BibleVersity

  "Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so." - Acts 17:1 We live in a social-media-infested world in which everyone is a practicing physician, historian, or theologian...or at least that what they claim; a world in which everyone is now an expert. Many claim truth is relevant, and others say it does not exist at all. And opinions? Well, opinions are as numerous as the stars in the sky. The result is that truth is often left behind. During one of his missionary journeys Paul ended up in Berea. There he preached and taught of Christ just as he had done in many other places. In Berea, the believers listened to what the apostle Paul said, but they did something even more important: they measured his words against Scripture. Paul was--arguably--the greatest evangelist in history, and his reputation was well-known. However, the ...

"Then Moses said to the Lord, "Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither recently nor in time past, nor since You have spoken to Your servant; for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue." - (Ex. 4:10, NASB)    As far as biblical folks go, Moses is my favorite, but Moses had a problem. We are not certain what "slow of speech and of tongue" means, possibly that he stuttered or had some other physical malady. What we do know is that this was a major hurdle, at least to Moses. During his original meeting with God, Moses gave several excuses for why God should choose someone else. The final one was his speaking issue. This stands out in most of our minds, for this is where God brings Aaron on board and gives him the task of speaking for Moses, leaving Moses to performing miracles and leading the people.  However, this is not the only time his speech problem is mentioned. Twice in chapter six (6:12, 6:30) we find his struggle mentioned as bein...

"…we were afflicted on every side: conflicts without, fears within." - (2 Cor 7:5, NASB)    I love it when I am studying the Bible and happen to discover some spiritual gem that I managed to miss in previous studies. Paul is writing to the Corinthian church and shares some deeply personal revelations from his own heart. Among these are the trials that he, and those with him, have faced. Jesus told Ananias, before he went and prayed, that Paul that he must suffer many things (Acts 9:16) . Paul, who previously persecuted the church, now has been and is suffering for the One whom he persecuted. In the verse above, Paul is speaking of events that took place in Macedonia. Although he does not elaborate on the specifics, he does tell us that their "flesh had no rest, but we were afflicted on every side…" As a result of this constant toll, fear developed in the heart of Paul. Paul was afraid!    The term "fear" is found over three hundred times in the NASB ...