BibleVersity

Zacharias said to the angel, "How will I know this for certain?"...  (Lk. 1:19, NASB)    There are a number of similarities between Zachariah and Mary. Both had angelic visitors, both were encouraged, "Do not be afraid", and both were told about future events. Even more so, their responses were almost identical: "How will I know this for certain?", "How can this be...?". However, this is where their similarities end. Mary, when she questioned the angel, was comforted and answered rather specifically. Zachariah, on the other hand, was rebuked and left mute until after John's birth.  Why was God so unfair? I mean, both simply asked a question. Could the angel not just simply answer Zachariah in the same manner he did for Mary?    The answer is found when we look at the difference between the two individuals involved. Mary was a virgin. Although Scripture informs us that Mary was most certainly a virgin in regard to sexuality, here the ...

"like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word..."  - 1 Peter 2:2 (NASB)    I'm not very knowledgeable in the mechanical world (truthfully, I'm probably dangerous), but steam engines are interesting to me. Not too many years ago trains, and various kinds of other engines, were powered by steam. The power behind the massive engines was produced through a system of converting water into steam. However, to create the necessary steam some person had to shovel coal into the engine. The more coal that was fed into the grate the greater the potential power would be available. If, by chance, someone were to neglect feeding coal to the engine it would slow then stop working all together. In other words the power of the engine was directly tied to the amount of coal supplied. Actually there's more to it but you get the idea.    I see our spiritual lives as not too dissimilar to coal engines. As long as we provide a fresh supply of fuel (the Word of ...

" As I urged you upon my departure to Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus so that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines." - 1 Tim. 1:4 (NASB)   I am a teacher. I have had the wonderful privilege of conducting kids crusades, serving in youth pastoral roles, associate pastoral roles, as a church planter, and a pastor. Currently I have the privilege of serving a great church in rural Texas. In addition, I am pursuing my Ph.D in theology, and I write Sunday School curriculum and teach in a school of ministry within the fellowship that I serve. In all these things, teaching the Word of God is my passion and what I do best. Why am I giving you my resumé? Years ago my wife and I planted a church in Texas. The same message that Paul was giving to Timothy was one that the Holy Spirit implanted upon my heart. Although I pastor another location now, the calling has not changed. I am called to teach sound biblical doctrine.    The verse above is the o...

Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person. (Col. 4:6, NASB) There's a song many of us sung as children in church. The third verse went like this: "Oh, be careful little mouth, what you say, Oh, be careful little mouth, what you say, For the Father up above, Is looking down in love, So be careful little mouth what you say." This was and is a kid's song, but the principle that is presented in this song is not merely one for children.  Paul stated that our speech should be with grace "as though seasoned with salt" . We often seemed to be focused more on the salt  part of Paul's statement than the grace part. Social media is a fairly new dynamic that many are still struggling with. There seems to be an air of anonymity when we stare at our electronic devices that allows us to say things that we would never say in person to another individual or to a gr...

"...Go therefore and make disciples... ” - (Matt. 28:18-20)   The Greek word mathetai is the term we usually translate as disciple, and it expresses the idea of "student" or "pupil". To me, the best understanding today of the biblical principle of disciples is apprentices. Think about it, in a typical apprenticeship a new generation of practitioners are prepared with on-the-job training and often some accompanying classroom work and reading.  Apprenticeships typically last 3 to 6 years, and generally involve four steps:     (1)  Commitment - At this level the apprentice makes the commitment to stay the course by receiving the education and training necessary to become the “journeyman”.       (2) Classroom - At this phase, the apprentice receives the information necessary to understand and work within the sphere of labor.      (3) Training - At this phase, the apprentice begins to put the informat...

(the following is a condensed excerpt for a message I recently preached) "Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not goon presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace." – (Rom.6: 12-14, NASB How many times have you made a decision by flipping a coin? Honestly! This may work when deciding on pizza topping choices or the color of paint for your house, but for bigger, more important decisions we need some guidelines. Discovering if a behavior is sinful can be a bit more complicated. One preacher says it is, another says it is not. So, who is right? Possibly both, and possibly neither. The best help in navigating difficult issues is the Word of God. The following principles are based on Scripture,...

" So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God".   (Rom. 10:17, NKJV)    Jesus told us that we only need faith the size of a mustard seed in order to cast the mountain into the sea. (see. Matt. 17:20) That's impressive, but was Jesus telling us that the size of our faith does not matter? I do not think so. Jesus was speaking of the power of faith in Himself. Even a small amount of faith in Jesus can do mighty things. But, what if we had a large faith? What might God be able to do? Well, faith is like a muscle, in a sense. The more we exercise our faith in Jesus, the greater our faith becomes. However, there is a danger. We can actually get to the place in our spiritual lives where we  trust in "faith", rather than trusting in Jesus, who is the the object of our faith. Faith in Jesus is always grounded in the Word of God. So, then, the real question becomes, "How can I strengthen my faith in Jesus?"     Paul's subject in ...

"...Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God." - (Gen. 6:9, ESV) Wow! What a testimony. Three simple qualities. First, Noah was righteous, meaning that he was in right standing before God. Second, he was blameless in his generation, meaning that he lived right before mankind. However,  that does not necessarily mean that Noah was accepted by those in his generation . Yet here is a man who was spiritually right before both heaven and earth.  How did Noah accomplish this? I believe that he accomplished this because of the third quality mentioned above: "Noah walked with God."  When we walk with God, we are made righteous by God. We cannot make ourselves righteous, only God can do that. And, when we walk with God, we find that we live differently before those in the world. A vibrant and continual walk with God will enable us to live like Noah: one who is known in heaven and earth for devotion to God.  In a day where a g...

 "... Go therefore and make disciples ... "  (Matt. 28:18-20, NASB)     In our world today the term "disciple" is used rarely outside of religious conversations. We often use the term "believer" or "Christian", but "disciple" is the term most often used in the New Testament.  A "disciple" is a "pupil or student", or an "apprentice." In essence, a disciple is "a person who becomes like their Master."     How do you know if you are a true disciple? This checklist is oversimplified, but it should help you:    (1) Do you walk with the  Master -  " Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me [Jesus] cannot be My disciple." ( Lk. 14:27-28, NASB)    True disciples walk with Jesus every day, not just Sundays.    (2) Do you work with the  Master - " Jesus summoned His twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal ever...