“A picture is worth a thousand words.” We know this from experience. In fact, just reading this saying brings images to mind. For some it is a newborn baby, for others the Twin Towers on 9/11. For me, a picture comes to mind from a courtroom. In 1995 former professional football player O. J. Simpson […]

The post A Picture’s Worth appeared first on Bible Advocate.

Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself . . . (2 Corinthians 5:18, 19). Paul’s second epistle to the Corinthians surprises us each time we read it. One […]

The post A Letter to the Church appeared first on Bible Advocate.

Myanmar is a member of the International Ministerial Congress of the Church of God (Seventh Day). It is a Buddhist country in Southeast Asia, sharing its border with India, China, Bangladesh, Laos, and Thailand. In this environment Jesus Christ is moving in the lives of more people. Challenges But there are challenges. Christianity experiences significant […]

The post On Mission . . . In Myanmar appeared first on Bible Advocate.

At twenty-five years old, Phil Vischer had a simple goal. He wanted to blend the love of his faith with his love of filmmaking. Each profitable VeggieTales video meant he could afford to delight children with a new Bible-inspired story. Then his goal got bigger. Captivated by the concept of adopting a goal so big, […]

The post A God- Shaped Goal appeared first on Bible Advocate.

Faced with eviction from the only home they had ever known, Adam and Eve were escorted out of their garden paradise. Adam remembered the warning words of God: “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in […]

The post The Red Line appeared first on Bible Advocate.

The theme of reconciliation is as old as humanity itself. Because of sin, humans damaged their relationship not only with God but also with their neighbor. Because of the Fall, communion between Adam and Eve was lost, giving rise to individualism. Both covered themselves with fig leaves, which they had not needed before: “I was […]

The post The Priesthood appeared first on Bible Advocate.

In the last “Spotlight” we examined Revelation 21 and the new creation that began in Christ and the ministry of reconciliation. This time we focus on the new covenant. Just before Paul communicates that reconciliation is a God-given ministry and that we are ministers of God (2 Corinthians 5:18; 6:4), he writes that God has “also […]

The post Ministries of Glory appeared first on Bible Advocate.

Waving her arms around isn’t enough. The movement must be clear, timed, and the same as in practice sessions. This is the role of my cousin, Rachel, a classical music conductor at a local church. With a small baton in her hand, she methodically guides her musicians to play a distinct way and brings everyone […]

The post The Music of Ministry appeared first on Bible Advocate.

As a Sabbath school teacher who prays regularly about instilling confidence in my students, I recently had a “God moment.” He revealed people in my life who have true, meaningful confidence. In prayerfully meditating on these lives, I realized that one thing was always present: a committed earthly father figure who invested time working with […]

The post Bestowing Blessings appeared first on Bible Advocate.

Recently while I was reading Psalm 42, verse 4 took on new meaning for me. It reads: These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go to the house of God under the protection of the Mighty One with shouts of joy and praise among the festive throng. This […]

The post When Hope is All We Have appeared first on Bible Advocate.

One of the unsung “gifts” of the churches of God is fellowship. To be more specific, food. What I mean is eating: We eat well. And what a glorious gift that is! Don’t you agree?   Not enough Eating well is not a gift to be taken for granted. Many years ago while visiting a […]

The post Potluck and the Gift of Fellowship appeared first on Bible Advocate.

Is the Sabbath a “shadow”? A recent BA article said it was. A shadow is a shaded image cast by light rays striking a body or object. In biblical study, the words type and shadow can refer to a person, event, or item that serves as a pattern, preview, or lesser image of a later, […]

The post Is the Sabbath a “shadow”? appeared first on Bible Advocate.