A story has five basic but important elements. These five components are: the characters, the setting, the plot, the conflict, and the resolution. These essential elements keep the story running smoothly and allow the action to develop in a logical way that the reader can follow. There are some who argue that other components are also critical, like tone, theme, and point of view. But we ask our listeners to accept these initial five as the basic building blocks of any good story.
We use the five components to examine the book of Acts, the fifth book of the New Testament. And we conclude that this book is unfinished. How it ends is up to us. Scriptures referenced include Acts 1:14-39; Acts 4:5-22; Acts 5:1-10; Acts 2:36; and Luke 20:17.
The Temple is the focal point for Jewish worship for almost 350 years. From time to time, the people fall away from God and...
The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus is a stark and deeply uncomfortable story used by Jesus to unveil the profound eschatological reversal...
Sodom and Gomorrah stand as stark biblical examples of divine judgment against sin. The cities, known for their wickedness, were destroyed by fire and...
