Blog – Page 68 – Grace Evangelical Society

The Gospel of the Judgments of Christ, Part 1: The Named Judgments

The image of Saint Peter standing at the pearly gates testing people in order to determine whether or not they enter heaven is iconic in Western culture. For years it has been perpetuated through jokes, television shows, and even cartoons such as The Far Side. The depiction of a long line of people waiting in

King Asa: An Encouraging Example (1 Kgs 15:9-24)

May 22, 2023 by Ken Yates in Blog - Discipleship, Failure, heart

In the books of 1 and 2 Kings, a major area of emphasis is God’s blessing His people if they obey Him and cursing them if they don’t. This is true for the various kings as well. There were around forty of them, and most “did evil in the eyes of the Lord.” Only eight

Is Abraham’s Son Ishmael in Heaven?

May 19, 2023 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - Abraham’s son Ishmael, Genesis 21

While Ishmael doesn’t receive much attention in the Bible as compared to his half-brother, Isaac, he does receive plenty. The name Ishmael occurs forty-eight times in the OT, though all the references outside Genesis refer to someone other than Abraham’s son by Hagar. In Genesis, Ishmael, the son of Abraham, is referred to seventeen times

Not Impressed (1 Kgs 16:21-28)

May 18, 2023 by Ken Yates in Blog - Luke 6:26, Matt 5:11, Omri, praise, rewards, world

At first glance, many would be impressed with a king named Omri. He ruled over the northern Nation of Israel after the Jewish people had split into two nations. One could argue that Omri brought political stability to his nation. Three of the four kings preceding him were victims of assassinations. The king immediately before

Should We Rename the Months of the Year?

May 17, 2023 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - Pagan origins for names of months

Most people don’t know the origins of our names for the months. Did you know that September, October, November, and December mean seven, eight, nine, and ten? Initially, there were ten months (initiated by Romulus around 738 BC); the last four were seven, eight, nine, and ten. March (Martius) was the first month, followed by

A Different Twist on James 2:19

May 16, 2023 by Ken Yates in Blog - Angels, devil, Grace, Satan

A woman at the church I attend (I’ll call her Betty) recently told me about a conversation she had with a friend. It put a bit of an unusual spin on Jas 2:19, which says, “even the demons believe and tremble.” Most often, people erroneously use that verse to say that faith in Jesus alone

Should We Change the Names of the Days of the Week?

May 15, 2023 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - Pagan names for days of the week

I’ve not given much thought to the names of the days of the week. Have you? Over the past few years, however, I’ve had a growing displeasure with the names we use. Do you know that most of these names honor various gods? Sunday is named after the Roman sun god (though in Spanish and

The Faithfulness of God (1 Kgs 15:1-8)

May 12, 2023 by Ken Yates in Blog - 1 Kings 15, discipline, Faithfulness, Grace, kings

The books of 1 and 2 Kings give an instructive account of how obeying God results in blessings for His people, while disobedience brings discipline and wrath. About forty kings are discussed in these books. Most of them “do evil in the sight of the Lord,” and this brings great destruction upon they themselves as

Is Repentance in the Bible Always Directed to the Jewish People?

May 11, 2023 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - Calls to Israel to repent, repentance in the NT, repentance in the OT

I wrote my dissertation at DTS on repentance in 1985. I recently wrote a book on repentance called Turn and Live. But I’ve never been asked the question that M. G. asked via email: “Is it accurate to say that the use of repent and repentance found in the Old and New Testaments always refers

What’s in a Name? (Phil 2:29)

Posted on May 10, 2023 by Ken Yates

All of us recognize certain names. We know them because they belong to famous people. They might be sports stars, celebrities, or movie actors. Sometimes, they are so famous they go by a single name. Such names include Oprah, Cher, Bono, and Pelé. When we hear names like Elon Musk, Donald Trump, Barak Obama, and

Posted in Blog Epaphroditus, humble, Servant, wealth