Image by Robert C from Pixabay Why are there brackets around some Bible passages like Mark 16:9-20 and John 7:53-8:11? So you’re reading along in your Bible and you come to brackets or double brackets and it has a footnote, and when you check out the footnote it says something…
In September 2012, I had the opportunity to see the Dead Sea Scrolls in person. I love being part of a church that has an interest in God’s Word. I pastor a church that places a high premium on studying God’s Word and on learning about Christianity and about God.…
Image by 272447 from Pixabay Have you ever been in a nice deep sleep until someone will to up suddenly? There’s almost nothing like the alertness that comes from the shock of being suddenly woken up. In the same way, we are called as Christians to be alert at all…
Image by ashish choudhary from Pixabay How does a New Testament Christian understand and make application from the Imprecatory Psalms, where there are statements like "Pour out your wrath on them; let your fierce anger overtake them"? Imprecatory Psalms are those that essentially ask God to curse your enemies. There…
Image by Peter Lomas from Pixabay What do we make of "casting lots" in the Bible? Is there ever a situation where we should “cast lots” if we are uncertain of God’s will? This was an interesting practice in the Bible, and especially in the world around the Bible. Casting…
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay We all have an inner voice that tells us all kinds of things. Sometimes we say to ourselves, “How could you be so stupid.” Other times we tell ourselves encouraging words like, “Nailed it!” But we all have that inner voice. It’s our biggest…
Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay Is there ever a situation where it is okay for Christians to "put out a fleece" in order to confirm God's will like Gideon? The account of Gideon’s fleece can be found in Judges 6:36-40. Gideon was a man who was very fearful. He didn’t…
Image by Enrique Meseguer from Pixabay What do we make of situations where God speaks through people involved in occult practices, such as Balaam and the Witch of Endor? Occult practices go directly against the laws of the Old Testament and scriptural commands. Christians must not turn to sorcerers and…
Image by Efes Kitap from Pixabay Can you explain 1 Peter 5:8-10? These three verses are in the middle of a paragraph that extends from 1 Peter 5:6-11. This is at the end of the letter in which most New Testament authors, including Peter, give commands based on what they…
Image by scott payne from Pixabay What is the difference between a cultural/intellectual Christian and a Born Again Spiritual Christian? Well, a born again Christian is a person whose life has been changed by Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit (John 3:5-8). He or she follows Christ’s teachings…