Everybody wants their church to grow. But what if your church suddenly started attracting ... well ... the wrong class of people? Undesirables. Outcasts. Rejects. That’s what was happening in the early church as the gospel spread beyond its Jewish roots to the much-despised Gentiles. And some of the Jews were ready to start a riot.
Acts 21:27-22:22
Lamps have changed since Jesus’ day. We’ve gone from oil to gas to kerosene to electric, and from incandescent to fluorescent to LED. What hasn’t changed is that a lamp still gives light, and hiding one under the bed still doesn’t make sense. So a 2000-year-old parable about a lamp still works, and the message stands the test of time.
Here’s the question. Is it better to say you will, but then you don’t? Or to say you won’t, but then you do? Oh, I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking: It’s best to say you will, and then do it. Or to say you won’t and then don’t do it. But that’s not the question Jesus asked.
If you’re a respectable member of a nice church, and you hear Jesus starting to tell one of his parables... after a while you learn to duck. Did he ever tell a story where the decent, upright person came out on top? Certainly not the story of the respectable Pharisee and the disgusting tax collector.
A single door leading to God is a troubling picture for many people. Especially when the door is narrow. And when you can only get through it with conscious effort. And when the door will one day be closed. But then, Jesus never did shy away from saying troubling things. In this message Dr. James Boice talks about what this narrow yet open door means for us.
Who’d have thought you could get into so much trouble just by saying no to a wedding invitation? The way Jesus tells it, certain invitations are much more important than others -- and your entire future may depend on your RSVP. In this message Dr. Boice discusses the proper response to the invitation we’ve received from God himself.
How would you like it if one of your coworkers got the same pay for working 20 hours a week as you get for working 40? And another coworker only had to work 10? And how would you like it if somebody told you: “That’s what the kingdom of heaven is like”?
The Bible starts with a paradise, the garden of Eden in Genesis 2. The Bible ends with another paradise, the new Jerusalem in Revelation 21. And here we are, stuck in the middle. Or are we? The old paradise is gone, but is the new paradise just for the future?
When Jesus died on a cross outside Jerusalem a couple thousand years ago, who won? At first glance, it looked as if Jesus’ enemies won ... as if evil won ... as if death won. But after a couple days, things looked very different. And when Jesus won out over his enemies, over evil, and over death, our future changed forever.
Don’t you just hate it when you lose something? A sock, your keys, your wallet. Or something much worse. A friendship... a marriage... a child. As it turns out, God hates it when he loses things too. So much so that he’ll go to any lengths to find what’s lost. Listen as Dr. James Boice looks at three parables about being lost - and about being found.
The best phrases always become clichés. “To be or not to be.” “Opening Pandora’s box.” “Building your house on the rock.” But hold on -- that last one wasn’t from Shakespeare or mythology but from Jesus. Maybe it’s worth looking again at this cliché to make sure we really know what it means. Stay tuned as Dr. Boice talks about building on the rock.
We hear a lot about how Christians should be loving, self-giving, kind, generous. We don’t hear much about how Christians should be shrewd. You know: clever, crafty, sly, cunning. What’s the message for the loving, generous Christian in Jesus’ parable about the shrewd, clever man of the world?
If you had to be either a poor fool or a rich fool, which one would you choose? Sounds like a no-brainer, even for a fool! However, the Bible has a lot more bad things to say about rich fools than poor ones in its proverbs and parables. Stay tuned now as Dr. Boice looks at Jesus’ parable of the rich fool and finds some very good reasons not to be one.
A hundred years ago, the Boy Scouts adopted their motto: “Be prepared.” A couple thousand years before that, Jesus told a parable with much the same message. The players in the parable are five young women who are prepared, five who aren’t, and a bridegroom who seems to be running late for his wedding banquet.
Life is a grab bag. You have good days and bad. You have friends and enemies. You laugh and you cry. But a separation is coming, says Jesus, when everything good will end up on one side, and everything bad will end up on the other side. Keep listening as Dr. Boice looks at Jesus’ parable about a fish net and checks out the consequences for the fish.
It’s not something you see much in real life. A person discovers something so desirable and so valuable that he’s willing to sell everything he owns just to buy it. You may never see such a thing in your lifetime - but it makes a great parable, doesn’t it? Keep listening as Dr. Boice examines two parables about discovering the kingdom of heaven.
What is it with the church? Outsiders criticize it for hypocrisy and irrelevance, and insiders complain about everything from long-winded preachers to lazy pew-sitters. If the church is supposed to be the vanguard of the kingdom of heaven, why does it fall so far short? Keep listening as Dr. Boice looks at three parables about enemy activity within the kingdom.
Question: If you hear a stranger preaching, how can you tell if he’s an ordinary preacher or Jesus himself? Answer: Check your watch. If the message is a 45-minute sermon, it’s a preacher. If the message is a 20-second parable, it’s Jesus. Stay tuned now for The Bible Study Hour as Dr. James Boice begins a series of ... well, 25-minute sermons ... talking about Jesus the master parable-teller.
In one way, it’s not a happy ending to the book of Acts. The hero of the early chapters is forgotten. The hero of the later chapters is in jail. The Jews are blasé about the gospel. Yet it’s the ending God planned. New churches are everywhere. The gospel is being preached. And the book’s real hero, Christ himself, is alive and well.
Turmoil on one side, peace on the other. Wavering on one side, decisiveness on the other. Fear on one side, faith on the other. The turmoil, the wavering, and the fear were all on the side of the Roman authorities. While the peace, the decisiveness, and the faith were all on the side of their prisoner Paul.
It’s the stuff of adventure movies. A sea voyage with a boatload of prisoners. Unfavorable winds, worsening weather, a brewing storm. Throwing cargo overboard to lighten the load. Hurricane-force winds, shipwreck on an island. And finally, the guards on the brink of killing all the prisoners -- among them, the apostle Paul.
In this corner: Agrippa II, king of Israel; son of Herod Agrippa, who imprisoned Peter and killed James; great-grandson of Herod the Great, who massacred babies trying to kill Jesus. And in this corner: Paul; a Jew from Tarsus; a prisoner, a troublemaker, a chronic nuisance for two Roman governors. Is this a fair fight?
Not many of us inspire enough hatred in other people to become the target of an assassination plot. The apostle Paul was one who did. In Jerusalem, forty men vowed not to eat or drink until they killed him. Keep listening as Dr. James Boice talks about the plot, what it meant for Paul’s life, and what it means for us -- even if we don’t see people plotting against us.
It’s a clever ploy. When two groups of people are attacking you at the same time, do something that will turn them against each other. That’s exactly what Paul did when the Pharisees and Saducees were ganging up on him in Jerusalem. He pushed their hot button by mentioning the resurrection, and it was all over but the shouting.
Everybody wants their church to grow. But what if your church suddenly started attracting ... well ... the wrong class of people? Undesirables. Outcasts. Rejects. That’s what was happening in the early church as the gospel spread beyond its Jewish roots to the much-despised Gentiles. And some of the Jews were ready to start a riot.
The apostle Paul was a superstar of the faith. But like all superstars, he was an imperfect, flawed human being. The strong personality that drove him to succeed in preaching the gospel also drove him to put his own plans above God’s. Keep listening as Dr. James Boice explores what happens when a man of faith ignores his friends, a prophet, and God himself.
The book of Acts shows us the public Paul -- preaching, debating, attracting crowds, causing a stir. But it also shows us Paul the person -- meeting with a few intimate friends, sharing his testimony with them, counseling them, saying an emotional goodbye.
How would you like to be remembered in scripture as the guy who fell asleep during one of Paul’s long talks? If only Eutychus hadn’t fallen out of the window he was sitting in, we’d never have heard of him. As it is, he’s a hero to every long-suffering pew sitter.
Very few people have literally caused a riot. But the apostle Paul did just that as he preached and lectured in Ephesus. The locals who made their living making idols of the goddess Artemis didn’t like what they were hearing about a different kind of God. Keep listening, as Dr. James Boice tells what happened when Paul faced a shouting, furious mob.
Judging by the movies we watch, we’re drawn to big cities. More than a thousand movies have been filmed in New York alone. In Paul’s day, Ephesus was a big city, with a third of a million people. And it drew him -- not only to visit but to linger. It was one of the cities where he honed his strategy for reaching people with the gospel.
"The book of Acts -- starring the apostle Paul!" ... If Paul were here today, he’d never let us get away with saying that. The real star of Acts is the Holy Spirit, and he does his work through every believer. Keep listening as Dr. James Boice introduces us to a few of the ordinary believers God used to turn the first-century world upside-down.
It was a cosmopolitan city. It was a commercial city. And it was a corrupt city. In short, it was very much like many of our big cities today. It was Corinth, a melting pot of people, a center of trade, and home to ten thousand prostitutes serving at the temple of Aphrodite. It was also a turning point in Paul’s ministry.
Athens, the city of the Epicureans: “If it feels good, do it.” Athens, the city of the Stoics: “If it doesn’t feel good, grin and bear it.” Athens, the city of idols: “If it looks good, worship it.” And Athens, the city of Paul’s most famous sermon, a closely reasoned message about an unknown God who has made himself known in Jesus Christ.
Long ago and far away, the apostle Paul and a few friends traveled from place to place for months at a time. Everywhere they went, they preached about Jesus, attracted attention, drew crowds, ... and eventually got kicked out of town. But they also left behind, in place after place, a new community of believers.
It’s one of the most famous questions in the Bible. It comes from a prison guard who’s having such a bad night with earthquakes and broken locks that he’s about to take his own life. Looking for a reason to live, he speaks the famous words: “What must I do to be saved?” And Paul just happens to be there with the answer.
Paul’s second mission trip got off to a rocky start as he and Barnabas argued and finally split to go their separate ways. But Paul set out with Silas instead, and picked up Timothy along the way. And as they traveled, they also picked up a new vision—a vision that led them farther west, into a brand new continent.
Is faith alone enough to make you a child of God -- or is there more to it? Do you have to do, or not do, certain things? Follow certain laws or traditions? These were hot questions for the early church, and they finally had a summit meeting to hash it out. Everybody who was anybody was there.
Another city, another Sabbath, another synagogue, another sermon. Ah, the life of a traveling evangelist! And in each new city, Paul and his companions see a pattern: enthusiastic crowds but also hostile opponents; the seed of a new church but also growing persecution.
It’s one of the most famous questions in the Bible. It comes from a prison guard who’s having such a bad night with earthquakes and broken locks that he’s about to take his own life. Looking for a reason to live, he speaks the famous words: “What must I do to be saved?” And Paul just happens to be there with the answer.
Paul’s second mission trip got off to a rocky start as he and Barnabas argued and finally split to go their separate ways. But Paul set out with Silas instead, and picked up Timothy along the way. And as they traveled, they also picked up a new vision—a vision that led them farther west, into a brand new continent.
Is faith alone enough to make you a child of God -- or is there more to it? Do you have to do, or not do, certain things? Follow certain laws or traditions? These were hot questions for the early church, and they finally had a summit meeting to hash it out. Everybody who was anybody was there.
Another city, another Sabbath, another synagogue, another sermon. Ah, the life of a traveling evangelist! And in each new city, Paul and his companions see a pattern: enthusiastic crowds but also hostile opponents; the seed of a new church but also growing persecution.
Have you ever prayed for something but didn't truly expect God to answer? Was the situation hopeless? If so, be sure to tune in to the Bible Study Hour as Dr. James Boice preaches from the story of Peter's hopeless case. He was personally imprisoned by the king and was heavily guarded. Peter had no chance. Or did he? You will be encouraged by God's deliverance.
Everyone knows the name "Christian," but where was it first used? Believers were first called Christians in a sophisticated, tolerant, and corrupt city; a business power where all the wealth of the East passed through on its way to Rome, Antioch in Syria. There Barnabas saw what God was doing and introduced Paul to the church.
Actions have consequences. When Peter went to the gentile centurion Cornelius, and brought him the truth, he believed. Peter didn’t require Cornelius to become a Israelite. Instead, Peter ate with the unclean gentiles. Now Peter returns to the church at Jerusalem and is questioned about his behavior.
Did you ever notice that at the beginning of the Christian church the apostles didn’t have very much to say about the teachings of Jesus. How about that! Last time we saw how God sent Peter to Cornelius, the gentile, which let Peter and everyone know that the good news was open to all peoples.
Have you ever had your world shaken? In our next account in the Book of Acts we see Peter dream a dream that turns his world upside down. It is also the first step as Peter uses the second key to the kingdom to open the gospel to gentiles. There truly are no favorites with God.
Peter loved and followed Jesus, and even though he denied Christ, Peter was forgiven. He followed his Lord for the rest of his life. Indeed, we have seen how he preached in Jerusalem, and how he withstood the authorities who tried to silence him.
When Saul met Jesus on the Damascus Road he asked two questions: “Who are you, Lord?” and “What will you have me do?” After Paul knew that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God, the first action he took was to tell others. This is exactly what everyone who wants a vital spiritual life must do. We must know Jesus, and we must tell others.
He watched the killing of Stephen, the first martyr. He went on to do everything he could to stamp out the newly formed Christian church. We would not expect him to become a convert and a missionary and an apostle, but that is what God did.
Imagine you're right in the middle of a very successful outreach program. People are coming to Christ daily. God is blessing your efforts. Then an angel comes and tells you to leave this successful ministry and go into the desert? What would you do? Would you argue? Would you go?
Too frequently we hear news stories about the persecution of our brothers and sisters. We are thankful for our safety while we’re both saddened and horrified by such news. Yet we must remember that Christianity began in unjust persecution. Listen next time as Dr. Boice challenges us with the story of Stephen, the first Christian martyr, and encourages us to fight the good fight in our own trials.
Easter. If you look at our stores and malls you'd think it was about rabbits and chicks and chocolate. However, if you look at the historic account of Easter you'll see that it is about life and death. It’s a story of death transformed into life, and it is full of paradoxes: some thought they were alive but were dead, and one who was dead is now alive. It offers hope to the hopeless; joy to the joyless and life to the lifeless.
"Death Where is Your Sting" by Dr. James Boice, on the Bible Study Hour.
Are you a service-oriented person? There are two types: those who live to serve and the others who live to be served. The world is filled with both—so are churches. What about you?
If you are a believer, you will face trials like alienation, slander, humiliation and sorrow—things that none of us looks forward to. But they are a part of the life of any believer—one who is actively living for God in an increasingly hostile society. Why does that happen? Because when we are faithful to God’s ways, we make unrepentant sinners uncomfortable.
The punishment of Ananias and Sapphira from the book of Acts seems severe. They were struck dead by God for a seemingly trivial offense. Seems like a harsh punishment. But this story teaches us a very important lesson about God.
Wouldn’t you like to go back in time, and sit with the early believers as they met for worship? Wouldn’t you love to see how they lived together as a community of faith, sharing the good news of Jesus? We don’t have a time machine, but in Acts chapter 4 we do have a portrait of the worship and work of the early church.
It doesn’t happen every day for us, but it started happening right away for the early apostles. God tells you to do something, and the state says you can’t. What do you do? What are your options? What are the issues?
On one side are gangs of priests, Sadducees, rulers, and elders. They’re backed by the authority of their office, and they wield the power of intimidation and imprisonment. On the other side are Peter and John. They’re backed by the authority of God’s word, and they wield the power of the Holy Spirit.
A man who can’t walk sits outside the temple begging for money. Most people look away. A few give him a coin. But today, two men stop and talk. They’re flat broke themselves, but they do give him something. And the man who can’t walk stands up, walks around, starts jumping, and runs into the temple praising God.
Every church has its distinctive. Each congregation is different. But all biblical churches share the same essentials. What are they? What activities are at the heart of every true church in every time and place? Next time on The Bible Study Hour, Dr. James Boice looks at the early church and finds the believers doing four things that define what it really means to live as Christ’s disciples.
It’s biblical. It’s Christ-centered. It’s fearless. It’s persuasive. It’s Peter’s first sermon, and it’s a winner. In fact, God uses it to win 3000 new disciples, 3000 new sons and daughters, 3000 new members of the body of Christ. Next time on The Bible Study Hour, Dr. James Boice talks about Peter’s Pentecost sermon as a model for how all of us can testify to what we know about Jesus.
What do you think of when you hear the words wind and fire? A forest fire? The classical elements of the universe? A ’70s blues band? In the book of Acts, wind and fire mean just one thing: the arrival of the Holy Spirit. Next time on The Bible Study Hour, Dr. James Boice explores why God chose these images to reveal the character and work of his Spirit in the newborn church.
Waiting is hard. And it’s harder when you don’t know how long you’ll have to wait. When Jesus left his disciples, he told them their mission. But instead of giving them marching orders, he gave them “waiting orders”: Wait for the Holy Spirit.
So, Jesus, what’s the story? If you’re not planning to take control and become king, how are people supposed to know about this kingdom of yours? Where are your loyal subjects going to come from? Who’s going to recruit them? How are we going to get them to sign up?
You’re starting a new, global enterprise designed to last at least 2000 years and change the world. You’re the founder, the leader, the head. Your startup plan is to spend six weeks meeting off and on with your leadership team—and then vanish just before you go public.
It’s one of the greatest epitaphs in history: “No prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face.” After barely escaping death as an infant, Moses became a grandson of the king, a rebel, a murderer, a deliverer, a lawgiver, a transgressor. But the heart of the story is that he knew God face to face.
The desert years began and ended with a song. The first thing Moses did after leading the Israelites across the Red Sea on dry land was to sing a song. And 40 years later at the border of Canaan, days before he died, Moses again sang a song.
It seems like a no-brainer. You can choose curses or blessings. You can choose death or life. It’s up to you. But can it possibly be that easy? Curses and death have an obvious downside, but what about blessings and life? Is there a catch?
How many births do we celebrate on Christmas Day? If you say “just one,” you might be missing something important. Of course we celebrate the birth of Jesus. But we also celebrate the new birth of each person who knows Jesus as Savior.
If you’re in the United States in December, you can’t possibly avoid Christmas. The decorations and music and ads are everywhere. Yet the book of John says the world wasn’t much interested in the first Christmas, and Jesus lived most of his life unknown.
He was 120 years old and had a lot to say. In a 26-chapter sermon at the end of his life, Moses preached to the Israelites about remembering the Lord their God and teaching his ways to their children. And for the first time, he told them not only to obey the Lord but to love him with all their heart, soul, and strength.
Forty years earlier, the Israelites left Egypt. After two years, they stood at the border of Canaan but turned away. Now they’re back. Only three men are here who were there at the beginning, and only two of them will cross the border. But finally, under new leadership, the people prepare to enter the promised land.
What did Jesus have to be thankful for? He’s the one who created the universe and ruled it all. When he came to earth, he gave up everything to live in poverty with an oppressed people. Yet every time Jesus sat down to eat his poor-man’s food, he gave thanks.
It’s funny. It’s touching. It’s sad. It stars a talking animal with way more sense than her owner. No, it’s not the latest family film from Pixar. It’s the much older story of a frightened king named Balak, a hired prophet named Baalam, and an ordinary donkey who saw an angel and spoke the word of God. Airing this weekend!
It’s one of the most bizarre things God ever told Moses to do: Make a metal snake, hold it up, and tell people to look at it if they want to live. What was God thinking? And what was Jesus thinking 1500 years later when he compared himself to that snake?
Miriam dies. Aaron dies. Moses disobeys God, and God bars him from the Promised Land. It's a sad chapter in Moses' life—losing his sister, his brother, and his place in Canaan. Of course he couldn't prevent the deaths. But what about his disobedience? What made it so serious? Why was God so harsh?
The death toll in the attempted coup was over 15,000. A handful died when the earth cracked open and swallowed them. Hundreds died minutes later in a raging fire. Within days, almost 15,000 died of plague. Who led this failed coup? Why did they do it? What went wrong?
How can two people look at the very same thing and yet see two completely different things? When Moses sent twelve scouts into Canaan, ten saw one thing and two saw something else entirely. What did Joshua and Caleb see that the other ten missed? Did they have binoculars, or maybe X-ray vision?
"Life's too hard, Moses. The food's boring, Moses. And by the way, Moses, where'd you find that foreign wife of yours?" Complaints, opposition, sibling rivalry, racist attacks—they're all in a day's work for Moses as the Israelites trek through the desert.
A book full of numbers—sounds exciting, doesn’t it? Well, the book of Numbers does have its share of lists and tallies, but it has much more. Conflict, unrest, espionage, rebellion, the downfall of Moses, the death of Aaron, and finally the threshold of the Promised land.
The Year of Jubilee. It’s one of the most surprising bits of legislation in the Old Testament. It says debts are canceled, and slaves are freed, and farmers don’t plant seed, and people get to reclaim the land they sold years ago. What’s all this about? What are the principles of the Jubilee that still apply to believers today?
Quick quiz: What’s the most important chapter in the Old Testament for understanding what Jesus did on the cross? Maybe something from Genesis? The Psalms? Isaiah? Did someone say Leviticus 16? Listen to The Bible Study Hour, as Dr. James Boice explains what a couple of ceremonial goats have to do with the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
If Leviticus was the handbook for the Old Testament priests, does it have anything to do with New Testament priests? It’s possible. Do these ideas sound like they might apply: purification … anointing … sacrifice … worship … holiness … blessing? And by the way, just who are the New Testament priests?
Burnt offerings. Peace offerings. Guilt offerings. The book of Leviticus is a handbook for the Israelite priests. What can it possibly have to do with Christian believers today? Next time Dr. Boice looks beyond the rituals to their meaning, and uncovers the truth about Leviticus. It’s really all about holiness.
The local weather forecast for the tabernacle was always the same: Cloudy all day, glowing all night. What was that cloud that hung around all the time? Why did it seem to have a mind of its own, settling a while and then suddenly moving on? Did the Israelites see this heavenly cloud as a comfort, or a nuisance?
Can anyone see God’s face, and live to tell about it? Moses was willing to take the chance. Moses asked, “Teach me your ways,” and God said “I will.” He asked, “Send your presence with us,” and God said “I will.” But then he dared to demand, “Show me your glory!” And God said….
What was Moses’ finest hour? Was it confronting Pharaoh and demanding freedom for the Hebrew slaves? Leading the people through the Red Sea on dry ground? Receiving the Ten Commandments from God on Mount Sinai? According to Dr. James Boice, the answer is “None of the above.” Next time let’s discover what Moses’ finest hour really was.
What’s the most famous tent in history? With its huge courtyard, its altar for burnt offerings, its Holy Place, and its Most Holy Place with the Arc of the Covenant inside, it’s the tabernacle. But what’s in it for us? Do its rituals and trappings mean anything to the church in the 21st century?
Exodus has pages and pages of civil laws for the nation of Israel. What do we do with them? Try to copy them? Pretend they’re not there? Let the scholars study them and as long as they don’t bother us with them? Do these ancient laws have anything to say to Christian believers and citizens today?
Suppose you’re God, and you want to boil down the entire moral law for humanity into a single Top Ten list. Where do you start? How do you word it? What do you put in? What do you leave out? Next time we’ll study the Ten Commandments, exploring each one, and uncovering the real purpose behind history’s first Top Ten list.
What do you do when you’re in charge of two million people, and the day’s to short to get everything done? You do what Moses did, and get advice from a management consultant. In Moses’ case, that happened to be his father-in-law Jethro. Join us this week as Dr. Boice looks at Jethro’s advice and makes it relevant for the church today.
You’ve lived your whole life as Pharaoh’s slave. So have your parents and grandparents. But now the God of your fathers has delivered you by a string of miracles. Moses has led you out of Egypt. And after a month of freedom, you complain and say, “The water is bitter. The food is boring. I’d rather be in Egypt.”
For Pharaoh, the tenth plague was the clincher. In one night, in every Egyptian household, this plague killed every firstborn man and boy. Yet by some miracle it passed over every Hebrew household. And before dawn, Pharaoh gave up and released two million Hebrew slaves.
Put yourself in Pharaoh’s place. What would it take for you to give up two million Hebrew slaves? A plague on your river so you can’t drink the water? A plague on your land that ruins the crops? A plague on your sky that blots out the sun? Would nine plagues make you let the people go, or would it take ten?
Put yourself in Moses’ place. You’re obeying God. You’re face-to-face with Pharaoh. You speak the immortal words: “Let my people go!” And from that moment on: disaster. Everything goes wrong. Pharaoh piles on the work. Your friends turn against you. How can this be happening when you’re obeying God?
Imagine that God says nothing for 400 years … and one day he breaks his silence. What does he say? How does he speak? Who does he talk to? Next time Dr. James Boice examines what God did say, when he spoke through a dazzling light coming from a desert plant, to an 80-year-old shepherd named Moses.
It sounds like a fairy tale, but it’s true. A man and woman live in slavery to an evil king. They give up their baby to save his life. A princess finds the baby, takes him in, and hires a woman to nurse him. The woman is the baby’s mother. The baby grows up to deliver his people from slavery.
He was the first ruler in history to try exterminating the Jews. He was the king of Egypt, a world superpower. So why don’t we know his name? Why does the Bible tell us the names of two obscure Egyptian midwives but not the name of the king? Find out when Dr. James Boice continues his all-new series on the life of Moses.
Who’s the most impressive person in history apart from Jesus Christ? Dr. James Boice answers that question in the first message of an all-new series on Moses. During his life, Moses grew to be a man of faith, prayer, humility, and courage—qualities that mark him as a godly servant and leader.
What’s the last word in the book of Romans? What does it mean? Why does God say it at the beginning of a sentence while we say it at the end? What’s it doing at the end of a doxology? And what’s a doxology, anyway?
If you’re in the market for a religion, you’ve got lots of choices. Everybody has a “gospel” to sell you ... even the apostle Paul! “My gospel”—that’s what Paul called his message in his letter to the Romans. Dr. James Boice explores the power and mystery of this gospel of Paul’s, and why it deserves to be your gospel and everyone’s gospel.
What’s in a name—or rather, a list of names? You might be surprised. At the end of Romans, Paul sends greetings from some of his friends in Corinth. And from a handful of names like Gaius and Tertius, Dr. James Boice discovers a lot about everyday life in the early church: their relationships, their work, their mission, and more.
Grace: What’s so amazing about it? Every day bad things happen to good people—and where is God’s grace? Dr. James Boice turns that question around to ask: “Why do good things happen to bad people—and what does that have to do with God’s grace?”
Most people wouldn’t expect the God of peace to go around crushing things—especially heads. Yet Paul says that’s exactly what God plans to do: crush the head of Satan. And somehow, we’re involved. Dr. James Boice examines this intriguing teaching from Paul’s letter to the Romans.
We think of Easter as a happy time, a celebration of new life, a resurrection party! But Jesus also talked about his resurrection as a warning sign, the “sign of Jonah.” What was that about? Was Jesus trying to spoil his own party? Dr. James Boice explains the sign of Jonah and what it has to do with us.
The American church today is a bit like the Jewish community in Jesus’ day. Religiously, everything’s in our favor—yet we have a hard time really hearing Jesus. Next time on The Bible Study Hour, Dr. James Boice looks at how Jesus mourned over the chosen people of God who were rejecting him, and how he might mourn over us as well.
Certain people in the church like nothing better than splitting congregations apart. Others teach their own distorted gospel, and get rich and powerful doing it. Next time on The Bible Study Hour, Dr. James Boice looks at Paul’s warning about such people, who were alive and well in the first century just as they are in the twenty-first.
If you think of the apostle Paul as an intellectual and theologian, you’re right. But he was also a people person. He knew people, he remembered people, he loved people. Next time on The Bible Study Hour, Dr. James Boice looks at all the greetings in the letter to the Romans, and discovers the personal side of Paul.
The history of the world is a history of wars. The news of the day is about conflict and discontent. Everyone seems unhappy with their jobs, their relationships, their very lives. In all this, where do we find peace? Next time on The Bible Study Hour, Dr. James Boice talks about the God who brings peace—to us, to our relationships, and to our world.
As Christians we hear it all the time: “Pray for me!” It’s easy to say but hard to do. What should I pray for? How does prayer work? Does prayer make God change his mind? Next time on The Bible Study Hour, Dr. James Boice looks at Paul’s prayer request in Romans 15, and at the nature of prayer itself.
What does it mean to be blessed by God? What’s the difference between the way he blesses us, and the way he blesses the things we do? Next time on The Bible Study Hour, Dr. James Boice continues his studies in Romans to find out what Paul means by “the full measure of the blessing of Christ.”
When it comes to giving, no one outdoes God. No one could give more than he did in his Son Jesus. What does this mean for our giving? Why do we give? How should we give? What does our giving accomplish, and what do we get out of it? Next time on The Bible Study Hour, Dr. James Boice looks at what Paul says about Christian giving.
What’s the point of making plans, when God’s plans might be different from ours? Should we plan? Should we stick with plans that don’t seem to be working out? Next on The Bible Study Hour, Dr. James Boice looks at Paul’s plans for a mission trip to Spain that might never have happened. What are the implications for us?
Is it OK to feel good about what God does through us? Can we take pride in the work we do for the kingdom of God? Today on The Bible Study Hour, Dr. James Boice looks at what Paul has to say about his work and ministry. Who gets the glory for the good things? Who gets the credit for the accomplishments?
Was the apostle Paul a priest? Not in the way most people think of a priest. But he did say he had a priestly duty. Was it to wear a fancy ceremonial outfit, or say official prayers, or do baptisms and weddings and funerals? In Romans 15, Paul tells us what his real priestly duty was: to tell the good news about Jesus.
What makes a good church? The pastor? The music? The youth program? Paul gives us his own checklist in Romans, and it’s not what you might expect. Is your church full of goodness? Are the people filled with knowledge? Do they teach and learn from one another? Let’s take a look at what makes a good church according to Paul.
We’ve put our hope in politicians, in stocks and bonds, and in the justice system. And they’ve all failed us. But hope in God, is hope that never fails. It will fill your life and overflow into the lives of others. Let’s look in Paul’s letter to the Romans and learn about this hope that brings joy, peace, and power as we trust in God.
Access to God was granted to the Gentiles through the work of Jesus Christ. However, even before this there are hints sprinkled throughout the Old Testament indicating that they would some day be included in the promises of God. Let’s look together at these places that share the hope for the Gentiles.
Birth announcements are fairly common. You’ve received cute cards in the mail telling when and where a baby was born. But have you ever gotten an announcement years before the birth? With notes about what the child would do when it grew up? This is exactly what we find in the Old Testament.
Christmas is a time when we think about the miraculous. God himself became man. A virgin gave birth. But even more miraculous than either of these is that Mary had the faith that she would give birth to Jesus. This miracle of belief is one that God needs work in each of our hearts.
Unity in the church does not mean a bunch of Christian clones. Nor does it mean one big, united church. When Paul prays for unity, he’s thinking about relationships. So why can’t Christians get along with each other? Let’s look together at how the church should reflect the Trinity: diverse in gifts and functions, but united in purpose.
| 05/27/12 | The Good Samaritan |
| 05/27/12 | God's Fire-Keeper |