This week’s training notes: This week, your group will be studying Unit 3, Session 3, A Promise Tested, which focuses on the command to sacrifice Isaac, the child God promised to Abraham and Sarah. Here are three things to know, read, and do as you prepare for this week’s session: Something to know This is a difficult passage of...

It’s been said that when a word or phrase is repeated in the Bible, we ought to pay close attention. In Genesis 22, Abraham repeated one phrase three times: “Here I am.” Abraham first used “Here I am” on his journey when God called his name. Abraham’s eager response to God shows that he was ready and expectant to...

For most of us, Jesus as our Great High Priest sounds good, but the idea of a priest, in the biblical sense, is not something we see or experience in our daily lives. But this idea of Jesus as our Great High Priest is essential in understanding his sacrifice on our behalf. Hebrews 5:7-9 says: During his earthly life,...

This week’s training notes: This week, your group will be studying Unit 3, Session 2, A Priest of Righteousness, which focuses on Abram’s encounter with Melchizedek, a priest to God Most High, and how this priest points to a greater priesthood than what was to come through Aaron. Here are three things to know, read, and do as you prepare...

We marvel at stories with two characters who are total opposites of each other. This is why so many stories feature some form of a noble hero and an immoral villain. The contrast of character and conduct is what drives the tension of the story.  In Genesis 14, we find two completely opposite kings: the king of Sodom and...

I am always baffled at those who weave stories together in the most beautiful way. One of the most attractive features of a movie or book series is the way a story can come together even in the smallest details. The makers of the Marvel movie series are masters at this process. A tiny movement of a hammer in...