Parables are short stories that have symbolism, meaning, and a lesson, much like a fable. When the Lord Jesus was conducting ministry during His time on earth, He would teach in parables regularly. Many of them were meant to reveal spiritual truths, eliminate spiritual confusion, and give the Holy Spirit space to work on open hearts.

The Book of Matthew features many of Jesus’ parables, including one about a special wedding. This illustration, known as the parable of the ten virgins, features imagery, symbolism, an exciting promise for His followers, and a dire warning to those who would reject the love and forgiveness of God, provided by the death and resurrection of the Son of God.

Understanding this parable and its meaning can provide assurance for those who have a relationship with the Lord, serve as motivation for believers to evangelize those around them, and make real the eternal consequences of sin and rejecting God’s grace.

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Just because God was not speaking at that time does not mean this was an uneventful period in Israel’s history. Though He was not speaking, God was working all things out for His glory and for the salvation of humanity.

Despite all the evil of the world, the death and resurrection of Jesus defeated death forever, unlike human sacrifice, which did nothing. Sacrifice to idols is meaningless, but faith in Jesus Christ is the one way to eternal life.

When the Holy Spirit began to move among the early church to record their experiences with Jesus Christ, He did not move one person to create the one definitive story of Jesus’ life and ministry. Instead, four different people were divinely inspired to record important details about the Messiah. These men were the Apostles Matthew (formerly Levi), a young disciple named Mark, a Gentile partner of Paul’s named Luke, and the Apostle John.

Each Gospel focuses on different aspects of Jesus’ personhood, but emphasizes that He is Messiah, the Son of God, and the rightful king. Understanding the relationships between the four Gospels, who wrote them, and their unique themes can illuminate the truth of the Gospel, explain why they focus on different details, and enrich someone’s experience reading them.

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In the Bible, Jesus does touch people, and for some people touch is an important part of feeling connection. Ultimately, while it is not required for people to participate in the laying of hands, it is a practice the church should not let fade; it was one of the Savior’s methods of reaching others, and is part of exchanging friendship, blessings, and the affirmation of the church.

Ultimately, the true significance of the tribe of Judah was not in the kings who reigned in Judah, or the many battles they won, but in the fulfillment of God’s divine plan to provide a Savior for the whole world.

The Christian faith is 2,000 years old, and is the culmination of the ancient faith of the Jewish people. With deep histories and long traditions – and many different denominations and interpretations – it can be difficult to know what the most important beliefs are.

What beliefs should one hold in order to align themselves with Christianity? A worldview is a framework for understanding the reason why things are the way they are, and usually informs the values of the people who adhere to it. The Bible is the way God chose to communicate with the world; it communicates the core tenets that define the Christian faith, and it serves as “a light unto my feet and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105b). Understanding these core beliefs is the bedrock of an informed faith.

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God ordains different roles, offices, and talents for each person He creates, and when they begin a relationship with Him and are saved by the blood of Jesus, He cultivates them for His glory. Some men are called to be preachers, evangelists, and missionaries, and for a select few through the centuries, their sermons and impact are recorded for posterity. Understanding who these influential preachers were can help a believer understand the Bible better and solidify their own beliefs.

The following list is a selection of eight influential preachers whose sermons were or are a part of their legacy. For preachers whose sermons are written down, there are links provided to read some of their work, though this was not possible for each person.

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The Hebrew word that was commonly used for this greeting, and is still used today, was shalom, which is often used for hello and goodbye. He was both greeting His friends, and encouraging them that God’s peace would be with them at all times.

When Jesus walked the earth as a man, He was still the Son of God, full of righteousness and power. Even the demons aligned with Satan obeyed Him, with evil having no power in the presence of the Lord.

In multiple Gospels, there is an account of Jesus expelling many demons who were possessing two men, though the Gospels of Mark and Luke focus primarily on one man’s experience. Jesus expelled these demons into a herd of pigs, shocking the people in the area.

This account focuses on Jesus’ power as the Son of God and demonstrates that Jesus will have the final victory over evil. It also gives insight into how lost humanity is without God. There are many lessons to be learned from every encounter that Jesus had with people during His time on earth, and the encounter Jesus had with the demoniac is no exception.

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The wisdom of God usually contradicts the wisdom of man. To be strong means to be able to do it all by yourself, without help. It means being able to lift heavy things, to be always in control of one’s emotions, or to be able to run rampant across an enemy, militarily or in business. God even gave this strength as a gift to people, as recorded in the Bible.

However, the Bible is also full of language about strength in weakness. Paul wrote to Corinth:

“For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10).

Only in Christianity does the idea exist that someone is strongest in their lowest moments. When people are weak, if they submit to God, He can take over and use His full strength. When someone is at their weakest, they are most dependent on the Lord, who is infinitely stronger than weak, sinful humanity. Understanding this concept glorifies the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross, and empowers believers to pursue their race well, and to bear any and all circumstances, since God is bearing it with them.

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Evangelicals believe in the new birth, that they have been saved by the blood of Jesus. They have a relationship with the living God, follow Him, and use the Bible as their guide. Evangelicalism in its true form believes the Bible is the inerrant, unchanging, perfect word of God, and does not supplement it with the Apocrypha, or any other additional texts beyond the 66.

The spirit of a person was put in them so they could connect with God and be like Him. Just as part of God’s character is Spirit, people have spirit that endows on them the image of God.

Fervent prayer is that model of passionate and sincere calling out to God, whether out of thankfulness, repentance, or need. Understanding the way that word was used, how it is translated in other versions, and seeing examples of that kind of prayer in the Bible can teach a believer today about how to pray fervently.