Gilbert House Fellowship

JESUS SAVED his harshest criticism for the self-appointed gatekeepers of the faith, the scribes (lawyers) and Pharisees who became stumbling blocks between the people and God. He also had some very blunt comments about the people of his home town, Capernaum, and nearby Chorazim, saying it would be better at the judgment for the people of Nineveh, Tyre, Sidon, Sodom, and Gomorrah because they, alth...

THE ONLY place in the Bible where we see the appearance of a human ghost is part of our Old Testament study this week. Continue reading →

TODAY’S STUDY is one of the most important of the time we’ll spend in the New Testament. We focus on Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, which may be another account of the sermon Luke recorded in Luke 6 (which we studied  last week ). We discuss God’s standard of righteousness, which none of us can reach, and our relationship to the Law, and we look at the Lord’s Prayer as a pattern for prayer rather tha...

OUR OLD TESTAMENT study this week continues through the period of David's life in the wilderness, on the run from Saul. Continue reading →

OUR NEW TESTAMENT study this week clearly illustrates the viewpoints of the gospel writers with parallel accounts of the disciples eating grain plucked from the stalk (on the Sabbath–oh, no!) and the healing of a man with a withered hand (also on the Sabbath–oh, no!). Matthew draws on the Torah to validate Jesus’ claims of divinity, Mark offers a condensed, almost bullet-point account, and Luke, t...

DAVID IS on the lam as our Old Testament study continues, running for his life from the mad king, Saul, and we discuss five psalms written during this period of David's life. Continue reading →

JESUS’ MINISTRY of healing and casting out demons is a key part of our New Testament study today. We discuss the healing of the centurion’s servant, the paralytic lowered through the roof of the house in Capernaum, and the lame man at the Pool of Bethesda, and we read Matthew’s account of the Gadarene (or Gerasene) demoniac(s). (More on that story still ahead in Luke and Mark.) But even more impor...

THE TRANSITION from Saul to David is the focus of this week's study, which includes the famous confrontation between David and the giant, Goliath of Gath. Continue reading →

TODAY WE encounter the Devil as Jesus is led into the desert for 40 days and then tempted — or, more accurately, tested. Thankfully for all of us, Jesus resisted the snares of physical gratification (bread), public acclaim, and earthly power. We discuss Jesus’ first miracle, turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana, the miraculous catch on the Sea of Galilee, and the unique nature of Jesus a...

ISRAEL RECEIVES its first king, who turns out to be something less than ideal. Anointed by Samuel at God's direction, Saul shows his true colors right from the start. Continue reading →

WE BEGIN to study Jesus’ ministry, the early days, beginning with his appearance to John the Baptist at the Jordan River and the calling of the first disciples: Andrew, Simon (Peter), James, and John. We also spend some time discussing the Magi, the virgin birth of Jesus, and the geopolitical climate of Judea at the time of Jesus’ birth. Click here for the reading order of the Old Testament, and c...

OUR STUDY of the Old Testament now moves to the time of the creation of the monarchy in Israel. Continue reading →

TODAY WE begin our study of the New Testament, which we will follow in chronological order just as we’re doing with the Old Testament. Our readings today begin the story of Jesus, the Christ. We discuss the differences between the styles and intended audiences of Matthew, Luke, and John, all of whom, in their own way, establish right from the start the bona fides of Jesus as the rightful heir of t...

THE ROLE of the kinsman-redeemer and God's willingness to accept Gentiles who seek Him are the themes of the Book of Ruth, which records the story of a young widow from Moab who finds favor and "rest"--security--in the person of Boaz, a relative of her late father-in-law. Continue reading →

WE CONCLUDE our study of the Book of Judges today with several incidents from the period between the conquest of Canaan and the establishment of the monarchy in Israel. Continue reading →

TODAY WE discuss a test of faith most of us hope we never experience: God chose Gideon to lead Israel against the armies of Midian and Amalek--then He ordered Gideon to send most of the troops so that he was outnumbered 400-to-1. Continue reading →

WE BEGIN our study of the second of the Historical Books, Judges. It chronicles Israel's slide into apostasy and chaos, showing the need for a godly king to lead them. Continue reading →

JOSHUA NEARS the end of his life. He sends a surveying team to divide Canaan which is then assigned to tribes by casting lots. We also look at his final instructions for Israel which include the declaration, "As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." Continue reading →

THE ISRAELITES have crossed the Jordan and defeated the giant clans in two separate campaigns through the hill countries of Judah and Israel. Today we look at the division of Canaan among the 9-1/2 tribes still waiting to occupy their inheritance. Continue reading →

WE ALL remember the song: Joshua fit the battle of Jericho, and the walls came tumbling down. Today, we study the conquest of Canaan by the Israelites, examining what appears to be military campaigns that specifically targeted the giant clans known as the Anakim. Continue reading →

TODAY, WE begin studying the fulfillment of the patriarchal promise, the occupation of the land that Yahweh had allotted to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Continue reading →

WE REACH the end of the life of Moses today, concluding the Book of Deuteronomy with a more detailed discussion of the Divine Council, the warnings of Yahweh to the Israelites, and prophecies over the tribes. Continue reading →

OUR STUDY nears the end of the life of Moses, as the prophet gives final instructions to Israel before turning them over to Joshua and sending them across the Jordan River into Canaan. Continue reading →

GOD'S STANDARDS of morality as revealed in His word is a lot more egalitarian than skeptics will admit. Today we discuss God's instructions for caring for the poor, widows, and orphans, and we go into some depth on marriage, divorce, and gender roles for men and women Continue reading →

THE CONCEPT of holy war is developed in the passages we read today (specifically Deut. 20:16-18), where the Hebrew verb kharam is translated "devote to complete destruction". The concept relates to the coming war between Israel and enemies who served -- and were spawned by -- lesser gods. Continue reading →