Greetings BA Readers, This is my last “First Word” of 2023. I thank the Lord for His blessings this year, and I thank you for your continued support. According to Crosswalk.com, the two most searched Bible verses are John 3:16 and Jeremiah 29:11. I bet you can quote the first one, but do you know […]

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There are an estimated 380,000 churches in the United States. In the vast majority of these churches, the pulpit and the sermon take center stage (literally) in each week’s service. If each sermon were an average of just 30 minutes, that’s a whopping 190,000 hours of preaching in the United States each week! Add mid-week […]

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Start by holding up both hands. The right hand represents God, and the left hand represents people. Repeat the words in bold aloud as you do the motions. “God loves.” (Both hands are clasped together.) “We sinned.” (Left hand moves to the left.) “Jesus died.” (Right hand moves to the right. Now both hands are […]

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I was in the middle of teaching a lesson on creation, an overview introductory lesson. I had prepared a fast-paced, high-energy class with videos, games, and activities. While all those things did take place, I was blown away by the depth of conversation in this class. I was asked questions about why the world was […]

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Gospel-focused preaching has a two-fold aim: the saving of souls and helping believers better understand and appreciate the gospel.

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Of all the Pauline writings, which represent almost half of the New Testament books, the letter to the Galatians is the best defense against those who seek to “complement” the gospel of Christ with other practices, doctrines, or philosophies. It is a different kind of letter, where the apostle showed his total indignation at the […]

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The recent resurrection of Lazarus had caused quite a stir in Jerusalem among the throngs gathered for Passover. A number of Greeks, probably Jewish proselytes, had also come to Jerusalem to worship and heard of the miracle. They approached Philip: “Sir, we would see Jesus” (John 12:21, KJV). Jesus’ followers didn’t know it then, but […]

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“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15). A right understanding of the gospel makes all the difference in how we live out our salvation experience. So what is the nature and core content of the gospel? The goal of this article is to show […]

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The four Gospels are amazingly complex portraits of the Son of God. Each account verbally “paints” its subject from many different angles, capturing different aspects of the gospel just as a cut and polished precious stone catches and reflects light differently from its many facets. One of those aspects of the good news is the […]

The post The Gospels and Time appeared first on Bible Advocate.

It is often said that the apostle Paul changed the focus of the Christian gospel from kingdom of God, stressed in the four Gospels (Matthew 9:35), to the saving work of Christ, stressed in his epistles. But did Paul really make such a profound change within Christianity? Letter to Corinth It is true that Paul […]

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We often hear fellow believers referred to as evangelicals. What does it mean to be an evangelical Christian?     Because of the recent popularity and disparity-diversity of the term evangelical, we’ll explore it from biblical, popular or political, and ecclesiastical perspectives.     Evangelical is one of a family of words (evangel, evangelism, evangelistic, etc.) that are all […]

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“Which do you want first: the good news or the bad news?” You’ve probably heard that question. It is curious how the news often comes in this pair, especially as it is heard in the gospel. There is a paradox in the biblical presentation of the gospel — a dichotomy, or at least a dynamic […]

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