Posts by Christian Worker

Each year on the weekend of the first Sunday in March, the Southwest congregation hosts its Arise! workshop. This is a blessing and benefit to our congregation and the SWSBS student body. The study, singing, and social fellowship are hard to beat. One of the best parts of the Arise! weekend is the opportunity to spend time with alumni. Most SWSBS graduates work as local preachers. They have pulpit and evangelistic works that bless those churches whom they serve. But,…

“What is your favorite book or author?” This may have been a question you have been asked if you are a big reader or not. In one way, shape, or form, we can most likely answer this question as we have read a book that has left some impression on us, whether that is reading for leisure or out of obligation, such as an assigned reading in school. Our answers would reflect our preference for genre or author. This preference…

One of the great privileges of my life has been to be involved in various archaeological digs in Israel and Jordan. I have excavated at Khirbet Iskander in Jordan, Tel Rehov and Tel Beth Shemesh in Israel, and recently at Shiloh, where the Ark of the Covenant resided during Israel’s early history. This region is commonly called the Bible lands, or the Holy Land. I became interested in doing archaeology there because of the rich and helpful lessons it brings…

In his book, Words of Delight, Leland Ryken said, “… the ability to interpret poetry is a requirement, not an option, when we read the Bible” (pg. 160). Considering roughly one-third of the Bible is poetry, Ryken’s statement is absolutely true. There are 150 Psalms, 31 chapters of Proverbs, poetic prophecy sprinkled throughout the major and minor prophets, and poetry can even be found in the teachings of Jesus Christ and other places in the New Testament. If we want…

To encourage a young preacher named Timothy, the Apostle Paul wrote, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15). His wise counsel remains as relevant today as it was then. Christianity is a learned religion. To be a faithful disciple, studying God’s Word is essential. A key area that should be included in one’s efforts to increase their knowledge of Scripture is…

Did you know that over 40% of the Bible is narrative? When studying the Bible we need to treat apocalyptic literature like what we find in the book of Revelation or Ezekiel differently than an epistle like Colossians or 1 Peter. We have to consider the differences between a work of poetry in the Psalms and a Persian official’s letter in Ezra. We want to read to understand what God has given us in His word so we must take…

Throughout the Bible, God communicates with people through words (Gen. 1:28). Words, and our ability to reason with them, are how God intended people to learn His ways (Isa. 1:18). Whether orally spoken to the prophets, passed down in conversation with descendants, written down as Scripture, or preached from the mouths of saints and evangelists, people are meant to hear and learn through the preaching of the Gospel (Heb. 1:1–2; Deut. 6:3–4; Exod. 24:12; 2 Tim. 4:2). When studying preaching…

At the writing of this note, we are in our second week of the third quarter of the school year. Our Arise Workshop is rapidly approaching—February 26th to March 1st. In conjunction with the Workshop, Rob Whitacre will conduct a “blitz week” on the subject of Evangelism. We have the largest first-year class in our history of forty-eight years. Sixteen students fill the class from young to not so young—which makes for an interesting dynamic. Some students are a year…

I t was a young shepherd boy who proclaimed the words, “the battle is the Lord’s” as he stood face to face with a giant (1 Sam. 17:47). In a valley full of fear, crowded with concern, and packed with panic, those five words were just what the nation of Israel needed. Certainly, David’s statement was one of courage and conviction, but it was also one of great faith. While the king, the nation, and David’s own brothers were greatly…

The young shepherd boy who slayed a giant and fought the Philistines now has a target on his head. The king who once loved the boy from Bethlehem became jealous of the rising star and ordered his execution. Throughout Saul’s pursuits, David not only evaded Saul but also had the opportunity to kill the king and take the target off his back. Yet David takes a route that is quite unexpected. In 1 Samuel 24, David and his mighty men…

When God rejected Saul as king, Samuel was sent to the house of Jesse to identify and anoint his replacement. God worked through Samuel to identify David, but God’s method of choosing differed from Samuel’s expectations. When Eliab, Jesse’s eldest, appeared, Samuel anticipated a quick decision: “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before Him!” (1 Sam. 16:6). Samuel quickly learned that more was involved: “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For…

Christians would agree that we should show mercy when we have been wronged (Eph. 4:32, Matt. 5:7). But could we stop ourselves even at our lowest point? In an age of instant online backlash and cancel culture, restraining a sharp reply feels nearly impossible. Yet the Scriptures provide great relevant examples to help. Part of David’s punishment for his sins with Bathsheba and against Uriah the Hittite comes to the forefront through the king’s son Absalom (2 Sam. 12:10-12). When…