At my financial planning firm, we like to challenge our clients to answer the question: What is the money for? The answer that most disappoints me is: “I’m not going to live that long.” That is not a life plan; it is a death plan. If you feel that way, then the book of Ecclesiastes is for you.
Archives for 2018
04 What is hope and what good is it?
The “so what” of being justified by faith is now we have a reason to boast. Paul explains the 3 things we boast about in Romans 5:1-11. The first is hope.
Ministry Preparation Checklist
July is the time to start preparing for your fall Bible study. Are you overwhelmed by the details or don’t know where to start? Assuming your study starts in September, here’s my summer ministry preparation checklist.
Ezra-Nehemiah Chronology
Chronology of the post exile: Ezra-Nehemiah
03 What is saving faith and why is it so important?
Saving faith is the permanent, ongoing trust in God that one day He will free me completely from all the consequences and effects of sin because of the blood of Jesus Christ. Saving faith itself is a gift from God and it involves 4 things.
#TBT Sin and academic perfection
All through my academic career I rubbed shoulders with people smarter than I. The standard was always higher than I could reach, no matter how I hard I tried. Holiness is like that. The problem is that the standard of holiness is not my neighbor, the standard is the holiness of God.
02 What is justification and why do I need it?
There are 2 consequences to our sin: 1) We experience death and futility. 2) Our rebellion is wrong and we now owe a debt to justice that must be paid. Justification is the payment of that debt.
Gospel of Mark Resources
Everything you need to kick start your study of the Gospel of Mark: maps, charts, key words, history, background, outlines, and links to help you study.
01 What are life & death and why should I care?
Understanding the gospel means we must understand the problem that the gospel solves. While the word gospel means “good news,” understanding the gospel begins with bad news: death.
00 What is the Gospel?
A friend once asked me if I was on an airplane that was about to crash and had only a couple minutes to use my cell phone to call my family, what would I say? What would I tell them if I knew this would be our last conversation on earth? At first my mind when blank, but then the answer seemed obvious: Hang on to your faith. But to understand why saving faith is that important, you have to really understand the gospel.
Gospel of Matthew Resources
Everything you need to kick start your study of the Gospel of Matthew: maps, charts, key words, history, background, outlines, and links to help you study.
24 Romans 16 Paul’s Roman Yearbook
Compare Romans 16, Paul’s conclusion of his letter to the Christians in Rome, to a high school yearbook. During the high school years, we are supposed to learn skills, knowledge, and an approach to life that will get us launched into adulthood. The book of Romans also records truths that should be foundational building blocks for life, the essentials upon which we ought to build our lives. The high school yearbook is the history of the events, ideas, and accomplishments that took place during the year, but it also contains a collection of handwritten names, greetings, memories, and thoughts about life. We find at the end of the book of Romans some very personal words, too.