This post is lightly adapted from “Preach to the outer edges” by Patricia Batten in Preaching Points: 55 Tips for Improving Your Pulpit Ministry, edited by Scott M. Gibson (Lexham Press, 2016).
Here’s a situation-specific question from a Logos user, but thought you may find it interesting: I speak in various churches which of course have their preferred Bibles. As I prepare my sermons with Logos I like to use the Bible of choice for the...
Exegesis is the most comprehensive form of Bible study. It gathers together nearly every Bible study task—word studies, translation comparison, research, and more—for a thorough examination of a biblical passage. While there is no singular process...
In Every Square Inch, Dr. Bruce Riley Ashford surveys a variety of perspectives on the relationship between Christianity and culture. According to Ashford, the conversation boils down to these three main views: 1. Christianity against culture This...
In the practice of preaching, is there an effective method for how to start a sermon that will grab (and help keep) your listener’s attention? In his book Small Preaching: 25 Little Things You Can Do Now to Become a Better Preacher, available now...
What Bible study methods are the best? First, what’s important is not how you engage with the Bible but that you do it. Because the Word of God is “living and active” (Heb 4:12)—how God chose to communicate with the people he created—the simple act...
Who are the Nephilim? In the sixth chapter of Genesis, we’re confronted with a curious reference to the Nephilim. Who are they? Were they a race who came to be through the mingling of divine beings and the daughters of men? Were the Nephilim...
It’s probably not a stretch to say that suicide has impacted every church. Nor is it a stretch to say that many church attendees—even the ones who show up every week—have never heard a sermon on suicide. And yet, it’s become the eleventh leading...
Pastor H. B. Charles Jr. began ministry at age 17 when he inherited the pulpit at his father’s church. Now with more than 30 years of ministry experience, Charles has written books on prayer, preaching, and ministry. He is a popular conference...
A recent question from a fellow Logos user forms the foundation of this blog, and it basically goes like this: What’s the difference, if any, in selecting “pericope” or “verse” in the Bible Browser? To answer this we’ll look...
By Murray J. Harris What does “lead us not into temptation” mean in the Lord’s prayer in Matthew 6:13? In this excerpt adapted from Navigating Tough Texts: A Guide to Problem Passages in the New Testament, Murray J. Harris explores this part of the...
What is the Pentateuch? Though the name sounds theological, it’s really not. The Pentateuch is just the first five books of the Old Testament: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. In the Hebrew Bible it’s known as the Torah and is...
By John Bornshein Why is it important to pray? Knowing the answer—and then doing something with that knowledge—has the power to change our lives. How, exactly? Read on. This excerpt comes from A Prayer Warrior’s Guide to Spiritual Battle: The Front...
In the following interview, Jacob Cerone discusses his recent translation of Adolf von Harnack’s work on 1 Clement. This book is an invaluable addition to Early Church studies as well as another window into the scholarship and teaching of...
In this excerpt from the May/June 2019 edition of Bible Study Magazine, Bronwyn Lea shares why author and Bible study teacher Jen Wilkin refuses to leave biblical literacy to the experts—and why she’s passionate about teaching others how to study...
In the late 1970s, British nationalism and racial discrimination were in full swing, and British Christians began to voice their increasing concern about racial diversity. One way that evangelical leader, John Stott, did this was through his monthly...
Did you know God encourages righteous protest? If he didn’t want to encourage it, he wouldn’t have given his people the vocabulary of protest in their songs and prayers. In the following study of Psalm 80, we will take a close look at one of the...
Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea. (Rev 1:11) The apostle John, the author of Revelation, obeyed God’s...
We’re excited to share that Surprised by the Parables by Michelle Lee-Barnewall (available now from Lexham Press) was named a finalist for a 2021 Christian Book Award! The book walks through nine of Jesus’ parables to help readers see them in a new...
Sometimes, when we read through the Gospels, we’ll see passages where Jesus does something remarkable, then everyone gets mad. On occasion, the Gospel writers explain why people got angry, but often we don’t get much overt explanation—which causes...
William A. Ross, assistant professor at Reformed Theological Seminary, explores a recent Dead Sea Scrolls discovery of a few dozen Bible manuscript fragments in Israel and how it may shed new light on Septuagint studies.
Good Friday commemorates the day Jesus taught us how to die. A caterpillar folds into a cocoon, dies, bursts forth as a butterfly. A seed falls to the ground, gets eaten by the soil, shoots up. A tree sheds its leaves, sprouts buds, dazzles...
This excerpt about the meaning of suffering comes from Jeremy R. Treat’s reflection on Good Friday, collected in Suffering & Glory: Meditations for Holy Week and Easter. *** Many of us instinctively feel that if we are faithful to Jesus, then...
The following post is adapted from Finding Our Voice: A Vision for Asian North American Preaching by Matthew D. Kim and Daniel L. Wong (Lexham Press, 2020). *** Asian North American (ANA) preachers read and interpret Scripture with a unique lens. We...
Logos is an incredibly useful tool straight out of the box (or off the website). But as with any tool, it can take some time to get to know it well and use it better. As an academic user, you’re also coming to Logos from a specific angle. Your...
What does 'abba' mean? Explore why there's a sanctity in addressing God as Abba Father, a reminder of who we're addressing.
Word studies are a treasure trove … and a minefield. Somehow you have to weave through the dangers to get the treasures. Think for a moment: if you were about to enter such a field, what would you want to know about first? The gold or the...
What is the Septuagint? The Septuagint, of course, is the Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament. The Septuagint was the Old Testament of the early Greek-speaking Church, and it is by far the version of the Old Testament most frequently...
Since the first century, women have been active in the theology and mission of the Church. Luke–Acts reveals how Jesus and the apostles cared for women and enlisted them in kingdom service, and John contains the astonishing tale of how Jesus carried...
Logos Bible Software makes it easy to read and compare different Bibles with the Text Comparison tool. With this versatile study tool, you can display multiple Bible translations in parallel columns for any passage of Scripture. To see Text...