Dr Paul Allen

Nicolaes Pietersz. Berchem's depiction of Paul and Barnabas at Lystra, an incident which has often been compared to the Qur'anic narrative of the "Companions of the City" (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) If we are always concerned with what people think about us, we will always be reluctant to tell them about Jesus . Perhaps the single most significant hindrance to Christian witness in the world today is our hunger for human approval. By nature, we think more about what people think of us than about what they think of Jesus. We crave acceptance and dread rejection — which inclines us toward whatever might improve others’ perception of us. And that will very rarely, if ever, lead us to call them to repent from their sin and believe the gospel. The apostle Paul lived differently. Apparently he had been liberated from the need to be liked, or even respected. He moved from town to town, in and out of crowds, anchored in the safety and satisfaction of knowing Jesus (...

It is truly amazing how often this question is asked. This question contains the assumption that the Bible is filled with many obvious discrepancies which, if true, would make it impossible to believe that the Bible has a divine origin. It is a popular idea to maintain that the Bible disagrees with itself, which casts considerable doubt on its trustworthiness.  If, indeed, the Bible does contain demonstrable errors, it would show that at least those parts could not have come from a perfect, all-knowing God. We do not argue with this conclusion, but we do disagree with the initial premise that the Scriptures are full of mistakes. It is very easy to accuse the Bible of inaccuracies, but it is quite another matter to prove it.  Certain passages at first glance appear to be contradictory, but further investigation will show that this is not the case.  One of the things for which we appeal with regard to possible contradictions is fairness. We should not minimize or ...

Jephthah was a judge in Israel who made a problematic vow that may have led him to offer his only daughter as a human sacrifice ( Judges 11). An examination of how the grace of God abounded to him in spite of the consequences of his vow provides us with some valuable lessons. Jephthah as a Spiritually Minded Judge in Israel During a dark period in Israel’s history, “Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valor” ( Judges 11:1 ). Because he was the son of a harlot, his brethren prevented him from inheriting a share of his father’s estate ( Judges 11:1-2 ). Fleeing from them, Jephthah lived in the land of Tob and became the leader over a band of “vain men” who joined up with him ( Judges 11:3 ). When the Ammonites warred against Israel, the elders of Gilead sought him out to lead Israel in fighting against them ( Judges 11:4-10 ). In spite of his being the son of a harlot and drawing to himself a group of worthless men, Jephthah manifested at this time both to the Isra...

Author: Mark Ward. Six reasons to believe that Jephthah, the (in)famous OT judge did & did not actually sacrifice his daughter.  Judges 11:39 says very clearly that Jephthah “did with her according to his vow which he had vowed.” The idea that she wasn’t sacrificed but just consigned to an unmarried state and a life of celibacy didn’t pop up, as best we know, until a major Jewish commentator named Kimchi well-meaningly suggested it in the Middle Ages . So this idea is almost 1,000 years old. But the story is over 3,000 years old. That’s because of reason three, that a great military leader making an important vow before the biggest battle of his life isn’t going to promise his God a dog.  And sheep are unlikely to be the first animals out the door to greet you when you come home. They’re too dumb; they’re going to be in the back bedroom saying, “Duh, what’s going on? Where is everybody?” while the much smarter animals are already getting their treats out...

Answer me one question about an obscure story in Judges chapter 11, and I’ll tell you what your view of the whole Old Testament is. First a summary of the story leading up to Judges 11: entering the Promised Land didn’t solve all of Israel’s problems. They brought those problems across the Jordan with them; escape from slavery in Egypt didn’t end their subjection to sin. After the death of Joshua, the successor to Moses, God’s people descended into a cycle of sin, oppression, repentance, and deliverance that lasted for several hundred years. God delivered his people through a series of leaders called “judges.” Eighty years after the famous judge, Gideon, delivers Israel from the Midianites the Israelites are back into the bad part of the cycle: they do “what [is] evil in the eyes of the Lord” (Judg 10:6). So God sends the Ammonites and the Philistines against them. As often happens in the cyclical book of Judges, the people repent and cry out to the Lord for help. God’s reply is i...

Barak the son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali, was a military general in the Book of Judges   Wikipedia ) Judges is the account of how Israel behaves between the death of Joshua and the leadership of a king. Instead of remaining loyal to God and following His laws, this generation of Israelites wanders in their faith, worshiping idols, indulging in violence, and mingling with the evil nations around them. The book of Judges opens with a snapshot of the political and spiritual landscape: The land is not fully possessed yet, as Israel does not drive out a few “pockets” of the people they were told to eliminate. The military and spiritual leader Joshua is dead. The people begin worshiping false gods (introduced by the Canaanites living among them). Judges presents various examples of how God deals with His people during this time period. The stories of Judges follow a pattern ( Jgs 2:11–23): Israel turns from God and serves idols. God turns Israel over to the op...

English: An anxious person (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Having knowledge or insight into a situation and feeling helpless to act upon that information is one of the most frightening feelings we can experience. It makes us anxious , even pained. Jeremiah 4 describes an experience like this: “My heart is restless within me, I cannot keep silent, for I hear in my inner self the sound of a horn, the alarm of war. Destruction on destruction is proclaimed, for all of the land is devastated.… How long must I see the banner, and hear the sound of a horn? ‘For my people are foolish, they have not known me. They are foolish children, and they do not have insight. They are skillful at doing evil, and they do not know how to do good’ ” (Jer 4:19–22). How should we react in moments like these? How should we operate? There are no simple answers to these questions. But what is certain is that we must depend on God and His provision over our lives. We must look at the coming storms in our lives a...

“I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.” ( Philippians 4:11) DISCONTENT! Was there ever a time when there was so much restlessness in the world as there is today? We very much doubt it. Despite our boasted progress, the vast increase of wealth, the time and money expended daily in pleasure, discontent is everywhere. No class is exempt. Everything is in a state of flux, and almost everybody is dissatisfied. Many even among God ’s own people are affected with the evil spirit of this age. Contentment ! Is such a thing realizable, or is it nothing more than a beautiful ideal, a dream of the poet? Is it attainable on earth or is it restricted to the inhabitants of heaven? If practicable here and now, may it be retained, or are a few brief moments or hours of contentment the most we may expect in this life? Such questions find answer in the words of the apostle Paul : “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, ther...

Samson in Dagon Temple In Hebrew the title meant simply someone who puts things right, by whatever means. This might include acting in a judicial or legal way to sort out disputes between people, or giving judgments on difficult local problems.  But it could also include leading the people in battle against oppressive enemies, or calling the people to united action against some sudden threat. Some of them seem to have been fairly local heroes, whereas others rose to more national prominence and leadership. One thing that is said quite often about these “judges” is that the Spirit of the LORD ( Yahweh ) would come upon them.  When this happened it was a signal for action. Empowered by the Spirit of the LORD, they could exercise charismatic leadership and do valiant exploits that were recited around the campfires of Israel for generations to come. Here are some examples, all from the book of Judges : The Spirit of the LORD came upon [ Othniel ], so that he became I...