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In Bible Study, Blog, John on
June 5, 2023

The Good Shepherd

Growing up in the suburbs, I’ve never been an outdoorsy girl. I’ve always appreciated sitting in the air conditioning reading a good book or perusing the stores of a shopping center rather than going on a camping trip in the dead of summer or hiking for miles and miles on end. Now, don’t get me wrong. I very much enjoy nature and love to take pictures of stunning sunsets, majestic mountains, and other gorgeous scenery. But if I were given a choice between spending time indoors or outdoors, I’d likely choose the former.

This is probably true for many of us living in the western world. Since the Industrial Revolution, our society is seeing fewer and fewer people working in the outdoors—farming and agriculture—and more and more working nine to five in some office building crunching numbers and running reports under the harsh, florescent glow of artificial light.

However, the culture of ancient Israel was quite different from ours. They had a far more agricultural society, and many Israelites had to work the land and raise livestock just to survive and put food on the table. Because agriculture played such a huge role in their lives, many of Jesus’ parables and teachings in first century Israel were centered around farming. The Jews living in the time of Christ would have had no issues understanding his agrarian examples, but because we are so far removed from farming life, we often struggle to understand what Jesus means.

In His fourth I Am statement, which is found in John 10, Jesus describes Himself as “the Good Shepherd.” If you’re anything like me, you may have no clue what it looks like to be a shepherd in today’s day and age, let alone two thousand years ago. So, what is Jesus saying when He claims, “I Am the Good Shepherd”?

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In Blog, Book Reviews, Jesus on
November 14, 2022

Confronting Jesus

Every two years, Ligonier Ministries and LifeWay Research partner together to survey Americans about their theological beliefs. They recently released their 2022 findings, and some of the results are troubling.[1] Fifty-five percent of Americans believe that Jesus was the first and greatest being created by God, and fifty-three percent believe that Jesus was just a good teacher, not God. Thirty-six percent of American adults do not believe Jesus’s death is the only sacrifice that could remove the penalty of sin, and forty percent do not believe that trusting in Jesus is the only way to eternal life.

Now, these kinds of beliefs are not all that surprising in the secular world. But according to this survey, they were professing Evangelicals who agreed with the sentiments above. Sixty-one percent—nearly two thirds—of professing Evangelicals agree that Jesus was not God, but simply a creation of God. This is absolutely stunning and not in a good way.

The American Church, and American culture in general, do not have an accurate view of Jesus, who He was and what He did on this earth for us. It’s time for us to know the real Jesus. It’s time for us to confront what the Scriptures really teach about Him. And Rebecca McLaughlin’s newest book helps us to do exactly that.

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In Blog, Names of God, Theology on
July 5, 2021

He is Jehovah-Raah

Sheep aren’t exactly known for being smart. They are defenseless against predators. They can get stuck on their backs. They can’t swim, so they can easily sink and drown in water. They can eat grass down to its roots, which destroys whatever pasture they’re in. Sheep have even been known to walk off cliffs. This is why shepherds are so important! The shepherd watches over his sheep constantly and protects them from predators. Sheep know their shepherd’s voice and follow him to safety and green pastures. If a sheep falls on its back, the shepherd sets them back up on their feet. Sheep are completely dependent on their shepherd.[1]And this leads us to an amazing truth about God-

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In Blog, Book Reviews, Identity on
November 4, 2019

If You Only Knew

If you only knew who I am, what I’ve done, you wouldn’t think of me the same way.

Has this thought ever crossed your mind before? I know it’s crossed mine. Sometimes I’m afraid of people knowing me, really knowing me. I try to protect myself by putting up a wall and pretending that I’m the perfect, happy church girl. But I’m not perfect, and life isn’t always happy.

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