I have found it always to be profitable to read the four monthly articles produced by Roger D. Campbell in his TRUTH journal. He is an excellent Bible student and preacher of the gospel and world evangelist. This month’s articles include these interesting titles:
Find them by clicking H-E-R-E.
GREAT VIDEO FROM WORLD VIDEO BIBLE SCHOOL…
Did Jesus endorse a “blind faith”—one based on feelings rather than facts? If so, then why did He rebuke His apostles for not believing in His resurrection before they had actually seen Him resurrected? And why did Jesus tell Thomas, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed”? What kind of “faith” was Jesus advocating?
With our listening audience in Marshall County, Kentucky, we finish our study of the passages from the Old Testament which John used to produce faith that Jesus was the promised Messiah, the Christ. You can listen in by clicking below…
With the radio audience, we continue a study of the Old Testament passages John, the apostle, uses in presenting the life of Christ in the Book of John. You can listen also by clicking below
With our radio audience in western Kentucky, we began a study of the way the Apostle John used the Old Testament in presenting his account of the life of Christ. This study is from the writings of Wayne Jackson. You can read his excellent writing at: Christian Courier. We considered five of the 14 passages in this particular study: John 1.23; John 2.17; John 6.31; John 6.45; and John 7.37-38. The life of Christ as presented in the Book of John is unique from the other three accounts. It is important to study these passages so that we might appreciate the scriptural basis of arguments John makes for Jesus being the Christ. You can listen to the study by clicking BELOW
On Sunday, November 3, 2019, we are studying with our radio audience from Matthew 27.39-44. We are completing a study we began last week. Here we find the SAD situation of God’s people joining others to MOCK the very Son of God. Yes, THEY MOCKED Him.
Also, we begin a study of Galatians chapter 1. Here Paul defends his apostolic authority because his authority had been attacked by Judaizing false teachers. Please listen by clicking
In our message to the radio listening audience on October 27, we finish one study and begin another. We finished the study about THE BEGINNING OF CHRISTIANITY and we took up an important study of the cross. One of the matters Jesus had to deal with as He went to Calvary for you and me was the taunting disrespect of His own people. How very SAD! How very much LOVE He showed us! How very important was His willingness to endure the mocking and the disgusting spittle on His face! How much you and I ought to love and worship Him for His great gift! You can listen to this presentation by clicking .
Today I listened to the latest offering from the PTP Podcast. I was impressed with this presentation from Matt Vega. He is a lawyer and he spoke about one particular lawyer that we read about in Scripture (Luke 10.25). To me, the most interesting and helpful point in his lesson involved an illustration he used from a USA Supreme Court case, not that well known. It involved a case in which a pardoned individual refused the pardon. Please listen and learn from this outstanding lawyer. Listen by clicking HERE.
John 1.9-13
The various names, titles, and descriptions of Jesus Christ in Scripture are so revealing and important to understand. Christology is the study of the Christ and is a subject matter that ought to be better appreciated than it generally is in our time. In the first chapter of John’s account of the life of Christ, we have an important picture of Christ which stresses how vital it is to have a relationship with Him.
Can you even imagine what it would be like to be in a place of total darkness? When my wife and I married (on our honeymoon), we visited an area in the Ozarks of Arkansas. One of the places there we decided to visit was a cave. I only learned later how very claustrophobic she was, but she went along willingly—at least I don’t remember dragging her into the cave. When we had made it down into the belly of the earth a good ways, our guide flipped a switch which turned off all artificial lighting. It was DARK! A kind of darkness you can almost feel. It was a kind of darkness you never would choose to remain in for more than a few seconds. By inspiration, John presents to us the Savior as being like the light switch being flipped ON after having a moment like we shared in that cave in the Ozarks. The spiritual darkness that exists outside of Christ is infinitely more horrible than being without physical light!
In one of my trips to India I took a day off and signed up for a bus tour to see the great Taj Mahal. My traveling companion, Royce Frederick, had already seen it, so I went on the trip alone. We left early in the morning from Delhi and returned that same night. As we were returning to Delhi, we stopped at a place to rest a bit and drink some coffee. The sun was beginning to set as we arrived at the rest area, when we left it was rather dark. I did not pay careful attention as I was walking in the dark, and did not see a step. I fell and injured my ankle. It began immediately to swell. Later it changed color to indicate quite a bit of trauma had taken place. I blame the darkness for my blunder. Had it been light, I would have seen where I was walking and would not have taken the fall. In a much more serious way, Jesus, like light, can protect us from falling in a different way that will affect our eternal destiny. John wanted us to get that picture.
On October 6 our radio program (Walking in Truth) centered on a study of John 1.9-13. If you would care to listen to that message you may do so my clicking .
HE MARVELED is something Jesus did two times in the New Testament. Words are precious; words are interesting; words instruct; words are valuable; words bless our lives (cf., Treasure in the Heart). Actually, words are indispensable for learning and receiving the will of the Lord and obeying it. We find the Greek word that is translated marvel used 46 times in the New Testament. A large number of those usages of the word are due to something Jesus did or said causing others to marvel. However, if I have correctly examined these 46 verses, there are two occasions in which Jesus, Himself, marveled at something. It is especially interesting to observe what a contrast these two occurrences provide.
First in one passage, Jesus is said to marvel at the unbelief of a group of people—Mark 6.6… And he marvelled because of their unbelief. And he went round about the villages, teaching. This incident takes place in the locale of Jesus’ growing up years, the small village of Nazareth. The people of Nazareth knew His trade, His mother, and the members of His earthly family (Mark 6.3).The unbelief of these Nazareth natives caused a sad result—Mark 6.5… And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them. What a disappointment these people were to Jesus!
The word marvel comes from the Greek word, thaumazo. It is defined as follows: “to wonder or marvel at some event or object—‘to wonder, to be amazed, to marvel’ (whether the reaction is favorable or unfavorable depends on the context)” [Louw Nida]. The context clearly tells us here that Jesus’ marveling at the faith of the Nazareth folks was not in the category of favorable.
Second, there is the passage in Luke 7.1-10, where we find Jesus marveling at the GREAT FAITH of the centurion of Capernaum. Luke uses the word marvel here and in the parallel account Matthew also uses it (Mt 8.5-13). Since these are parallels, I count these two verses as one occasion of Jesus marveling.
What caused Jesus to be amazed were words from the mouth of the centurion. The words spoken by this Gentile officer in the forces of Herod Antipas were unlike any Jesus had heard, even among the Jews—Luke 7.9… When Jesus heard these things, he marvelled at him, and turned him about, and said unto the people that followed him, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. The words of the centurion which caused Jesus to marvel are recorded in verse 7… Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee: but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed. This Gentile soldier believed that Jesus had the ability to heal his servant simply by speaking the word. If Jesus would just say he was healed, he would be healed! That caused our Lord to marvel!
Great faith in one instance and great unbelief in the other caused Jesus to marvel. Have you ever thought about causing Jesus to MARVEL at your own faith?
Those souls at Nazareth had been greatly blessed in many ways to have Jesus as a resident. Mark 6.5 tells us that He did heal some sick people in Nazareth. Yet, at one point, they were ready to throw him off a cliff (Luke 4.28-30). How sad!
What could happen to the Lord’s church at Maple Hill if you and I develop within our hearts the kind of faith which would cause it to be said of Jesus: He Marveled?