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For Bible Study Nerds

Matthew 9:36 records that when Jesus went on a preaching tour through Galilee, he found the people he met to be “harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” Most commentators agree that Matthew’s phrasing, “like sheep without a shepherd,” was a deliberate allusion to similar phrasing in Numbers 27:16-17 (“May the Lord, the God…

We like to picture Jesus preaching and teaching multitudes on mountainsides—and of course he did that. But the bulk of his speaking ministry happened indoors, in smallish venues, in local synagogues all over Galilee (see Matthew 9:35). So what would that have been like? Here’s what we know: Synagogues began in the homes of Jewish…

Reader Appeal: Pastors, Sunday School Teachers Genre: Bible Commentary FBSN Rating: B   The distinctive aspects of the Christ-Centered Exposition series are two-fold. First, as the editors say, “The Bible is a Christ-centered book … We purpose to exalt Jesus from every book of the Bible.” Second, “We desire to provide a commentary busy pastors…

Reader Appeal: Small group leaders, Sunday School teachers, Pastors Genre: Bible Dictionary FBSN Rating: A-   OK, yes, this is the “New and Enhanced Edition” of Herbert Lockyer’s 1986 original, and an update of the 1995 update of the same book. And sure, not much has changed in the Bible since 1995, so one could…

Reader Appeal: Students, Small Group Leaders, Sunday School Teachers Genre: Bible Reference FBSN Rating: A   Full disclosure first: I’m a total fan of Stephen Miller. I own several of his Bible reference books because I always find his work intriguing, well-researched, and accessible to just about anyone. So when I saw he’d published a…

Reader Appeal: Pastors, Students, Nerds Genre: Bible Reference FBSN Rating: A   Don’t be deceived by the “pocket” size of George Knight’s book, The Illustrated Guide to Bible Customs and Curiosities. Sure, it looks small compared to the thick commentaries and weighty dictionaries that take up space on your Bible reference bookshelf—but that’s OK. This…

Reader Appeal: Pastors, Small Group Leaders Genre: Bible Commentary / Sermons FBSN Rating: B+   When S. Lewis Johnson was a college man in the 1930s, he had little interest in God, let alone in preaching the Bible. All he cared about was golf. He competed in many amateur tournaments and entertained notions of going…

Reader Appeal: Bible Students, Pastors, Pew-Sitters Genre: Christian History FBSN Rating: A   It’s rare to find a book that could appeal to both a Bible Study Nerd and the average pew-sitter, but Alton Gansky has made one anyway. 30 Events that Shaped the Church takes a unique approach to Christian history. Instead of giving…

Who is the “prince of demons” referenced in Matthew 9:34? Jesus’ enemies were pretty familiar with that guy—so much so that they felt confident accusing Christ of being his evil pawn. So who were they talking about? The “prince of demons” was a title for a high-ranking, fallen angel derisively named “Beelzebul” by the ancient…

“Do you believe that I am able to do this?” Jesus is recorded asking two blind men in Matthew 9:27-30. When they responded, “Yes Lord,” he said, “According to your faith will it be done for you.” And their sight was instantly restored! That’s a lot riding on one little word, “Faith.” So what exactly…
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