June 2019

Study: “Trusting in the Name(s) of God,” #1

June 30, 2019 By Richard Cravy in Library, Series, Teaching & Study

In the adult Sunday school class I attend at the Sunset congregation, we have just finished (2nd Quarter, 2019) a 13 week study entitled, Trusting in the Name(s) of God. I was privileged to teach three of the sessions, and hear some of the best teachers we have at Sunset International Bible Institute teach the other sessions. While I had studied in the past the various terms and names attributed to God, this time was especially rewarding. Over several posts, I want to share some of the resources I/we used as well as the three lessons I presented.

Audio Series: “The God Who Is There” Available

June 28, 2019 By Richard Cravy in News, Series

A great battle is now in progress in our American culture. It is a battle that has been going on for perhaps half a century now. Unfortunately the spiritual forces opposing belief in God and all that comes with it have been winning this battle.

At present many wonder why we are seeing the majority of our own youth abandoning their faith as they leave home. Perhaps it is because they have no deep conviction about the existence of God and the absolute necessity of seeking Him with all their hearts and lives (Hebrews 11:6).

Books That Changed My Thinking, #4

June 27, 2019 By Richard Cravy in Library, Reviews

Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words should be one of the most treasured books in any serious Bible student’s library – it certainly is in mine. (Note that EBS may earn a small commission off any merchandise purchased through links on this page.) It has gone through numerous editions since its introduction around 1940. More recent editions have added Old Testament words to the original New Testament only version. My first mentor, James Wilson, introduced me to the use of this resource before I had even decided to be a preacher of the gospel. Here are some of the great benefits of using this book properly:

Tech Review: TP-Link AC1750 Wi-Fi Range Extender

June 26, 2019 By Aaron Cravy in Reviews, Tech & Internet

The Internet is everywhere in our lives these days. Whether it be at home, school, restaurants, bookstores ÂÂÂor even in our churches, people have come to rely on having fast, stable access to the Internet.ÂÂ Recently, I began looking for a way to extend my high-speed internet connection at home out to the far edges of my home. Like many, our internet connection is brought into our home at one corner of the house and the speed and stability of the connection degrades the further away you get from the Wi-Fi router.

Audio Series: “Portraits of Jesus” Available

June 25, 2019 By Richard Cravy in News, Series

Without argument, more paintings, drawings, images and statues have been made of Jesus than of any other person who has ever lived! Early catacomb images pictured Him with short hair and clean-shaven. Western artists of the Middle Ages up until today give Him longer hair, a beard, and more Western European features. But the truth is, the eye-witness records do not give us one shred of evidence about his actual appearance. Why? The answer is not clear. But this is clear: the gospel writers were not interested in what He looked like – they wanted everyone to know what He WAS like! Welcome to our study entitled, “Portraits of Jesus.”

Books That Changed My Thinking, #3

June 24, 2019 By Richard Cravy in Reviews

Like many others, I was affected and convicted deeply many years ago by a little novel written in 1896 by Charles Sheldon entitled, In His Steps. In it he imagined how Christians might act differently if, in any given situation, they would ask themselves, “What would Jesus do?” Even today we encounter the “WWJD” thinking. But that novel left a big question in my mind at the time – “How can I really know what Jesus would do?” This led me to the following title which has had an even greater impact on my understanding, life and teaching than In His Steps. It is a book which actually answers in large part the central question raised by In His Steps.

Books That Changed My Thinking, #2

June 23, 2019 By Richard Cravy in Reviews

My parents were baptized and became New Testament Christians when I was five years old. From that time on I was (and have been) in Sunday School and worship assemblies without fail. Being constantly exposed to Bible teaching is one thing. Knowing how to study on my own was quite another.

At Florida College I was required to take a course called Hermeneutics, taught by Roy Cogdill. I do not believe I had ever heard the word “hermeneutics” before that time. But that course and its textbook completely changed my understanding of the Bible and how to study it.

Podcast Review: Three Chords and the Truth

June 21, 2019 By Aaron Cravy in Reviews, Tech & Internet

This is the first of what will be an ongoing series of podcast reviews. These reviews will focus on podcasts that we have discovered that offer something that we believe our readers will find useful, enriching, or at the very least, entertaining.

Podcasts, for those who are not aware, are essentially audio shows that can be listened to “on-demand” via most phones, tablets and computers. There are a vast number of different podcasts available covering just about any topic that can be imagined. The show that I would like to introduce you to today is called Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast.

Books That Changed My Thinking, #1

June 20, 2019 By Richard Cravy in Reviews

As I look back over 50+ years of Bible-based training, studying and ministry, there are a few books that have had a profound effect on my thinking. This is the first of several posts on some of those books, and why they impacted me. Note that EBS may earn a small commission off any merchandise purchased through links on this page.

Evidence That Demands a Verdict, by Josh McDowell. This was not the first book on Christian evidences I bought, but it was the most comprehensive and logically compelling. The foundation tenets of the Christian faith are rooted in history. While some appeal to “science” as if it is the be all and answer to all, much of what we all know and/or believe is rooted not in science (a fairly recent invention as we know it), but in history – evidences, eyewitnesses, documents, monuments, etc.

Book Review: “Why Good Arguments Often Fail”

June 12, 2019 By Richard Cravy in Reviews

Why Good Arguments Often Fail: Making a More Persuasive Case for Christ, by James W. Sire. Published by IVP Press.

“You made the best case you knew how, and your friend still wasn’t persuaded to follow Christ. Why is it that solid, rational arguments for the Christian faith often fail?” – James Sire

Rather than focusing on the various arguments which constitute the broad topic of “Christian Evidences,” James Sire devotes most of his book to the topics of logic and why people are (or are not) persuaded to accept a different point of view.

“First Steps: Studies for Those New in the Faith”

June 4, 2019 By Richard Cravy in News

“Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death…so we too might walk in newness of life” – Romans 6-4

First Steps: Beginning Studies for Those New in the Christian Faith, by Richard Cravy

This study outline is for both personal and group study with an emphasis on those new to Christianity. First Steps features 15 lessons in 4 sections. Each lesson is designed to be self-contained and used as a weekly lesson for a class format.

The four sections of First Steps are:

First Steps to Understanding the Bible
First Steps in Christian Evidences
First Steps to Understanding Salvation
First Steps in Christian Living

It was developed for study in a New Christians’ Class setting, to help new believers to understand the foundation on which they stand, how they were saved, and how to find a place of service as members of the Body of Christ.

It is available for purchase in our Store.