Category: Bible Study

“How much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?” –Luke 11:13 I received the Holy Spirit at my Baptism as an infant and at my Confirmation as a thirteen-year-old. As a young adult, I participated in a Life in the Spirit seminar and was baptized in the Holy Spirit. This experience transformed my life. The Spirit opened my mind to understand the Bible (Lk 24:45). After receiving the Spirit in this new way, Scripture jumped off the page for me. God’s Word became so real that it was as if I could see...

“You are concerned over the plant which cost you no labor and which you did not raise; it came up in one night and in one night it perished. And should I not be concerned over Nineveh, the great city?” –Jonah 4:10-11 Jonah was more interested in his comfort than in the salvation of 120,000 people. We too tend to stay in our comfort zones and out of the “evangelization zone.” Jonah had such warped priorities because he was unforgiving, bitter, angry, and hateful. This combination of toxins inspired Jonah to disobey the Lord. After spending three days in the...

“The people of Nineveh believed God.” –Jonah 3:5 Nineveh, a murderous city of 120,000 people, converted after hearing the prophetic warning of Jonah (see Jon 4:11). Do you believe that there are cities in the world today which would repent en masse if someone would only speak God’s Word to them? Saul was the worst sinner in history, a fierce persecutor of the Church (Acts 22:4; 26:10-11), and an accomplice in murdering the first Christian martyr (1 Tm 1:13; Acts 8:1). Probably no one believed he would convert, become a great Christian missionary, and write much of the Bible. But...

“Jonah made ready to flee to Tarshish away from the Lord.” –Jonah 1:3 Jonah refused to obey God’s call. Then the weather turned nasty. The Lord “hurled a violent wind upon the sea” (Jon 1:4). Jonah tried to weather the storm by going to sleep (Jon 1:5), but the weather got even nastier (Jon 1:11). The sailors on the boat with Jonah tried to escape the terrible weather, but “the sea grew ever more turbulent” (Jon 1:13). Only when they threw Jonah into the sea did the hurricane stop (Jon 1:15). Many people have not obeyed God’s calls. Some have...

“Therefore let no man separate what God has joined.” –Mark 10:9 Jesus does not want husband and wife to be separated. Also, He became indignant at His disciples for separating some children from Him (Mk 10:14). Furthermore, Jesus does not want parents separated from their children. Let no overtime, lifestyle, day care, extracurricular activities, school, or other responsibilities separate what God has joined together. Moreover, Jesus does not want family members separated from each other by TV, overwork, communication breakdown, and independent lifestyles. Jesus even refuses to separate Christians from their enemies (see Mt 13:30). The Lord does not want...