Nehemiah 2:11-18So I came to Jerusalem and was there three days.  And I arose in the night, I and a few men with me. I did not tell anyone what my God was putting into my mind to do for Jerusalem and there was no animal with me except the animal on which I was riding.  So I went out at night by the Valley Gate in the direction of the Dragon’s Well and on to the Refuse Gate, inspecting the walls o...  Read More

Unity Through BaptismYesterday, we examined Spurgeon’s rejection of any salvific merit of baptism. Today, we look at the second and third key aspects of his baptismal theology.Spurgeon also considered baptism a mark of distinction between the world and the church. On the one hand, baptism pictured dying to the world. Spurgeon writes,Baptism is the mark of distinction between the Church and the wor...  Read More

Baptism as Convictional ObedienceWhat was Spurgeon’s baptismal theology? Three points are worth highlighting. We’ll look at the first today and the second and third tomorrow.Firstly, Spurgeon rejected any salvific or meritorious understanding of baptism. Baptism was for those who had already been saved through repentance and faith in Christ, performed as an act of obedience. “Baptism is for saints...  Read More

The Church OrdinancesMany evangelical churches today struggle to know what to do with ordinances. They know it ought to be a part of the church, but there is little understanding of its theological meaning and how it functions in the church’s life.As a result, all kinds of dangerous innovations arise. Baptism ends up being spontaneous with little examination of those being baptized. The Lord’s Sup...  Read More

Nehemiah 1:11b-2:6Now I was the cupbearer to the king.And it came about in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, that wine was before him, and I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence.  So the king said to me, "Why is your face sad though you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of heart.”  Then I was very much afraid.  I said to ...  Read More

False Teachers in the ChurchRead Jude 4 and Matthew 7:15.Jude said the false teachers among his recipients had crept in unnoticed. What do you suppose that means?“Crept in unnoticed" is from the Greek pareisdy(n)ō, which means “to settle in alongside, i.e. lodge stealthily … creep in unawares.”1 Clearly, the secret nature by which false teachers invade Christian churches is pervasive. Jesus told u...  Read More

HellJude continued in this theme of using narratives and people from the past to make a point for those he was writing to presently, so that they’d be aware of what was going to happen in the future. Read Jude 14-16.Why do God’s words and the examples of God’s judgment in the past matter for us today?What influence do they have over how and why we’ll contend for the faith?Read John 5:22-29.God’s j...  Read More

Letters—Greeting/SenderOnce upon a time, people wrote letters. There weren’t any phones to text or emails to send. There was no FaceTime® or Facebook® ; there were no tweets, or even planes, trains, or automobiles to make for a quick way to relay a message. When one person wanted to communicate to another person when they were apart, they’d write to them.Of the twenty-seven books in the New Testam...  Read More

Nehemiah 1:5-11aI said, "I beseech You, O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who preserves the covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments, let Your ear now be attentive and Your eyes open to hear the prayer of Your servant which I am praying before You now, day and night, on behalf of the sons of Israel Your servants, confessing the sins of the sons of...  Read More

ObservationsAt the beginning of each session of study, I’ll have a few verses of Jude for you to read. Jot down a few of your initial observations of the verses, and then spend some time in prayer before beginning your study.Don’t skip this part. Observation is an imperative part of studying the Scriptures. This is where you get the chance to pay attention to the little things you’re reading so yo...  Read More

Why Jude?I first discovered Jude when I was a year into knowing Jesus and full of uncertainty about what that actually meant. I’d spent the majority of my Bible reading in the common books like John, Romans, and Psalms—all of the books Christians liked to quote—and not once had I heard them make reference to Jude.I don’t know how I didn’t notice it myself, as if I didn’t have to see it after skimm...  Read More

Why Jude?I first discovered Jude when I was a year into knowing Jesus and full of uncertainty about what that actually meant. I’d spent the majority of my Bible reading in the common books like John, Romans, and Psalms—all of the books Christians liked to quote—and not once had I heard them make reference to Jude.I don’t know how I didn’t notice it myself, as if I didn’t have to see it after skimm...  Read More