to more in the long run.
Most Christians feel as if they don’t know the Bible as they should. I know you could know more, but I guarantee what you do know could be life-giving to someone else.
Jesus taught the necessity of obedience to His words, but we cannot apply them if we don’t first study them. Create a plan where you can work through studying the entire Bible.
All of us go through storms, but only some of us make it out of them. As Jesus concluded the Sermon on the Mount, he taught his listeners how to build the types of lives that can withstand life’s storms.
You can listen to the greatest sermons, hear the greatest teachers, read the greatest books, and subscribe to all the greatest posts, but you aren’t actually destined to grow in Christ. Studying the Bible isn’t enough. It’s time to go the second mile in working toward biblical application over information.
To follow Jesus, you must know what direction He is taking. We are truly guided by God when we study the truth of God’s Word.
We live in a time when the world is biblically illiterate. Why has this happened? It might be because the church has diminished its confidence in the knowledge and application of God’s Word. We need more than spiritual intentions, we need biblical truth. It’s time to go the second mile with your small group.
If you grow up going to church, you know that the most typical Bible study scenario is one where the teacher reads a verse and then asks the group, “What does that mean to you?” More than what it means to you, we need to know what it means to God. It’s time to go the second mile in discerning subjective truth.
Maybe someone has encouraged you to read the Bible. You might even have wanted to at some point in your life but unsure where to begin. Before you start, maybe this short video could help you understand what is the Bible in the first place.
Here are 10 pivotal verses to study, meditate, and memorize regarding the nature and function of the Bible.
Looking for Bible verses to study or memorize on a particular area? One of the best ways to fight for holiness and combat against sin is by memorizing Scripture. Here are 10 verses for combatting lust.
Jesus taught the importance of hearing and obeying God’s Word in a story he taught about two builders. The difference may seem subtle at first, but the outcome is dramatically polarizing from each other.
One of the best ways to see progress in challenging areas is by memorizing Scripture. Here are 10 verses for overcoming anxiety.
Your schedule has probably simplified in recent weeks. In fact, you probably have more margin now than ever to be able to read the Bible, but have you taken advantage of it? If you are not careful, you can waste this present opportunity and let the time slip away. It’s time to go the 2nd mile in developing a reasonable …
God often provides examples for us to follow. He does things not because they are necessary for him, but because he knows they will be essential for us. When God rested on the seventh day of Creation (Gen. 2:2-3), he was not exhausted (Isa. 40:28) but knew that we would be. He rested as an example so that we would …
I teach a large group Bible study on Sunday nights at my church called Equip. The intended goal is to “equip the saints for the work of the ministry” (Eph. 4:12). We have a plethora of ages and backgrounds that come to this gathering every week. For a solid hour, I teach on the topic at hand. It might be …
If you want to start reading the Bible, you might be unsure of where to begin. Let me introduce you to a feasible plan that can help you get started.
How well do you know your Bible? I imagine you know it better than you think you do, but you probably also should know it better than you currently do. If you make the church a priority, study the Bible on your own, or engage with Christian resources, you probably know a considerable amount. Do you know what you should …
…and we pray most earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith (1 Thess. 3:10). Paul traveled to Thessalonica and experienced fruitful ministry very quickly. He saw such success (Acts 17:4) that it caused great hostility from certain locals and forced Paul and his missionary companions to leave the …
“But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam…” (Rev. 2:14). In the beginning chapters of the Book of Revelation, Jesus serves as a church consultant to seven churches throughout the Asian region. Among each congregation, he gives specific commendations and other condemnations. The church at Ephesus was victorious in resisting and …
Are you confident in the fundamentals of your faith? Maybe the better question is, do you believe what you believe? As a follower of Jesus, you have a set of doctrinal beliefs that come along with the territory, but are they settled in your mind? It’s time to go the 2nd mile in reinforcing the most critical doctrine. Listen to the …
Are you confident in the fundamentals of your faith? Maybe the better question is, do you believe what you believe? As a follower of Jesus, you have a set of doctrinal beliefs that come along with the territory. Biblical Christianity is blatant on topics in which the culture will struggle to accept. In Session 4 of Distinctive Discipleship, we are …
With school in session, it is important to remember the God-glorifying pursuit of receiving knowledge. We are to love God with all of our mind as well (Mark 12:30). While we attempt to do that, here is an additional 10 Bible verses on learning. Prov. 1:7 – The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. …
Each of us could use more peace in our lives. The Bible teaches that the true source of peace is found in God. Here are some pivotal verses on this important topic. Isaiah 26:3 – You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. 2 Thessalonians 3:16 – Now may the Lord …
Imagine a time in which you were surrounded by danger. Forces were against you that literally threatened your very life. Someone comes up to you at the scariest moment and seeks to encourage you. Instead of providing personal counsel, this individual actually quotes a Bible verse to you. Recited from a beloved psalm, this verse reminds you that God will …
The Bible has much to say regarding marriage. Here are 10 pivotal Bible verses on this blessed union. Gen. 2:24 – Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. Mark 10:9 – Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate. Song of Solomon 8:7 …
At Rocky Creek, we are almost halfway through the calendar year. So, why share a list of remaining 2019 sermon series? Since the Gospel of Mark took us an entire year to get through, I haven’t shared where we are going as a church after its conclusion on Easter. I want you to pray and prepare where we are going …