Each week I try to write an article or two about various issues as God leads. I spend time in prayer, asking God what he wants to say to his church through me and my teaching ministry. One thing that has been pressing on my mind for months has been the issue of unity within…

As we’ve journeyed through the Gospel of John, the importance of unity within the body of Christ has been crystal clear. Its importance is highlighted in the fact that Jesus, in his final recorded prayer, prayed for it. Christian unity is not merely an ideal we must strive for—it is a hallmark of the Christian…

Several decades after Solomon’s magnificent temple in Jerusalem had been destroyed by the Babylonians, the Jewish people were allowed to return to Jerusalem and begin rebuilding it by a decree from Cyrus king of Persia. There was a great celebration when the foundation of the new temple was laid. Though many rejoiced, there were many…

It is easy to overlook minor details but details are often not minor—they only appear to be minor. Consider the Passover story in Exodus 12 where we read what initially appears to be a minor detail about sharing. God had sent nine plagues against Pharaoh and Egypt for Pharaoh’s obstinacy in refusing to let Israel…

First Kings 4 tells us that Solomon wrote over 1,000 songs. Two of them are included in our book of Psalms (72 & 127). In Psalm 127 he writes something very interesting: Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays…