Grace in Focus – May/June 2018

How to Preach and Teach
By Bob Wilkin Most of our readers are not pastors and will never preach in a church. However, all of you teach others about the Lord Jesus Christ in one way or another. Many of you have taught, are teaching, or will teach Sunday school. Some teach home Bible studies. Some speak at the local
A No-Guilt Look at Proverbs 31
By Marcia Hornok Raise your hand if you have heard a Proverbs 31 sermon on the second Sunday in May. I see a great many hands. The problem with Mother’s Day is that it marginalizes women who are not mothers. However, Prov 31:10−31 does not. Yes, it mentions a husband and children, but the topic
Teach the Truth — 1 Timothy 4:6-16
By Zane C. Hodges Regarding the Minister of Christ In 1 Tim 3:14–4:5 the Apostle sets forth the importance of his instructions about the truth itself, while in 4:4–16 he sets forth their importance to Timothy himself. If Timothy is faithful in teaching and charging these things, they will truly make him a good servant
Noah and Her Sisters
By Pam Esteven Did you know there are two Noahs in the Bible? One was a man, the other a woman. There is the Noah who built the ark, and there is the Noah who was a daughter of Zelophehad (Num 27:1). The story of Noah and her sisters—Mahlah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah—is a remarkable
Why Not Retire to a Small Church?
By Bill Lee I began my life in Christ back in 1968 when I first heard the gospel. Like most Christians, that opened for me an amazing life I never imagined possible. I met my wife Jeanette while volunteering at the Christian Servicemen’s center in Memphis, TN. I picked up a four-year degree in Biblical
Dressed for the Bema
By Bill Fiess with Pam Esteven In the book of Revelation there is an impressive number of references to clothing which encompasses a variety of Greek words. Often in Scripture, the believer’s garment represents righteous works done in faithful obedience to God (e.g., Rev 16:15; 19:8). For the sake of brevity, we will examine a
Review: Paul, the Apostle of Christ
By Josh Meier I recently saw Paul, the Apostle of Christ. I enjoyed the movie and would encourage any of my congregation, as well as anyone reading this review, to take the opportunity to view it. The Strengths Since this is a positive review, I’ll start with what I see as the strengths. First is
A Kind of Thinking
By James Morison What Faith Is Not Believing is not a kind of feeling. Neither is it a kind of willing. It is a kind of thinking. “The understanding,” as James Fraser of Brea expressed it, in his Treatise Concerning Justifying Saving Faith, written by him while “a prisoner for Christ in the Bass Rock,”
Vines By the Book
By Allen Rea The Vines Expository Bible is available in the New King James Version, which is my translation of choice for preaching. The text is double columned in 10.5 font. The pages are thin but they hold up fine with mechanical pencil writing and a Bible highlighter. The genuine leather edition comes with three
Forgiveness and Justice
By Charlie McCall “Be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also forgave you” (Eph 4:32). Jesus Satisfied God’s Justice Forgiveness is natural to God. But it is not arrived at easily. Before He can forgive, God’s justice must be satisfied. It is impossible for Him to forgive by
Moody: Then and Now
By Shawn Lazar Institutions, especially theological ones, tend to change over time. Most of the time they change for the worse. And there is nothing more dangerous than a downward trend in your understanding of the saving message. For example, The Moody Handbook of Theology seems to have repented of its view of salvation. A