BIBLE STUDIES

I Kings 18:41-46 Now Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of the roar of a heavy shower.” So Ahab went up to eat and drink. But Elijah went up to the top of Carmel, and he bent down to the earth and put his face between his knees. And he said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” So he went up and looked, but he said, “There is nothing.” Yet Elijah said, “Go back” seven times. And when he returned the seventh time, he said, “Behold, a

I Kings 18:17-40 When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is this you, the cause of disaster to Israel?” He said, “I have not brought disaster to Israel, but you and your father’s house have, because you have abandoned the commandments of the LORD and you have followed the Baals. Now then, send orders and gather to me all Israel at Mount Carmel, together with 450 prophets of Baal and four hundred prophets of the Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.” So Ahab sent orders among

I Kings 17:17-24 WHAT STORIES OR CONCEPTS IN THE BIBLE GIVE YOU HOPE? 17 Now it came about after these things that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, became sick; and his sickness was so severe that there was no breath left in him. 18 So she said to Elijah, “What do I have to do with you, O man of God? You have come to me to bring my iniquity to remembrance and to put my son to death!” 19 He said to her, “Give me your son.” Then he took him from her bosom and ca

I Kings 17:1-16 Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the LORD, the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, surely there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.” The word of the LORD came to him, saying, “Go away from here and turn eastward, and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. “It shall be that you will drink of the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to provide for you there.”

Chasing glimpses of his glory – Matthew 17:1-13 I love that Matthew and the other gospel writers include the Apostle Peter’s imperfections in their writings. Peter’s life, and the scriptural references to his spiritual growth, personality and character give us great hope that God can use us because we find Peter is far from perfect. In the two consecutive passages before today’s verses we read conflicting stories about Peter. In the first one he is praised because he received

I Kings 17:1-16 Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the LORD, the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, surely there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.” The word of the LORD came to him, saying, “Go away from here and turn eastward, and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. “It shall be that you will drink of the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to provide for you there.”

WHAT DO YOU KNOW OR REMEMBER ABOUT THE PROPHETS ELIJAH AND ELISHA? WHAT STANDS OUT TO YOU ABOUT THEIR LIVES? When looking at the Old Testament prophets, we tend to think of the greatest prophets as Samuel, who anointed Saul and David as kings. Or we think of Isaiah or Jeremiah who not only prophesied for years until multiple kings, but wrote large books that we still read today. But the Jewish people regard Elijah as the greatest prophet, along with Elisha, his successor. Yet

Matthew 7:15-20 What is a prophet? What does a prophet do? How do you know if I am a true teacher of the gospel or someone who is false, teaching or preaching for my own benefit? Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? 17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 18 A healthy tre

WHAT ARE SOME SIGNS THAT GOD HAS BLESSED YOU? CAN WEALTH BE A SIGN OF GOD’S BLESSING? 14 “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation. 15 I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. 17 For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not rea

Matthew 5:1-12 Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall rec

Like many Christians, from time to time, I struggle with God’s will for my life. There are times when the Lord is giving me a clear opportunity to share my faith or serve others in some way, and I simply don’t do what God is clearly leading me to do. Sometimes I find myself resisting God’s will because the idea didn’t come from me. Someone else may have come up with the idea to do something, but I don’t heed it because it didn’t originate with me. That’s the sin of pride, thi

Revelation 3:1-6 WHAT ARE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF SOMEONE WHO IS DEAD? WHAT ARE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SPIRITUALLY DEAD? 1 “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, then, what you rece

WHAT KIND OF SIN DOES THE WORLD TOLERATE TODAY? GIVE EXAMPLES. WHAT KIND OF SIN DOES THE CHURCH TOLERATE TODAY? (12) “And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: ‘The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword. (13) I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipas my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. (14) But I have a few things against you: you have so

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN BROKEN-HEARTED? WHAT WAS IT LIKE? Revelation 2:1-7 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands.  2  I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false.  3  I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up f

Matthew 7:24-29 WHAT ARE SOME OF THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN A WISE MAN AND A FOOLISH MAN? “‘Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the

IS THERE EVER A TIME WHEN ITS APPROPRIATE TO JUDGE OR CONDEMN SOMEONE? “Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. 3 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the

Matthew 6:5-14 WHEN YOU PRAY DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING?  DOES GOD ANSWER YOUR PRAYERS? WHY DO YOU FEEL THAT WAY? WHEN YOU PRAY, DO YOU  ALWAYS  SENSE GOD’S PRESENCE? “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your

One of the greatest losses we experience when reading our Bible in translation only is the meaning of the Hebrew names. Translations and adaptations don’t simply change the original meaning, but render the names meaningless. Unless we take time to go back into Hebrew, the Biblical names of people and places in translation have no connection at all with the original reference points and ideas buried within the text itself. That’s why I’ll comment here on the names from the fou

WHY DO YOU TRY AND KEEP THE TEN COMMANDMENTS? WHY DON’T WE KEEP THE SACRIFICIAL LAWS OF THE OT ANYMORE? SHOULD WE BASE OUR NATION’S LAWS ON THE OT? Matthew 5:17-20 . “Do not think that I have come to  abolish the Law or the Prophets ; I have not come to abolish them but to  fulfill  them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is  accomplished . Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these com