By Victor Knowles When I was a young Christian I sometimes wondered, Why did Jesus take time to pray? Wasn’t he the Son of God? Didn’t he say that his Father had given him ‘all power’? Couldn’t he heal the sick and raise the dead? If that was true, and it was, why would Jesus spend […]
By Shawn McMullen Commissioned by Christ and empowered by the Holy Spirit, the early church enjoyed “the favor of all the people” (Acts 2:47). This favor was short lived, however. As early as Acts chapter 4 the church began to fall on hard times. Peter and John were imprisoned for healing a disabled man and […]
By Dan Lentz 1. If you are married, tell your group how you met your spouse. If you are not married, share your favorite “love story” movie. Read Song of Solomon 4:8–5:1a. 2. How do these verses compare or contrast with the image of romantic love portrayed in today’s culture? 3. What biblical values for romantic […]
By Sam E. Stone Last week’s lesson from Ecclesiastes showed us how differently King Solomon viewed his life as it drew to a close. Today we see a similar contrast. Earlier he had wandered away from God, at one time having 700 wives and 300 concubines (1 Kings 11:3). In Song of Songs, he shows […]
By John Russell To impress the point upon brides and grooms, I have often opened wedding ceremonies with a reminder that marriage is not a contract designed by the state but a covenant promise ordained by God, and therefore sacred. Love is not an emotion—it is an act of the will. No one “falls in […]
