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February 25, 2019

John Maxwell Profiles in Leadership: Elisha – The Mantle of Leadership

This is the third lesson in bestselling author and speaker John Maxwell’s Leadership by the Bible series. If you know someone or a group who would like to follow along on this journey through Scripture, tell them to sign up to receive John’s free email devotional here.

By John C. Maxwell

2 Kings 2

Elisha served Elijah for years, yet for some reason the older prophet tried to get his younger follower to leave right before God carried him to heaven in a whirlwind. No way was Elisha going to falter after such a long time! His consistency was rewarded when he was given the privilege of picking up Elijah’s mantle—representing the role of leadership, ministry, and influence for the people of God.

[Sign up to receive the 30-day free email devotional by John Maxwell of biblical teachings to equip and encourage leaders and those who serve with them to meet the challenges of the 21st century]

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February 24, 2019

Bible News Roundup – Week of February 24, 2019

Jonathan Petersen

Read this week’s Bible Gateway Weekly Brief newsletter
⇨ Bible Gateway Weekly Brief
⇨ Newsletter signup
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Support Bible Gateway—Browse the Bible Gateway Store
⇨ BibleGatewayStore.com
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A Shelf Full of Bibles: Translation by the Numbers
⇨ The Masters Seminary
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Smugglers Caught Trying to Sell Rare 1200-Year-Old Bible in a Shoe Store
⇨ The Vintage News
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February 21, 2019

Spiritual Maturity: Trying Vs Training

Jonathan Petersen

This is the second lesson in the Spiritual Maturity Bible Gateway Blog video series by Kevin Myers (@KevinMyersPK), based on his book with Charlie Wetzel, Grown-Up Faith: The Big Picture for a Bigger Life (Thomas Nelson, 2019).

The book asks, “Why isn’t life everything we expected it to be? And why doesn’t our faith resolve our frustrations and problems?” Pastor Myers believes the reason we don’t experience a transformed life is that we fail to grow up spiritually. We focus on developing physically, intellectually, emotionally, and financially, yet our faith remains immature and anemic. In this brief video series, he introduces you to a simple road map to achieving a grown-up faith as you understand the Bible and the big picture of God’s story.

Lesson Two: Trying in faith instead of training in faith

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February 21, 2019

How to Interpret the Book of Genesis: An Interview with C. John Collins

Jonathan Petersen

What does it mean to be a good reader of Genesis 1-11? What does it mean to take these ancient stories seriously and how does that relate to taking them literally? Can we even take any of this material seriously? How can we have a responsible conversation regarding science and biblical faith?

Bible Gateway interviewed C. John Collins about his book, Reading Genesis Well: Navigating History, Poetry, Science, and Truth in Genesis 1-11 (Zondervan, 2018).

What is the content of Genesis 1-11 and why did you think it necessary to write a book explaining how to read it well?

Dr. C. John Collins: The opening chapters of Genesis tell us about God’s making of the world and of humankind—and of how sin entered the world of human experience.

Responses to these chapters run the gamut, from outright skepticism (“how can anyone intellectually responsible credit these ideas at all?”), to critical appreciation (“the texts are wrong about history and science if we take them literally, but they still teach us valuable moral lessons”), to strong affirmation (“these texts are to be taken literally, which then tells us what true science should look like”). And there are many more options available!

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February 20, 2019

How to Live the Bible — The Unique Authority of Jesus

Mel Lawrenz

This is the fifty-second lesson in author and pastor Mel Lawrenz’ How to Live the Bible series. If you know someone or a group who would like to follow along on this journey through Scripture, they can get more info and sign up to receive these essays via email here.

Prayers for Our Lives: 95 Lifelines to God

Jesus often pointed to the authority of the Father in heaven, he also claimed to be, in his own person, the foundation of faith. Prophets said: “you should believe in God,” or “you should believe in this truth.” Jesus added: “you should believe in me.”

The Sea of Galilee is an 11-mile long, heart-shaped lake–fresh and wild and deliciously blue. In the fishing villages around that lake Jesus gathered followers from all walks of life. And he gave his most memorable speech one day on the northeastern slopes running up from the lake. We know it as the Sermon on the Mount. Quite a crowd had gathered on that particular day. Rumors of miracles and healings were naturally attracting dozens, and then hundreds, and eventually thousands of people. At first they were just Galileans, but then people from Jerusalem in the south, Syria in the north, and even people from beyond the Jordan River in the east were mingled in the crowds.

Jesus teaches people by the Sea of Galilee illustration

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February 20, 2019

How to Love a Spouse Who Drives You Crazy

Guest Post

By Karen Ehman

Before you marry a person, you should
first make them use a computer with slow
internet to see who they really are.
—WILL FERRELL

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient,
bearing with one another in love.
—EPHESIANS 4:2

My intense irritation at my husband’s actions didn’t visibly show. Since his mother was in the back seat of our car, I was careful to remain calm. However, I did sneak a darting glance toward him—a dagger that accurately conveyed how very much I hated what he’d just done.

His dire offense? Wait for it . . .

He failed to use his blinker when changing lanes.

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February 19, 2019

The Bible Shows How God Overcomes Chaos: An Interview with Sidney Greidanus

Jonathan Petersen

When God created the world, he brought perfect order out of what was “without form and void.” But with human rebellion against God, disorder (chaos) was introduced into creation which God continues to redeem (cosmos). How is this “chaos to cosmos” theme interwoven through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation?

Bible Gateway interviewed Sidney Greidanus about his book, From Chaos to Cosmos: Creation to New Creation (Crossway, 2019).

What do you mean that the chaos-to-cosmos theme permeates Scripture?

Dr. Sidney Greidanus: Genesis 1:1 reads, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth,” that is, the cosmos: “The world or universe regarded as an orderly, harmonious system” (Webster). Genesis 1:2 backs up to the earliest stage in God’s creation of the earth: “The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” These five italicized words describe the primeval chaos. Genesis 1 adds two more words that refer to chaos: seas (v 10) and great sea monsters (v 21). These seven words will be used in later Scriptures either individually or in combination to refer to some form of chaos. This original chaos was not evil; God created it. In fact, God called the “seas” and even “the great sea monsters” “good” (Gen 1:10, 21). Chaos took on connotations of evil with the human fall into sin and God’s curse (Gen 3).

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February 18, 2019

Walk with Christ to the Cross

Drew Reichard

Lent begins on March 6th this year with Ash Wednesday, and it’s almost in sight. It’s a season of reflection and meditation, a perfect time to renew our knowledge of and devotion to God’s Word just as Psalm 119:15 instructs:

I meditate on your precepts
and consider your ways. (NIV)

For many centuries, Christians have used the season of Lent to prepare their hearts for Easter. This 40-day period culminating in Easter Sunday is traditionally a time devoted to spiritual practices such as self-examination, prayer, fasting, and repentance. But it is also a season in which we anticipate celebrating the great joy of Christ’s triumph over death and our own new life in Christ.

The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. (Romans 8:3 NLT)

With the Easter season fast approaching, Bible Gateway would like to introduce you to a new free email Bible study with original content intended to make learning Scripture a more immersive and faith-transforming journey.

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February 18, 2019

John Maxwell Profiles in Leadership: Elisha – Between Expectation and Reality

Guest Post

This is the second lesson in bestselling author and speaker John Maxwell’s Leadership by the Bible series. If you know someone or a group who would like to follow along on this journey through Scripture, tell them to sign up to receive John’s free email devotional here.

By John C. Maxwell

1 Kings 19:19–21

The good news: Elijah named Elisha as his successor. The bad news: nothing significant happened for ten years. Elisha went from the son of a wealthy farmer to the servant of an itinerant prophet. He left a season of sowing in the field to enter a season of sowing in his spirit.

[Sign up to receive the 30-day free email devotional by John Maxwell of biblical teachings to equip and encourage leaders and those who serve with them to meet the challenges of the 21st century]

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