by Justin Bradford | Mar 5, 2021 | Articles, Mentors Corner
Acts13:22 “After He had removed him, He raised up David to be their king, concerning whom He also testified and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My heart, who will do all My will.’ 1Kings 15:5 “Because David did what was right in the sight of the LORD, and had not turned aside from anything that He commanded him all the days of his life, except in the case of Uriah the Hittite.” What made David a man after God’s own heart? David was a man just like any other. He too is included in “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” 2 Samuel 2:27 states that the thing David had done was evil in the sight of the Lord. So again, I ask myself what made David a man after God’s own heart? While attempting to answer this question I found it helpful to compare and contrast David to Saul. In 1 Samuel 15 Saul is confronted by the prophet Samuel because he did not utterly destroy the Amalekites like God commanded him. Similarly, David is confronted by the prophet Nathan after committing adultery, failing to cover it up and then ultimately having Uriah killed. Saul’s first two interactions with the prophet Samuel after his sin with the Amalekites go as follows. In 1Samuel 15:13, Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, “Blessed are you of the LORD! I have carried out the command of the LORD.” And then in 1Samuel 15:20 Saul then said to Samuel, “I did obey the voice of the LORD, and...
by John Hartshorn | Feb 19, 2021 | Articles, Mentors Corner
If you ask most anyone if they want to be “free” they might say, “Sure, who wouldn’t?” If you ask them what it means to be free, they would most likely say something to the effect of being unrestrained in being able to do what they want to do. That idea runs into difficulty when filtered through the Bible, which in turn raises some interesting questions regarding the presuppositions and predispositions of that view. There are a number of key verses/passages in the Bible that address what it means to be free, and how it is attained. We will focus on two, in close proximity, in the gospel of John. Those are: John 8:32 “and you will know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” John 8:36 “So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed” Let’s follow the time tested method of moving from information, to implication, then to application. In John 8:32, Jesus is making a direct, and very clear, connection. Truth makes you free. Said another way, you cannot disconnect being free from Truth. Both the Bible itself – “The sum of Your word is truth,” (Psalm 119:160) – and Jesus in the bible – “I am the way, and the truth, and the life ..” (John 14:6), declare themselves to be truth. Now we have an implication. When Jesus declares Himself to be truth in John 14:6, in very simple terms it means you cannot be “free” apart from Jesus, as the Apostle Paul notes in Romans 6:15-22. Let us now consider John 8:36, “So if the Son makes you...
by Dale Bradford | Feb 3, 2021 | Articles, Mentors Corner
Everything I know about hermeneutics I have learned from being in a bible study with like-minded men using as a tool Walt Henrichsen and Gayle Jackson’s book: Studying, Interpreting, and Applying the Bible (the “SIAB”). Our group started 27 years ago with six men and next month we will begin a one and half year study of Romans with hopefully a couple dozen men. In the SIAB there is a process for doing Biographical studies (Ch. 6 SIAB). We studied Abraham, Moses and David using the SIAB methodology. This article is merely a summary of my notes for Steps 4-7 on the life Moses. Step 4- Strengths and Weaknesses Weaknesses- Could be impulsive (Ex. 2:12), married outside his tribe (Ex. 2:21), failed to circumcise his sons as commanded by God (Ex. 4:24-26), has some self-esteem issues (Ex Ch. 3 and 4), has some pride issues (Num. 20), at times took on too much responsibility (Ex. 18). Strengths- Greatest prophet whom the Lord knew face to face (Deut. 34:10), great faith (Heb. 11:23-29), an intermediary between God and men, a friend of God who knew His ways not just His deeds (Psalm 103:7), leader of a nation, stood up to Pharaoh, a judge, a great writer, a historian with attention to detail, God’s chosen man for giving the Law and forming a nation. Thought for consideration: In the storied and amazing life of Moses, when did he exhibit the greatest exercise of his faith? (Caution to self- no right or wrong answer). Step 5- Key Verses Numbers Chapter 16 whole chapter, read verses 1-5, 28, 31-33. Observation 1- Moses evidences...
by Ed Allen | Jan 22, 2021 | Articles, Mentors Corner
John 20:19-22: “So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord. So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” (Observation) Jesus appears, bearing the scars of His crucifixion, in the midst of His disciples as they hide behind closed doors. Jesus says “peace be with you” twice, sends them “as the Father has sent Me” and breathing on them, says “receive the Holy Spirit.” (Interpretation) I suggest to you that His appearance is miraculous and that His words “peace be with you” are more than a greeting intended to calm their surprise at His sudden appearance, but that they also refer to the reconciliation or “peace” with God that is the result of Jesus paying the price for sin on the cross a few days before and that He says it twice for emphasis. Next, I suggest to you that this peace, together with receipt of the promised “Holy Spirit” will abide in them as they “go therefore and make disciples” according to His command. How is it that the Holy Spirit is received by these men before the ascension of Jesus and prior to Pentecost? (Acts 2: 1-4) I do not know. I will,...
by Micah Olson | Jan 6, 2021 | Articles, Mentors Corner
Man has been seeking his own glory ever since he rebelled in the Garden. The Old Testament characterizes Babylon as a uniquely egregious manifestation of man’s pride, a nation that rose to worldly glory and ended in utter destruction and desolation. According to the book of Revelation a new version of Babylon will manifest in the end times, and it will again end in absolute destruction. Note how the pride of Babylon is described in three Old Testament passages: In Genesis 11:4 the people of Babel (Babylon) endeavor to build “a tower whose top will reach into heaven.” Isaiah says of the king of Babylon: “But you said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God…I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’” Isaiah 14:13a,14 Jeremiah writes: “‘Though Babylon should ascend to the heavens, and though she should fortify her lofty stronghold, from Me destroyers will come to her,’ declares the Lord.” Jeremiah 51:53 Babylon is described as desiring to ascend into heaven, of wanting to be like God. In contrast to prideful Babylon, note how Jesus is described in the New Testament: Now this expression, “He ascended,” what does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things. Ephesians 4:9-10 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a...
by Jerry Bangert | Dec 23, 2020 | Articles, Mentors Corner
What a year we have all been through! COVID, riots, the election, conspiracy theories on the right and left, racial animosity, defunding the police, wildfires and hurricanes—tension is high and trust is low. It all feels a bit unreal, which caused me to ponder what the Bible teaches about reality. What is real and how can I know? Is God real, does the Bible give a true depiction of reality? These important questions can only be answered, affirmatively or negatively, by faith. If God is real and the Bible is true, then we become privy to knowledge that we could not otherwise possess. Not least among these truths is that God is a moral Spirit and the universe He created is both spiritual and moral. Further, the spiritual and moral have primacy over the merely physical and natural. To say this differently, the spiritual and moral are in a very important sense more real than the natural world which we all experience through our reason and senses. They are more real because the natural world that we currently experience is merely temporary and will be done away with. But the spiritual and moral world, which underpins the natural world transcends time and space, being itself eternal. When the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. Because this is so, the church has long understood that her first allegiance is to that spiritual and moral reality, even, and especially if, that reality came into conflict with the secular world around her. This formed the backbone of the Christian worldview for centuries. Further, in our earthly lives, we are citizens...
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