In Exodus 18, Jethro counseled his son-in-law Moses about how he was leading Israel after they fled Egypt. But there is more depth to the story if you consider the rest of Jethro’s story: Jethro descended from Abraham by Keturah He was also called Reuel and possibly Hobab Is claimed by Islam as a revered prophet and a central figure in the Druze religion. According to Rabbinic literary...
In a random survey by The Christian Chronicle, more than 1,100 readers responded to this question: “What Bible version do you prefer to read?” New International Version: 41.5% New American Standard Version: 17.1% New King James Version: 10.3% English Standard Version: 9.5% King James Version: 5.8 % Revised Standard/New Revised Standard Version: 4.8 % New Living Translation: 3.6% Today’s New...
NOTE: This post was originally published as a bulletin article and on the merkelchurchofchrist.org blog “ [Jesus] went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him.” Luke 4:16-17 (NIV) The congregational reading of scriptures in synagogues was a...
In the Parable of the Good Shepherd (Or Parable of the Lost Sheep) the Pharisees come face to face with the prophesy of Ezekiel, they have failed as the shepherds go intended them to be and through their religion, have neglected the lost sheep. The main point of the parable is that God loves his sheep and only through the good shepherd (Jesus) will the lost sheep be found and there will be great...
Scripture Reading: Luke 15:1-7 1 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” 3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep...
Bible class audio for December 12, 2010 “Daily Bread?” Bible class audio for December 5, 2010 “The Lord’s Prayer” Outline and Notes: 1. Father. The first mention of God as our father is by Jesus in this sermon…something he reinforces in his teaching on prayer. The hearers had only known God as the God of the people at large with Abraham as their father. We...
Before you begin this study read Matthew 18:21-35 Servants who have approached the master with a poor spirit, acknowledging how broken and unrighteous we are without him and mourning over the sins we have committed, will have the master bring them into his kingdom and comfort us. Only in this state can we with meekness bring our power under his control and crave the righteousness which he has...
Sermon Audio “The Journey” When the Israelites stood at the far side of the Red Sea they had escaped certain death and were delivered to life by the hand of God, but their journey wasn’t over. The Israelites wandered through the wilderness before reaching their promise, and it wasn’t always pretty. At times God’s anger burned toward them but in the end both He and...
Bible Class Audio May 23, 2010 “Kingdom of God (Part 2) Bible Class Audio May 16, 2010 “Kingdom of God (Part 1) “From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” Matthew 4:17 (TNIV) 1. A Central Theme of Jesus Teachings The Kingdom of heaven is a central theme in the teachings of Jesus throughout his ministry. It’s difficult to gain the...