The third commandment, the third guideline for abundant living, is not about what we say as much as how we live. More literally the third commandment reads: “Do not carry the name of the name of the Lord in vain—do not represent the Lord Your God in an empty way.” Just as the high priest of Israel carried the names of the 12 tribes before God in the holy place of the synagogue, so are we, His followers, to bear His holy name in our lives.
Scriptures referenced include Exodus 20:7; Psalm 8:1; Psalm 111:9; Luke 11:2; Hebrews 4:16; Luke 1:46-49, 74-75; Luke 4:34; Psalm 18:49; Philippians 2:9-11; Luke 4:18-21, 24; and Isaiah 61:1-3.
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. ...
Ezekiel is a prophet and priest who ministers to fellow Jews exiled to a village as a part of the Babylonian Captivity. Through his ministry he seeks to bring a hopeless and sinful people to repentance and to confidence in the future. We begin our week-long study by exploring who he is, what God calls him to do, and why he is important. Scriptures referenced include Ezekiel 1:1; Ezekiel 3:16-17; Ezekiel 33; and Ezekiel 37:1-14. ...
Two important letters written by the apostle Paul to the fledging Christian church in Corinth are included in the New Testament. Where was Corinth? Why was it important? What was it like in Paul’s day? What do we know about the church there and the challenges it was facing? How did Paul address these challenges? We answer these questions and more. Scriptures referenced include Romans 15:4; 1 Peter 5:12; Galatians 6:11; 1 Corinthians 1:2, 4-5; and 1 Corinthians 5-10. ...
