Bible Study Archives - Page 6 of 14

In 1 Corinthians, Bible Study, Blog on

June 6, 2022

Was “Homosexuality” Added to the Bible?

One of the biggest arguments in the Church today surrounds the topic of homosexuality. Is it a sinful practice that ought to be repented of? Is it an innate identity that ought to be celebrated? Christians on both sides of the aisle passionately fight for what they believe is right, and the debates about this topic can get pretty heated.

As Christians, we should be getting our cues on cultural issues from the Bible, not from some activist or ideologue on Twitter or TikTok. And the Bible seems pretty clear and straightforward on where it stands. However, many “gay-affirming Christians” claim that the Bible does not prohibit homosexuality. In fact, they argue that the word “homosexuality” was actually added into Scripture. Is this true? Was “homosexuality” added to the Bible?

Tristany

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In Bible Study, Blog, Luke on

May 22, 2022

Jesus Draws Near to the Outcast

There have many times in my life when I felt like an outcast. I wasn’t doing what everyone else was doing. I wasn’t wearing what everyone else was wearing. I wasn’t watching what everyone else was watching. Sometimes, I’ve been glad for this. I’ve been happy to stand out and stand up for my principles and beliefs. Other times, I’ve resented this. I just wanted to fit in with my friends and peers, and I felt judged and excluded for being different. Whether I felt my outcast identity was good or bad in the moment, it pretty much always has left me feeling lonely. Life is hard, and it’s even harder when you’re doing it alone, without the help and encouragement of someone else who’s been in the same boat.

If we’re being honest, we’ve probably all felt like outcasts at some point or another, each of us experiencing varying degrees of loneliness, judgment, and exclusion. But in the book of John, Jesus comes upon a woman who was likely far more alone, far more judged, and far more excluded than we could ever imagine. And He met her in a city of Samaria.

Tristany

In Bible Study, Blog, Genesis on

May 9, 2022

King of Righteousness, King of Peace

I love a good mysterious movie. A movie where you don’t fully understand the plot or the characters until it reaches the climax. A movie that keeps you guessing until the very end. One in particular that I very much enjoyed was The Murder on the Orient Express, a film that is based on a novel of the same name written by Agatha Christie. As you can imagine, the story focuses on the murder of a man on a train, and the great Belgian detective Hercule Poirot investigates the crime and interviews numerous train passengers with mysterious backgrounds. If you’ve never read the book or watched the movie, I won’t spoil it for you, but the climax of the story when Poirot solves the murder is thrilling!

The Bible has its share of mysterious characters. People that pop in and pop out of the storyline that we know very little about. Men and women that seem so unlikely that we at times wonder if they even really existed. One of the most mysterious characters in all the Bible is a man named Melchizedek, a king who lived during the time of Abraham.

Tristany

In Bible Study, Blog, Luke on

April 25, 2022

Jesus Draws Near to the Burdened

I do not watch horror movies. I know that some of you are probably flabbergasted that I haven’t and will never watch anything that falls in your favorite movie genre, but I just don’t enjoy horror films. I don’t like the jump scares. I don’t like to be kept up all night worrying that someone or something is going to kill me. And since most horror movies feature some demonic character, I don’t like focusing on these creatures that are very evil and very real.

I think a lot of people can forget that demons are real beings because we don’t typically see obvious examples or evidence of demon possession in today’s world. But they are real, and they have possessed many real people. During His ministry, Jesus encountered many people who were possessed by demons. One of them was a particularly burdened soul who dwelled in the Gentile region of the Gerasenes.

Tristany

In Bible Study, Blog, John on

April 10, 2022

Washing Feet

Take a moment and think of the person you would consider your worst enemy. The person you hate (or at least strongly dislike) with every fiber of your being. Perhaps this is someone who has betrayed you in the past. Perhaps this is someone who gets on your nerves and pushes all your buttons. Perhaps this is someone who is meanspirited and rude or condescending and arrogant.

You got that person in your head? Good. Now imagine doing something really nice for them. Like REALLY nice. Like shoveling snow from their driveway in the middle of winter. Like buying them a fancy dinner from their favorite restaurant of all time. Like giving them a genuine compliment on their appearance or their work.

Could you do it? Could you actually sacrifice your time, effort, money, and/or pride to do a nice thing for someone who wouldn’t think twice about turning on you and throwing you under the bus? If most of us are being honest with ourselves, we wouldn’t go through with it. We wouldn’t want to waste our time and resources on someone who will never show us any kindness or respect in return.

Thankfully, Jesus is a lot more humble and loving than we naturally are.

Tristany