Category: East Main Bulletin Articles

Articles I write for the weekly bulletin of the East Main Church of Christ, the congregation where I preach.

Zechariah: A Prophecy About Idolatry and Unclean Spirits

At the very beginning of the church, miraculous prophecies were listed among the spiritual gifts which the apostles gave to some within the early church through the laying on of their hands (1 Cor. 12:1-11ff; 14:1ff; Acts 6:6, 8; 8:5-24; 19:6; Rom. 1:11; 2 Tim. 1:6; cf. Eph. 2:20; 2 Pet. 1:19-21).  So were the working of miracles such as casting out unclean spirits or demons (1 Cor. 12:8-11; Acts 5:16; 8:7; 19:11-12; cf. Mk. 16:17).  These miracles were done to confirm the Word of God which the apostles were preaching and writing (Mk. 16:20; Heb. 2:3-4).  This was possibly the reason Jehovah allowed demonic possession during this time.… Read More Zechariah: A Prophecy About Idolatry and Unclean Spirits

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1 Peter: Elect Exiles of the Dispersion

Some of the first readers of 1 Peter were likely in Jerusalem years earlier on Pentecost.  Jews from Pontus and Asia had heard the apostles speaking miraculously in their own native language on that day (Acts 2:8-11).  Some of them were likely among the 3,000 who had obeyed the gospel that day (Acts 2:36-41).  Thus, some of the original recipients of 1 Peter might have been there with Peter on the day the church began.… Read More 1 Peter: Elect Exiles of the Dispersion

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Zechariah: “They Will Look On Me Whom They Have Pierced”

Christ is speaking in first person through Zechariah’s prophecy.  That is made clear when He cited Himself as the one “whom they have pierced,” a foretelling of the crucifixion.  Thus, “I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication” could be a prophecy that Christ would pour out the Holy Spirit.  Speaking of Jesus on the Day of Pentecost, Peter said, “Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear” (Acts 2:33).  Thus, this prophecy could have its fulfillment in the beginning of the church on Pentecost, with “the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem” referring to the Jews in Jerusalem who obeyed the gospel that day (Acts 2:38-41), and as a secondary application to the church as a whole, the spiritual house of David and the heavenly Jerusalem (Heb. 12:22-23).… Read More Zechariah: “They Will Look On Me Whom They Have Pierced”

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Zechariah: “The House of David Shall Be Like God”

Zechariah’s statement, “…the house of David shall be like God, like the angel of the Lord, going before them” (12:8c), is likely a figurative prophetic reference to Jesus.  Christ was a descendant of David’s house (2 Sam. 7:12-16; Ps. 132:11; Is. 11:1; Jer. 23:5; cf. Matt. 1:1; Lk. 1:32, 69; John 7:42; Acts 2:30; 13:23; Rom. 1:3; 2 Tim. 2:8; Rev. 22:16).  John depicted Jesus as “the Word” who “was God” and “became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:1, 14; cf. Phil. 2:5-7; 2 Cor. 4:4b). … Read More Zechariah: “The House of David Shall Be Like God”

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