Mostrando resultados por autor "Gregory Brown" en Todas las categorías

Self-care is a powerful, evidence-based medicine for the mind. Mental health is the driving force behind every decision we make—how we live, work, and love. Many of us suffer from depression and anxiety, which impede our choices and quality of life, and despite the proliferation of...

Nehemiah: Becoming a Godly Leader is a fourteen week expositional study of the book of Nehemiah. It considers topics like the characteristics of a godly leader, a godly leader’s priorities, cultivating a life of celebration, characteristics of revival, how a godly leader responds to discouragement, conflict, prosperity and promotion, the tactics of the enemy, and much more. Let’s study it together with the Bible Teacher’s Guide. “The Bible Teacher’s Guide … will help any teacher study and get a better background for his/her Bible lessons. In addition, it will give direction and ...

“In The Lowering Days Gregory Brown gives us a lush, almost mythic portrait of a very specific place and time that feels all the more universal for its singularity. There’s magic here.” —Richard Russo, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Empire Falls and Chances Are A promising literary...

How can we grow in kingdom character? When Christ came into the world, he preached the kingdom of heaven (Matt 4:17). He taught that not only was the kingdom something future but a present reality, as the kingdom of heaven was in their midst (Lk 17:21). The kingdom consists of all those who profess Christ as Lord—though all who profess are not truly saved (cf. Matt 7:21-23, 13:36-43). In Matthew 5:3-10, Christ introduces the character of those who are truly part of his kingdom. They are the poor in spirit, the mourners, the meek, and those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. They are...

Elijah ministered during a terrible time in Israel’s history. Apostasy was at an all-time high because Ahab, Israel’s worst king, was on the throne (1 Kgs 16:30). His ungodly influence was augmented by his wife, Jezebel, who introduced Baal worship to Israel. In order to restore Israel to God, the Lord called one of his greatest prophets, Elijah, to confront Ahab (1 Kings 17:1). Elijah’s ministry was unique. He prayed that it would not rain as a judgment for Israel’s sins, and it did not rain for three and a half years. He challenged Baal’s prophets to a contest to prove that ...

What are angels? Who are they and what can we learn from them? In Scripture, angels are mentioned over 250 times in thirty-four books of the Bible. Angels were present, rejoicing at God’s forming of the earth (Job 38:4-7). They visited Abraham’s house and brought judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen 18, 19:13). They were involved with the transmission of the Ten Commandments to Moses (Gal 3:19). An angel gave prophecies to Daniel about Israel’s future (Dan 9, 10). Likewise, an angel prophesied the messiah’s birth to both Mary and Joseph (Matt 1, Lk 1). An angel strengthened Christ ...

The brilliantly assembled collective of authors behind the book “You say you LOVE me, but do you RESPECT me”, delivers a rare authenticity and vulnerability in what will be hailed as a classic depiction of TRUTH. The writers were able to successfully convey their perspectives on RESPECT through objective, normative, subjective, and complex truths. Raw passion sits at the helm of this literary masterpiece. © 2023 Charles Dixon III

A man running from the remnants of his past in New Orleans—and from Hurricane Katrina—struggles to adapt when he's stranded in small-town Virginia in this "marvelous" literary novel (Ron Rash). "You have lost everything, yes?" Everything? Henry thought; he considered the word. Had he lost...

Unlike other epistles, James is not so much concerned with doctrine but living out doctrine. Over half the words in this epistle are commands. James believed that true faith produces the corresponding works, and if it does not, it is not true faith (Jam 2:14-26). Even the demons believe in God but are not saved (2:15, 19). True faith not only hears God’s Word, but obeys it (1:22). It not only sympathizes with the poor but also cares for them (1:27, 2:1-13). It affects one’s tongue (1:26, 3:2-12) and how one responds to conflict (4:1-3, 11-12), trials (1:2-4), money (5:1-6), planning (4:...

There is great confusion and controversy over the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. Who is he, and what does he do? Is he some type of force? Is he an energy or a thing? Likewise, topics such as spiritual gifts, the baptism in the Spirit, and being filled with the Spirit tend to incite differing views and discord, even amongst the sincerest and most devoted Christians. Because of all this, some have hesitated to study or teach on the Holy Spirit. This is unfortunate, since the Holy Spirit makes possible both the redemption (John 6:8-9, Rom 8:11) and sanctification (1 Pet 1:2) of believers. In ...

Small changes, made over time, can produce significant results. Much like a high performance engine, or an entire orchestra, when even a small part is not doing what it is supposed to do, everything suffers. And the same is true of your finances. This show is dedicated to the small things that make a significant difference.

Everybody has a form of eschatology—beliefs about their future or the world's. For some, eschatology brings despair because everything ends in death—including the individual and the universe. Some have a vague hope of the afterlife. For Christians, they should have a certain hope because God has laid out his plan for the end times in Scripture. He reveals these things to teach his saints about his glory and control over history, to encourage them in uncertain times, and to equip them for good works, among other things. For these reasons, we should not neglect eschatology but instead ...

How should we pray? In Christ’s famous Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5-7), where he teaches about the citizens of his kingdom and their character, he spends considerable time on prayer. The clear implication is that Christ expects his followers to be devoted to prayer. They won’t pray like hypocrites—with vain, heartless petitions that seek to manipulate God and impress others (Matt 6:5). They will pray because they are consumed with God: his name, kingdom, will, and people (Matt 6:9-13). Unfortunately, many followers of Christ struggle with prayer. For example, after being taught about ...

Crete was a difficult ministry. Culturally, the people were known for being lazy, deceptive, and combative (Tit 1:12). Though difficult, many churches there needed to be discipled and built up. Consequently, Paul visited to minister to the Cretans and eventually left Titus there to continue the work. In Paul’s letter to Titus, he encourages his son in the faith and gives him various instructions. Titus was to select elders in all the churches to help train the believers, teach them sound doctrine, and protect them from false teaching (Tit 1:9-10). In addition, Paul emphasized that the ...

Ecclesiology is the study of the church, which is God’s people throughout the world. God has chosen the church to be his global representative (Matt 28:19) and to glorify him throughout eternity (Eph 3:21). The church is God’s temple (1 Cor 3:16) and his family (Gal 6:10). It is Christ’s body, including various members with different spiritual gifts (1 Cor 12:12-28). It is the salt and light of the world (Matt 5:13-14). While on earth, Christ promised to build his church and that the gates of hades will not prevail against it (Matt 16:18). It is the most important institution in the ...

The year was AD 67; persecution was rampant and false teachers saturated the church. Many believers no longer desired to hear sound doctrine and, therefore, heaped up teachers to simply itch their ears (2 Tim 4:2-4). Timothy, a pastor in the church of Ephesus, most likely, was discouraged (1:7, 2:1). With some of his last words, Paul writes from prison to encourage his disciple, Timothy, to complete his ministry (4:5). He commands him to be like a good soldier (2:3-4), a victorious athlete (2:5), and a hardworking farmer (2:6). Above all, Timothy needed to stay faithful to Scripture: he was...

God does big things through small groups: He heals, unifies, encourages, and equips. Christ trained his twelve apostles in a small group. Paul and Barnabas were called to international missions while participating in a small group (Acts 13:1-3). Essentially, all believers owe something to those initial small groups, and many of us have experienced great blessing through contemporary ones. God does big things through small groups, and that’s why we participate in them and aim to lead them. In this study, we will look at the WHY of small group leadership. Why should we participate in and ...

Who is Jesus Christ? This question elicits a lot of mystery and confusion. Some say Jesus was only a regular human—maybe a wise man or prophet. Others say he is a created being, like an angel. Still, others say Jesus is God but not human. While others say he is both fully God and fully human. Who exactly is Jesus? Scripture teaches that our eternal destiny depends on how we answer this question (1 John 4:2-3, Rom 10:9-10); therefore, it befits us to reflect on this question and answer it correctly. In Christology, we’ll consider what the Bible says about Jesus Christ, so that we may ...

Though every year the Bible is the world’s most popular, purchased, and translated book, the majority of people reading the Bible have never deeply studied it, and even among those who have, many still have numerous, lingering questions, such as: “Who wrote it?” “Is it historically reliable?” “How were the books of the Bible selected?” “Is it possible that some books are missing or that others will be added?” “What is the over-arching storyline of the Bible and its primary message?” “How do we study the Bible?” “Why are there so many translations?” and “Which...

The battle for purity in society is raging, and unfortunately, many are captives or severely losing. David lost this battle as he committed adultery with Bathsheba. Solomon lost it as he had 1,000 wives and concubines to fulfill his lust. If we are going to win this battle, we must be strategic and disciplined. Winning is important to protect our lives, our families, our churches, and most importantly to honor our God. How can we win the battle for purity? In 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5, Paul commands believers to avoid sexual immorality and to learn to control their bodies in a way that is holy ...