John opens his first epistle by defending and establishing the understanding of the humanity of Christ. “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life…” (1 John 1:1). John is making the […]
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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure […]
It wasn’t your intention to send some of your garbage on a tropical vacation. Nevertheless, there it lies, basking in the sun as it floats near Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean. In an odd twist, some of its toxic chemicals may wind up back in your home and on your plate, courtesy of the fish […]
At 9:00 am each morning, my children and I drop what we are doing, gather in the living room, and drop to our knees to “pray like Daniel prayed.” My husband joins us when we drop again in the evening, as the six of us anchor our hope in Christ as a family. It hasn’t […]
I have seen many kinds of church buildings in my journey. I can remember something about all of them, except the first (my first year of life). Several churches from my childhood stand out in memory. In one of them, we were building a sanctuary while we were there. It was enormous and in the […]
I set out as a young man to refute Christianity. I met some young Christians who challenged me to intellectually examine the evidence for Christianity, and I agreed. I aimed to show them, and everyone, that Christianity was nonsense. I thought it would be easy. I thought a careful investigation of the facts would expose […]
Greetings, BA readers! It’s an exciting new year, and we have an exciting new theme to go with it. Following our Great Commission focus last year, 2020 is dedicated to what the apostle Paul called the “ministry of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:14-21). We have all year to explore this profound and demanding text, but here’s […]
