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Some will tell you the Bible can't be understood. Others say you can't understand it without a theology degree, or an ordained teacher, or a special vision/revelation. I challenge those claims, and invite everyone to read Acts 4 and see whether the following questions are too difficult. And when you're done, you might find you know more than your preacher. :-) 1. What was it in Peter's sermon in ch. 3 that upset the Sadducees so much? (See Mt. 22:23, for instance.) 2. In Mt. 10:17-20, Lk. 21:12-15, Mk. 13:9-11, and elsewhere, Jesus had given to the apostles warnings, instructions,...

Some will tell you the Bible can't be understood. Others say you can't understand it without a theology degree, or an ordained teacher, or a special vision/revelation. I challenge those claims, and invite everyone to read Acts 3 and see whether the following questions are too difficult. And when you're done, you might find you know more than your preacher. :-) 1. What was the lame man expecting to receive from Peter and John? 2. Did the people recognize this man? Why were they amazed when they saw him? 3. How had the Jews treated their Messiah/Christ? 4. What proofs...

Perhaps that seems like a strange question. Can we see faith? You decide. - Noah built the ark by faith (Heb. 11:7). What did the people without faith do? - Rahab hid the spies by faith (Heb. 11:31). If she hadn't had faith, wouldn't she have turned them in instead? Did the people hunting for the spies have faith? - Abraham left his home and went where God led him, not even knowing where he was going, because he had faith (Heb. 11:8-9). If he hadn't had faith, would he have gone or stayed home? It is faith that causes...

Like a bottle of "fruit juice cocktail" that's mostly corn syrup and water with a bit of actual fruit juice mixed in, some "Christian" religions are based only loosely on Christ and His Word. As we see all around us various man-made codes, catechisms, creeds, councils, conventions, etc., it's worth our time to consider whether our religion is based on the God's revelation in the Bible, or on man's ideas. The Jewish religion of Jesus' day was ostensibly based on the Scriptures, yet piled so high with preachers' and authors' ideas, that the Word of God was not only obscured...

Is the ability to read Greek necessary to understanding the Bible? Or is access to Greek scholarship necessary for avoiding the pitfalls of the translations from men? No doubt reading Chekov or Baudelaire or Julius Caesar in their original tongues adds a richness otherwise missed. And understanding the "Hebraisms" and Hebrew poetic devices found in the Scriptures enhance our enjoyment. As the saying goes, there's often something lost in the translation. But what is it? Can TRUTH be lost in the translation of the Scriptures? God did not leave us at the mercy of Greek scholars and "experts" for our...

Some will tell you the Bible can't be understood. Others say you can't understand it without a theology degree, or an ordained teacher, or a special vision/revelation. I challenge those claims, and invite everyone to read Acts 2 and see whether the following questions are too difficult. And when you're done, you might find you know more than your preacher. :-) 1. Something unusual happened on Pentecost. Was this predicted by Jesus in the previous chapter? 2. How many different nationalities were represented in Jerusalem at Pentecost? 3. How did they know the apostles were Galileans? 4. Joel's prophecy quoted...

Some will tell you the Bible can't be understood. Others say you can't understand it without a theology degree, or an ordained teacher, or a special vision/revelation. I challenge those claims, and invite everyone to read Acts 1 and see whether the following questions are too difficult. And when you're done, you might find you know more than your preacher. :-) 1. Acts is Luke's second book. What was his first book about? 2. What convinced the apostles that Jesus had been raised from the dead? 3. Why didn't they begin proclaiming the gospel right away? 4. When would they...

"Ye hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying, This people honoreth me with their lips; But their heart is far from me. But in vain do they worship me, Teaching as their doctrines the precepts of men." - Matt. 15:7-9 Jesus confronted the religious leaders of His day often, and exposed their man-made teachings and practices - ostensibly invented for serving God. In inventing these traditions, they had in fact invalidated (made void) the word of God (Mt. 15:6, Mk. 7:13). What does it mean to have a heart that is far from God? Does it mean being a...

But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit… (Titus 3:5) How beautifully the apostle in these strong words extols the grace of God bestowed in baptism! He refers to baptism as a washing, whereby not our feet only, not our hands, but our whole bodies are cleansed. Baptism perfectly and instantaneously cleanses and saves. For the vital part of salvation and its inheritance, nothing more is necessary...

Let's suppose that the American government wakes up to the danger of extending the protection of the Constitution to all Muslims. Let's suppose a law was enacted stating that the laws respecting freedom of religion apply only to religions that allow freedom of conversion. If you do not allow any of your members age 18 or older to change religions without loss of life, liberty, or property, then you get no protection from the Constitution. We could go farther, and say because the government has a monopoly on the power (within constitutional limitations) to deprive citizens of life, liberty, or...

An amateur attempt at a song parody, I admit. Surely some of you can outdo me. But here goes: (Sung to the tune of "Santa Claus is Coming to Town") Oh, you better shut up You better not post Napolitano's checking Your internet host DHS is coming to town! She's making a list Of terrorist types Abusing her power and Invading our lives DHS is coming to town! She sees what you've been typing She knows that you're extreme She knows you love America So you're ripe to take the blame! So, you better shut up You better not post...

Please pardon this my first vanity post, but... I'm mad! This federal government bailout of deadbeat mortgage-holders has stepped over the line. I drive a car that's 13 years old. I rent a drafty, run-down shack in the mesquite desert of north Texas. I live beans-n-rice cheap. And I've been saving my money for the past several years so someday I can buy a home of my own without getting into risky, foolish, massive debt. And what happens? Obama comes down here, sticks a gun in my ribs (so to speak), and says, "Give us some money." "What for?" I...