# Bible Profiles

(Mt.9:9-13; Mk.2:13-17; Lk.5:27-32) Many buildings that once housed thriving congregations of worshippers are now in the hands of businesses, charities, and historical societies. Church, for the world, has become a place. A place for the old, lonely, and gullible; all huddled together to seek the help and solace in a ‘god’ who has long since lost his grip on the world.Until Christians understand and accept that salvation is for the man who sees himself as a hopeless sinner separated from…

(2 Timothy 1:16-18) Put a preacher in jail and you will find out who his true friends are in a hurry. The crowd will divide into two camps faster than the parting of the Red Sea. The apostle Paul knew what it was like to feel abandoned behind bars. Of those who have stood by him, and or who deserted him, he thought nothing of naming names.The man we are interested in discussing is no ordinary brother. Onesiphorus was no…

(Mt.13:53-58; Mk.6:1-6; Lk.4:14-30) The people you grow up with know a lot about you. Your habits good and bad are on display long enough for them to form solid personal opinions of you—true or otherwise.If you return to these good folks after a period of absence, you are bound to hear yourself quoting these words of Jesus: “A prophet is not without respect except in his own hometown.”Jesus went home to Nazareth on the Sabbath. In the synagogue they handed…

(Mt.8:5-13; Lk.7:1-10) Yes, you are going to meet exceptional people who do not fit your faith profile. Souls who have qualities of faith that make you wonder how so much graciousness, kindness and generosity can be incapsulated in one human being at one time. They expend so much energy doing good that there is no time left to dwell on disagreement. I know people like this. And the Elders of the synagogue in Capernaum did, too. One in particular was…

(Gen.4; Heb.11:4; 1Jn.3:12; Jude 11) When the brothers Cain and Abel presented themselves before God in worship, Abel’s blood sacrifice was found acceptable by God, but Cain’s fruits of the soil were not.Whatever the reason for God’s dissatisfaction, Abel was credited as righteous, and Cain was not.It is safe to conclude that Cain’s display of anger over God’s goodwill toward his brother was indicative of a heart long since hardened by sin. “Woe to them! They have taken the way…

(Gen.4; Heb.11:4; 12:24; Mt.23:35) Some people will go to their graves being thought of as ‘born wreckers.’ After they destroy the lives of others, they are surprised that God would call them to account.Of course, no one is born bad, but Abel, second son of Adam and Eve, died at the hands of one of those men.Worship is the true measure of a man. Therein are his thoughts and motives on display before God (and eventually before others). All things…

Three ‘toy’ memories from my childhood Christmas come to mind. The first: Lots of toys! The second: The toys going through an immediate baptism of fire (Indestructibility was the only standard). And third: The Christmas Nativity Scene. A host of unforgettable characters all looking their part. However, and not to rain on your Christmas parade, a casual reading of the gospel accounts will reveal that many aspects of The Nativity Scene have been re-manufactured. Yes, up against the indestructibility test…

(3 John) You know that inexplicable look that your best friend has on their face when they want to say something, but won’t? You have seen it. At that moment, silence, they felt, was best option for both parties. It was during times when you allowed too many frustrating people to fill your head with issues. For your friend to address your state of mind, they would have to fight against a swirling current of conflicting thoughts. You were in…

(2Tim.4:14-15; 1Tim.1:20)One of the saddest days of your Christian walk was the day you saw with your own eyes that Satan’s worst damage to the church was done from within. From that day forth you understood Paul’s warnings against “savage wolves coming in from among you” (Acts 20:29), and “by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naïve people” (Rom.16:18). A man Paul calls ‘Alexander the metalworker’ did the church a lot of harm (2Tim.4:14-15). He warned Timothy…

(Matt 8:14-15; Mark 1:30-31; Luke 4:38-39) Back in my single days I listened to H. Norman Wright’s sagely advice on relationships. One of the things he stressed, for those who were yet to exchange marriage vows, was the importance of having a good relationship with prospective in-laws. Not having any at the time, but seeing through the eyes of others the pitfalls of ignoring such sound counsel, I wisely (and to my eternal advantage), took his advice.All three Synoptic Gospel…