Word by Word Weekly

Lust, Idolatry & the Power of a Stronger Desire By Elyse Fitzpatrick When you saw that this article was going to be about lust, which Bible verses came to mind? My guess is that you started out with the command about adultery and then remembered Jesus's words about lusting after women (and cutting off your hand). And while those passages and others like them are indeed important, they address a very small part of God's words about lust. That's because, although lust in modern parlance is usually thought of in terms of inappropriate sexual desire, scripturally the word means far more than that. Read more Ministry Corner Top Preaching Tools & Resources That Belong in a Pastor's Library By Kirk Miller   In his classic work, The Christian Ministry, Charles Bridges opens his section on sermon composition with these words: How much responsibility attaches itself to the subject matter and the mode of our pulpit addresses! It cannot be of light moment, whether our people are "fed with knowledge and understanding," or with ill-prepared and unsuitable provision. […] Read more What's the Fear of the Lord Really? And Why Does It Matter? By Wendy Widder   If someone or something has ever put the fear of God in you, it likely wasn't a positive experience. And you'd be happy if it never happened again. That cultural idiom is resoundingly negative. But the Bible calls the fear of the Lord the beginning of wisdom—making this fear an incredibly positive, even necessary thing. Read more Lecture Hall What Does the Bible Say about Sexual Immorality? 3 Key Questions By Donald C. McIntyre   What does the Bible say about sexual immorality? How does God, through Scripture, comfort the sexually struggling, engage the skeptic, and provide a template for those exasperated by their attempts to live a holy sexual life? Common ethical systems When it comes to sexual ethics, the major philosophical schools are probably hedonism, utilitarianism, Kantian deontologicalism, […] Read more Defiled Defined: What "Defiled" Means in the Old Testament By Ken Casillas   You probably don't use the word defiled in everyday conversation. But if the synonyms dirty or unclean come to mind, you're on your way to understanding the key Old Testament theme of defilement. It's just that in Scripture, defilement isn't limited to physical uncleanness. Often it's ceremonial and symbolic, and the symbolism points to the most serious kind of uncleanness—moral and spiritual uncleanness. Read more Reading Nook Being a Christian in a Non-Christian World: 7 Tips from Church History By Robert Elmer   even beyond the earliest examples in the book of Acts, Christians throughout history have experienced many of the same challenges and frustrations we face. They wrestled with materialism and obedience to God, with sharing their faith and worries and distractions and more. Read more © 2023 Faithlife. All rights reserved. 1313 Commercial St. Bellingham, WA 98225 US Faithlife, LLC

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