The Gospel According to Micah. The prophetic ministries of Micah and Isaiah occurred at the same time, and it appears that some of their prophecies even overlapped. Micah was a prophet to both Israel in the north and Judah in the south. Both nations had totally lost their moral compass and spiritual vision, and so …
The Prophet Amos’s Greatest Hits. Around 750 BC, a humble, isolated shepherd and farmer named Amos was taking care of business as usual in his rural region of the southern kingdom of Judah. Out of the blue, Yahweh tapped Amos to proclaim His words of coming judgment to the northern kingdom of Israel. Amos was …
The Prophet Malachi’s Greatest Hits. The book of Malachi is the bridge between the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament. He was a prophet in Jerusalem almost a century after the 2nd Temple was completed in 516 BC. Unfortunately, God’s chosen people had slipped into many of the same sins that had caused God to …
The Prophet Joel’s Greatest Hits. One could easily put Joel in the category of “The Gospel According to Joel. It is full of amazing thoughts that can easily be put to good use in the Christian life. Joel doesn’t lend itself to the writing of introductory paragraphs. We know next to nothing about who Joel …
The Gospel According to Zechariah. Zechariah was a prophet in Jerusalem around 520 BC, after the Jews were allowed to return to their homeland. Back home after 70 years in exile, the people were harassed by neighboring countries, and discouraged at their small numbers. A majority of the Jews in exile decided to remain in …
The Gospel According to Oded. “Ahaz was twenty years old when he became King, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. He didn’t do what was pleasing to Yahweh as his forefather David had done, but followed the ways of the kings of Israel.” (2 Chronicles 28:1-2). Ahaz was a particularly evil king of Judah …
The Gospel According to Moses. “So, my dear Christian friends, companions in following this call to the heights, take a good hard look at Jesus. He’s the centerpiece of everything we believe, faithful in everything God gave him to do. Moses was also faithful, but Jesus gets far more honor. Moses did a good job …
The Gospel According to Melchizedek. “In the King’s Valley, Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, El-Elyon, and he blessed Abram, saying, ‘Blessed be Abram by God Most High, creator of heaven and earth. And blessed be God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your …
The Gospel According to Jonah. “Jesus answered and said to them, ‘An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign, and yet no sign shall be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet; for just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the fish, so shall the …
The Gospel According to Abel. “Faith moved Abel to choose a more excellent sacrifice to offer God than his brother Cain, and God declared him righteous because of his offering of faith. By his faith, Abel still speaks instruction to us today, even though he is long dead.” (Hebrews 11:4). Jesus closed His Beatitudes with a cardinal …
The Gospel According to Isaac. In many ways, Isaac was Jesus before there was an incarnate Christ. Isaac proclaimed the gospel story thousands of years before the gospel. For one thing, Isaac was precisely and purposefully named before birth, just like Jesus. And with that name came a particular mission in life. So, as it …
The Priestly Prayer of Jesus. “When Jesus had spoken these things, He lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, ‘Father, the hour is come.’” (John 17:1). The time to complete His self-emptying has arrived. He is ready to give Himself up, for no one can take His life from Him without …