The Second Coming The Second Coming of Jesus is real. It stands today as certain Bible prophecy. Jesus Himself said, “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also” (John 14:3). No Christian denies a return of Jesus at some point. But, and this is important, Scripture never specifies when Jesus will return. Instead, He tells his disciples to watch and be ready for His return (Matthew 25:13, Luke 21:34). The certainty of Jesus’ return and the uncertainty of the date give rise to a roiling ocean of foolishness and false te ..read more

Your comments are welcome here. You will find a comment box at the bottom of each article. Your thoughts may be briefly held for moderation because spam tends to clutter websites. I take no offense to your statements. I do ask that you conduct yourself with a Christ-like nature as we all search for the truth of God’s word. So, go ahead, comment! I’m waiting to hear from you. The post first appeared on BryantEvans.com ..read more

“I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment” (1 Corinthians 1:10) Millions of individuals make up the church. No two are exactly alike. Because of these millions of differences, the church is inherently diverse. Sometimes, these natural differences rise to the level of church division. I’d like for us to think about these differences and gain some understanding of when those differences become displeasing to Jesus. Divisions in the church often ..read more

This is the new home of what was once called the Preacher’s Study Blog. Thank you for dropping by. I am Bryant Evans, the chief cook and bottle-washer on this new website. All of the content is available from our days at the Preacher’s Study Blog, and we will add new material from time to time. If you have a question you’d like us to explore, drop us a note, and we will try to answer it Clearly and Biblically. During the transition from the old site, I expect some bumps and maybe even a few potholes. Please bear with us as we get things smoothed out. Again, thanks for your visit! The post Welc ..read more

Who is Apollos? This good man is mentioned only ten times in the Bible, twice in Acts (18:24; 19:1), eight times in 1st Corinthians (1:12; 3:4, 5, 6 & 22; 4:6; 16:12), and once in Titus 3:13. Little is known about Apollos directly, but Paul writes as if he was influential in the church and an important friend of his. It has even been suggested that Apollos was the mysterious author of Hebrews. It’s probably as good a choice as any, but it’s far from certain. The greatest compliment paid to Apollos is that he was “competent in the Scriptures” (Acts 18:24). His knowledge positioned him to e ..read more

I’m going to disappoint you. Despite the title, there are no quick answers here. In fact, you cannot survey even the smallest subject with quick answers – not even the subject of “quick answers.” Just now, the top story at cnn.com was six paragraphs, three of which were one sentence in length. At competitor foxnews.com the top story was longer but still a brief 11 paragraphs. The median length of a television news story with video is a scant 41 seconds according to a report from the Pew Research Center. We scan, we skim, we don’t study. We’re just not very interested in depth. Brevity can be ..read more

The monstrous attacks by Hamas have thrust Today’s Israel into the news. Unspeakable brutalities against Israeli women and children fill the news reports. There is neither excuse nor justification for these terrible crimes targeting civilians, especially women and children. Some popular news commentators, trying to rally support for Israel, are suggesting that today’s Israel is the same Israel of biblical times.  Is it? Christians may support Israel because it is our staunchest ally in the region. They see Israel as one of the most stable democracies in the world. In short, the Israelis ..read more

My Friend Allen Webster has a great article in a recent edition of House to House Heart to Heart. Entitled, “You Gotta Be Dumb to Believe the Bible. Right?” it’s an answer to the people who make fun of our faith. As a new school year begins, many young Christians will face an all-out assault by militant atheists, agnostics, and skeptics. This article, including quotes from Shakespeare to President Washington and General MacArthur, will demonstrate that the greatest minds of modern history believed in God and in his word. Some doubt God’s existence since He is not perceptible to our sensory sy ..read more

I recently had a spat with my pharmacy. When they could not fill my prescription, I went somewhere else. When I upgrade my cell phone, I go to the store dressed for battle. I want to come away with the best possible deal. The church consumer is also looking for a deal. He needs to make sure he’s looking for the right thing. The church consumer will, likewise, shop for what they perceive to be the best possible deal in churches. They may look for entertainment, friendship, or self-validation. People don’t want to change. They reject repentance. They are not looking for sanctification. Their des ..read more

I get it. Nobody likes to talk about sin, but sometimes we need to. The turmoil of the 21st century has obscured our view of sin with the result that there is now The Forgotten Sin. Some sins seem to reach out and grab us by the collar. The in-your-face wickedness makes us angry. But, in our rush to combat the assault of these wicked thoughts and ideas, we have created an unbiblical hierarchy of sins. We spend all of our time talking about the “bad sins” but fail to address the “lesser sins.” Some years ago, a public health professional told me that the extraordinary emphasis on HIV-AIDS was ..read more