Judges 12

The nation of Israel continues to experience the cycle of rebellion, punishment, cry for help, and deliverance by a judge. The judges can deliver the well-being of the people but they cannot transform the heart of the people. Even the deliverers themselves were in need of a deeper and more full salvation than war victories could...

Judges 9

Judges is one of the hardest books in the Bible to read - it is meant to be.  The story of Judges is about the downward spiral of God’s people away from obedience and blessing and into disobedience and curse.  It seeks to show what happens when “everyone does what is right in their own eyes”.  The people...

Judges 5

The book of Judges speaks of the time between when the Israelites are given the promised land and when the kings emerge. With God having covenanted with them as their ultimate ruler, they should have had longstanding peace and prosperity. But because of idolatry they faced a continual cycle of rebellion toward idols, chastening by God,...

In birdwatching there is a golden rule: if you find a rare bird, you share the news.I remember when I was bird watching over a decade ago, there was an extremely rare bird that someone found and they never told anyone. Needless to say, the other birdwatchers really wanted to see this bird and they could not because they were never told. When they...

Joshua 22

In the first chapter of Joshua, the Reubenites, Gadites, and half tribe of Mannasseh were told that they would be given rest and possession of the land Moses gave them to the east of the Jordan. But throughout the book, they have been helping the rest of Israel possess their allotments. Although land structure may separate them...

Joshua 20-21

Joshua 21 brings us to the end of 4 chapters that represent hard slogging for most modern readers.  Why do we need to know about which towns and which rivers went to which tribes?  Why is that even in the Bible?  The answer comes to us, finally at the very end of chapter 21:

Thus the LORD gave to Israel all the land that...

Joshua 10

Most people today have not wielded a sword in battle so it makes it difficult to read Joshua as more than history or a good bedtime story. However, Paul in 1 Corinthians 10 and Romans 15:5 tells us that the events of Israel were written for our example and instruction. So how does the sun standing still in the Old Testament help us today?

A...

Every real Christian would gladly affirm that we are saved by grace, through faith, because of Christ.  While Protestants would want to add an all caps “ALONE” after each of those three words and Pentecostals might want to add “AMEN – HALLELUJAH” we all agree that each of those words is terribly important. ...

Is autonomy the value to end all values or is there a point at which autonomy must be balanced against other legitimate concerns?  Is there a point at which a church ceases to actually be a Baptist Church, or a Church of Jesus Christ at all?  Is there a point where the other churches in fellowship decide that one in their midst has...

I have a hard time keeping secrets from my wife with regards to the presents that I buy her. I buy her a gift and just find it too hard to keep the excitement of that gift a secret. I often am not able to keep it a secret from the store to the house. There is just something about me that cannot wait for her to see and experience the gift that I so...

Joshua 3

The Israelites were ready to receive the promised things of God. The anticipation while being so close was probably unbearable. But amidst this hope was a sense of dread. How would they be able to have this land when it was inhabited already by people who had no intention of leaving? Could they, skilled at wandering in the desert, mount a...

Joshua 1

The name “Joshua” - like the Greek name “Jesus” - means God saves and the Book of Joshua continues the story of God’s redemption of Israel.  Under Moses he sets them free from the tyranny of Egypt; under Joshua he leads them into the blessings of the Promised Land.  Salvation in the Bible is always...

Deuteronomy 29

Moses concludes this book by exhorting strongly that Israel would commit to and obediently walk in the covenant that the Lord has made with them. He lays out the motivation for doing this by looking at the past, present, and future of God’s dealings with them. In this call to commitment, it becomes difficult not to see the...

Deuteronomy 26

Relating the laws about the Old Testament tithe to the New Testament church is notoriously difficult.  For one thing, in the Old Testament the church was also a country - in the New Testament the church exists inside of many countries.  Therefore, some of what was collected in the various Old Testament tithes would relate...

Deuteronomy 22

In a book with so many regulations and laws, the reader can get accustomed to only seeing the restrictions. However, in this chapter, we should note that Moses puts forward some positive action. We should not read too fast past the first four verses because the sin of omission should be just as concerning as the sins of commission....

The more I learn about life here on earth the more I long to know about heaven. I suppose it is possible to think too much about the world to come, but I suspect that the greater danger is thinking too little.  In the Bible it appears that right thinking about the future is connected to right living in the present.  With that in mind, I...

Deuteronomy 20

Deuteronomy 20 is one of the hardest chapters in the Bible to read.  It raises all kinds of difficult questions:

TGC Canada Council Member Stephen Bray

Steve Bray attended both Pillsbury Baptist Bible College and Kingston Baptist Bible College for his undergraduate studies and Calvary Baptist Seminary for his (MDiv). Steve has been in pastoral ministry for over 20 years serving in both Fellowship and Canadian Baptist churches in Kingston Nova Scotia,...

Deuteronomy 15

God cares for those in need and makes provisions for His people to sustain them. Moses mentioned, in 14:27-29, the various classes of needy persons and in this chapter lays out some helpful legislation for a set of them. It should be noted that, when one comes to this chapter, the terminology and preconceived notions in our 21^st cent...

Evangelicals within left leaning denominations have frequently debated whether it is better to stay and seek renewal or to leave in protest and in pursuit of more effective association.  In favour of the latter position we might cite the counsel of Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones and the examples of the Anglican Church and the Church of Scotland, both...

Deuteronomy 13-14

Both the Old and New Testaments spend a considerably amount of time attempting to protect the church from the danger of false prophets.  In Deuteronomy 13 there is an extended treatment of the topic:

¹ “If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, ² and the sign or wonder that...

Why TGC? Every generation has to refight the battle for the centre.  It isn’t that enemies are holding it; rather it is that so many friends are leaving it.  The call to reformation, therefore, is always a call to return. “Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness, you who seek the LORD: look to the rock from which you...