Posts by Christian Worker (Page 6)
How to Study the Prophets – Pat McIntosh
The Bible is a book intended to be read and understood by the reader. It is a book that delivers God’s will to man through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:19-21). Many, however, do not understand it and others see it as a mystical book that cannot be unlocked without some sense of divine aid. Others claim to understand it, but misuse it in various ways. This has resulted in mistaken views and, even…
The Prophets and the Messiah – John Haffner
As two men journeyed along the road to Emmaus, they were joined by Jesus. Their eyes were restrained to the extent that they were unable to recognize the Lord (Luke 24:16). The two conversed with their traveling companion, telling him about the “Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people” (Luke 24:19). They confessed their initial belief that this Jesus was the promised Redeemer of Israel, except He had been crucified so they had grown discouraged.…
The Prophets and Leaders – Johnie Scaggs, Jr.
Peter wrote, “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (2 Pet. 1:21). Great men of God, whom God chose to be His Prophets, were given messages to His children concerning great Biblical truths. Sometimes, these messages were directed toward the leaders of God’s people. God often warned leaders to be careful how they lead His people. And the word of…
From the Director’s Desk (April 2024) – Trent Kennedy
The power of God is on full display in the work of the Prophets. Isaiah’s prophecy of Cyrus (Isa. 44:24-45:7) demonstrates the foreknowledge of God and shows His power to perform His will in the governments of men. However, King Cyrus and his government pale in comparison to another King that Isaiah predicts. Isaiah describes a King (Isa. 9:7) Who would sit on David’s throne and rule a spiritual kingdom. This King could be called “God” and described as “eternal”…
Preaching From The Prophets – Kerry Clark
Gospel preachers need to stand boldly as the apostles did and preach from the prophets. As more preachers are moving away from the simple preaching of God’s Truth and being turned to fables (2 Tim. 4:4); the preaching we draw from the prophets is both humbling and empowering. But the question we are considering is how does one preach from the prophets? We need to look no further than the preaching recorded in the book of Acts to find the…
Preaching Like The Prophets – Ronnie Scherffius
What type of preaching is heard from our pulpits today? What is the character of the men who call themselves gospel preachers? Are they men of the book? Do they speak only “what the Lord saith” (1 Kings 22:14)? Do they stand in the counsel of God, turning those that hear to the way of the Lord (Jer. 23:21, 22)? Encouraging the saints to endure grief, James pointed to the paragon of the prophets of old, “Take, my brethren, the…
Why Study the Prophets? – Cody Westbrook
There are 39 Old Testament books in your Bible. Each one inspired of God and full of great lessons and eternal truths which every child of God should learn and apply. Though it is no longer in force as law, it is there for our learning. As Romans 15:4 says, “whatsoever things were written aftoretime were written for our learning that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.” The “writing prophets” make up 17 of the…
The Prophets: God’s Spokesmen – Ross Haffner
What kind of man did it take to be chosen to be a spokesman for God? Out of 39 Old Testament books, 17 bear the name of a prophet. Apart from them, there are dozens of prophets who make appearances in the Biblical narrative who played their part in revealing the will of God. Despite the honor of the position, ordinary men were chosen to leave their current circumstances to become men of God, ready to deliver His message no…
From the Director’s Desk (March 2024) – Trent Kennedy
To close out the great exaltation of Jesus Christ in Colossians 1, Paul turns his attention to the place of preachers in the great mystery (or plan) of God. The work of Paul, and by implication, preachers today, was to put the church first (vs. 24), to serve God’s plan as ministers (vs. 25-27), to preach (vs. 28), and to labor (vs. 29). It is through this labor that human beings become “perfect in Christ” (vs. 28). Focus on Colossians…
The God of All Comfort – John Baker
We need to remember that God really is, “the Father of mercies and God of all comfort” (2 Cor. 1:3). As 2 Corinthians opens, the Greek word for “comfort” or “consolation” is found 10 times in just five verses (2 Cor. 1:3-7). Consider the following questions: What is “comfort?” We must make an important distinction between our modern notion of “comfort,” and what the Bible term indicates. In modern English, “comfort” means, “a state of physical ease and freedom from…
How Can I Help? – Adam Orr
Understanding that discouragement to one degree or another is not a matter of ‘if’ but ‘when’ in the lives of Christians or those outside of Christ, what can we do to help one another? As a foundation upon which to build, let us first be clear that it is not optional whether we help one another through times of discouragement. Paul stated clearly in Galatians 6:2, “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” When we see…
My Favorite Not-So-Discouraging Discouragement Verses – Joey Davis
Christians can get locked into the mentality that faith should always trump discouragement, and that anytime a Christian is struggling mentally or emotionally they must be lacking the appropriate level of trust in God. In their view, Christians should not get discouraged. The truth is that the probability that a child of God will experience periods of discouragement is just one mishap or disappointment away. Rather than pretend that Christians are immune to discouragement, let’s consider what help the Bible…