This is a study of Genesis 4:16 and the story of how Cain left the presence of the Lord to dwell in the land of Nod. In many ways it is also the story of the temptation we all feel as we live in the shadows of Eden today.While a somewhat obscure verse in the Old Testament, Genesis 4:16 contains some very important truths about God's purpose for our lives and the temptation to wander from that purposes. It is also a call of God to learn to live in the purpose for which we were creat...

Speaking in tongues is a controversial practice in the church of our day. Some believers demand that it be practiced as a sign of being filled with the Spirit. Others feel the gift has ceased. What does the Bible teach?While there is no clear Biblical evidence that the gift has ceased, Scripture does mandate how it is used. It also gives us some hints as to the purpose of the gift for the building up of the body.I have chosen to examine this topic with the hope that it will...

This is volume 2 of a two volume set on the book of Psalms. Psalms is divided into five books. This volume covers books 3 to 5 of the psalms of Israel (Psalm 73 to Psalm 150).The Psalms of Israel were used in the worship of God from David onward. In some cases they were written to be sung by temple musicians on a particular occasion. Some of the psalms contain instructions regarding the type of instruments to be played while they were sung. Psalm 5 for example was written for flute...

This is a devotional commentary on the Letters of John and Jude.John was a fisherman by profession and had come from of family of some wealth. He left this trade, however, to follow Jesus. He writes his first letter to help people to know they had eternal life in the Lord Jesus. He sets out a series of tests to help the reader determine if they faith they profess is genuine. In John's second letter he writes to warn the church of the dangers of some false teaching in their midst. H...

This is a commentary on Paul's second letter to the Corinthians. Corinth was a wealth city in Paul's day. Its church consisted of converted Jews and Gentiles who were struggling with their past and the immoral culture of the day. There was also some hard feelings toward the apostle Paul in the church of Corinth at this time.In this letter Paul spends time defending his call as an apostle before the members of this church. He challenges the church to humility and acceptance and warn...

I admit that this is a controversial topic. The roles of men and women have changes so much in our day. There is no question that we are equals, but is there a difference in roles between men and women in the ministry of the church?In this study we begin with the purpose of God for men and women at creation and trace how that purpose worked itself out in both the Old and New Testament. We will also examine the practice of the early church and the teachings of the apostle Paul on th...

We often speak of our salvation as an event that took place in our lives. As wonderful as that event may have been, I propose that salvation is more about a person than an experience. I would go as far as to say that the Lord Jesus does not just give us salvation; He is our salvation.Without the Lord Jesus, our salvation would not be possible. Remove the person of Christ at any point in this process, and we would be lost without hope. He is the payment for our sin. He is our right s...

There is no Bible character so mysterious as the person of Melchizedek. Abraham met him on his return from battle in Genesis 14. It would be easy to forget him were it not for the fact that his name appears in four passages of Scripture.What is significant about this Old Testament character is his connection with Christ. Jesus would become a priest not of the Old Testament order of Aaron but rather of the order of Melchizedek. The book of Hebrews tells us that Melchizedek's priestl...

This is a study of Genesis 4:16 and the story of how Cain left the presence of the Lord to dwell in the land of Nod. In many ways it is also the story of the temptation we all feel as we live in the shadows of Eden today. While a somewhat obscure verse in the Old Testament, Genesis 4:16 contains some very important truths about God's purpose for our lives and the temptation to wander from that purpose. It is also a call of God to learn to live in the purpose for which we were creat...

What causes people to leave their church?Is it ever right to leave a church?Are all church splits bad?How do you leave a church when leaving seems inevitable?How do you heal from the emotional and spiritual pain that comes from a harsh division?While these are not easy questions to answer, the fact of splits and divisions in churches is very real. The attempt of this study is to examine this issue honestly and provide some Biblic...

This is a devotional commentary on Paul's letters to the Philippians and the Colossians.Philippi was an important Roman centre in the province of Macedonia. In the days of Paul it was a military centre and many soldiers walked its streets. The church in Philippi stood firmly behind the apostle in his ministry and did what they could to support him. Their participation in the gospel meant much to Paul and his spends time in this book thanking them. During this time the apostle was i...

There was never a man or woman who walked as close to God as did Moses. Here was a man who spend days in the presence of God. He spoke with God face to face as we would speak with a friend. His life was filled with miraculous evidence of God's presence.What type of person was he? He was an man like you and me. He was far from perfect. He suffered from periods of discouragement in life. He often doubted whether he was the man for the job. He was not always the father he should have ...