Things That Are More Valuable Than Gold

Text: Job 31:24-25, 28 There is a temptation to put our trust in wealth, especially when we face greater uncertainty than normal. For centuries, gold has been valued; and the Scriptures do not deny the value of it. However, we are not to put our trust in it. As Job said in our text, that would […]

Turning Blessings into Curses

Text: Proverbs 25:16 In the Bible, honey is often used to symbolize God’s great blessings for man (cf. Exodus 3:8). Yet in our text, the wise man pointed out that this same blessing can be turned into something with negative effects. It is possible to take the good things God blesses us with and turn them into […]

The Church’s Money

Text: 1 Corinthians 16:2 Historically, this has been a controversial topic. But was all of this controversy based on a flawed assumption. What if there are no special rules concerning the collection? Let us consider five questions. How Does the Church Raise Money? Through the collection on the first day of the week (1 Corinthians 16:2) […]

Regular Christians Who Used Their Talents

Text: Matthew 25:14-30 In the parable of the talents, three servants were given a different number of “talents” to use while their master was away. These talents were sums of money given to the servants to use in the master’s service. For us, “talents” are those things we possess that may be used in the Lord’s […]

Through Many Tribulations (Part 2: Hardships)

Text: Acts 14:22 Paul and Barnabas encouraged the brethren to remain faithful to the Lord “through many tribulations” so they could reach the final reward of heaven. The kinds of tribulations that we may face could be unique to Christians or common to all people. Any of these tribulations could potentially derail our faith and […]

The Character Qualifications for Elders

Text: 1 Timothy 3:2-3; Titus 1:6-9 If we are to develop, identify, and appoint elders, we must know the qualifications for elders that God has given. Most of the qualifications have to do with the elder’s character – traits that all Christians should possess. In studying these, it is not just about someone else (elders or […]

Cain, Balaam, and Korah

Text: Jude 11 Jude intended to write this letter about their “common salvation,” but deviated from his original topic and told them to “contend earnestly for the faith” (Jude 3). He warned that those who attacked “the faith” would be punished by God (Jude 5-7). Who were they? Jude warned that they were following in […]