A Moment of Hope

by David Chadwick We are going to wrap up the bad guys of the Bible this week with Ishmael. You will find his story in Genesis 15 and 16. He was the firstborn son of Abraham. If you remember biblical history, because of Sarah's  impatience and unbelief  that God would fulfill his promise of bringing her a child, she let Abraham sleep with her servant, Hagar. From that act, Ishmael was conceived. I...

by David Chadwick Annas and Caiaphas. They are today's bad guys. Opponents in the storyline of the Bible. Both Annas and Caiaphas were High Priests during Jesus's time on earth, specifically when he cleansed the temple on two separate occasions. The first time, Annas was the High Priest and the second time, Caiaphas was the High Priest. After Jesus was arrested, he was brought before Annas (John 1...

by David Chadwick Good guys and bad guys are throughout the Bible. We are combing through Scripture to examine some of the bad guys of the Bible. Men and women who were real enemies of holiness and purity. People who Satan used to wreak havoc on God's story.  But God is able to use absolute mess to release the greatest message ever told. Other people's rebellion becomes the platform for a massive...

by David Chadwick God's story is the greatest story ever told. Ups and downs. Twists and turns. Good guys and bad guys. It all makes for a wonderful storyline that points directly to the grace and mercy of Jesus. Many bad guys are highlighted in God's Word and are obstacles to the victories God ultimately accomplishes. Today's bad guy is Ahithophel. Ahithophel was originally a close confidant and...

by David Chadwick The Bible is full of people, great and small, young and old, who God used to carry out his story. And he is still using people like you and me today! Throughout his story, there were many bad guys who rose up to oppose God's plan. We are continuing to take a look at some of the bad guys of the Bible. This week, we are going to look at five more bad guys. Hymenaeus is today's bad...

by David Chadwick God's story is the best story! With Jesus Christ as the ultimate hero and Satan as the ultimate villain, God's story is full of excitement, love, and adventure. The story of God is the ultimate rescue mission. Many heroes, big and small, played significant roles in God's story. There were also villains. Bad guys who tried to thwart God's plans. We've been taking an in depth look...

by David Chadwick Queen Jezebel was one of the Bible's leading characters when it comes to female villains. Her husband, Ahab, was just as bad. Unfortunately, without the transformative work of Jesus in someone's life, a bad guy and a bad gal often create bad children. Ahab and Jezebel's daughter was another bad gal. Her story is found in 2 Kings 8:16 - 2 Kings 11:16. Queen Athaliah was wicked lik...

by David Chadwick The only thing worse than a bad guy is a bad guy married to a bad gal. Yesterday, we learned about Jezebel. She was one evil woman. What made her extra dangerous was the fact that she was married to a really passive bad guy. Meet her husband Ahab. You'll find his story right alongside Jezebel's story in 1 Kings 16 to 2 Kings 9. Ahab was  a man known for his weakness and godlessne...

by David Chadwick Today's bad guy of the Bible is actually a bad gal. She was a really evil woman. Her tentacles are still in the world today. Jezebel.  A queen on a mission to manipulate and destroy. This story is found from 1 Kings 16 through 2 Kings 9. Jezebel was married to Ahab. He was the 7th king in the northern kingdom of Israel. If you know your biblical history, this was the kingdom that...

by David Chadwick The Bible is full of good guys and bad guys. Every great story has both heroes and villains in the plot line. God's story is the greatest story ever told. Full of ups and downs, twists and turns where  Jesus is the ultimate hero! The story of Cain is found in Genesis 4. He is our next bad guy. Cain was the firstborn son of Adam and Eve. Their other son's name was Abel. I like to...

by David Chadwick God has written the greatest story ever told. Jesus Christ is the ultimate hero and Satan is the ultimate villain in God's story. Within the Bible, there are countless other heroes, big and small, who help advance God's mission in the earth. There are also villains. Judas is today's bad guy. With a significant role in the crucifixion of Jesus, he is a well-known villain in God's...

by David Chadwick Simon Magus. Have you ever heard of him? His story is found in Acts 8:9-24 and he is today's bad guy of the Bible. Simon was a magician in the area of Samaria. He attracted large throngs of people with his magic arts. Could these have been demonic antics? Absolutely. Whatever it was,  it caused him to be a man full of pride who boasted in his own greatness and motivated large cro...

by David Chadwick Alexander the Coppersmith is our next bad guy. Let's look at his story in 2 Timothy 4:14-18 and see why he's another one of my bad guys of the Bible. We don't know much about Alexander except his name and profession. But it could be that at one time he co-labored with Paul in planting churches and teaching the gospel. In the least, he and Paul knew each other on some level. Somet...

by David Chadwick The story of Demas is found in 2 Timothy 4:9-10. He is someone else who I would consider to be one of the bad guys of the Bible. It takes good guys and bad guys in order to have a great story. God never shied away from highlighting just how bad things really were in Scripture. For all of time, he has been able to use bad situations and  work them out for good (Romans 8:28). The f...

by David Chadwick This next story speaks of two bad guys whose bad behavior was full of deceit. Ananias and Sapphira are our next two characters – whose story is found in Acts 5:1-11. In this part of God's story, the early church was growing. Booming even. There were miracles happening everywhere. God's Word was being proclaimed with power and might. New believers were coming to faith everywhere....

by David Chadwick Good guys and bad guys are in every good story. A compelling plot has twists and turns and God's story is full of both! God never shies away from showing us the good, bad and ugly of characters in his story. I believe the  authenticity of Scripture is part of how he teaches us his best lessons! The 10 spies of Numbers 13:25-14:10 are today's bad guys. Let me tell you their story....

by David Chadwick Did you know that every great story has heroes and villains? Good guys and bad guys. Those who are in the story to accomplish the goals of the story line and those who are there to resist them. Well, Absalom is definitely another one of the bad guys of the Bible. You will find his story in 2 Samuel 13-19. One of David's sons, Absalom was described as the best-looking man in all t...

by David Chadwick One of my favorite things about the Bible is the authenticity of the story. God doesn't hide the broken parts of humanity in the story line. He doesn't fabricate evil to make it look better than it actually was. He tells the real, hard truths, which makes his  redeeming love and sanctifying grace all the more powerful. 2 Kings 2:23-25 is one of those stories. It tells us about 42...

by David Chadwick Hidden heroes and blatant villains! The Bible is full of both. Over the next two weeks we are taking a look at some of my top biblical bad guys. Nadab and Abihu. You'll find their story in Leviticus 10. They were the sons of Aaron. As you read their story, you'll learn that Nadab and Abihu had consumed too much alcohol and it appeared they were drunk when they did something horri...

by David Chadwick Every good story has a hero and a villain. We have already looked at many hidden heroes in the Bible as well as some unlikely heroes. Over the next couple of weeks, we are going to look at some of the bad guys of the Bible and the chaos that ensued in God's story. These are people who  lacked integrity and brought trouble to anyone and anything in their paths. Let's start with Ko...

by Marilynn Chadwick Jesus is kind to all people—especially women. Just ask my friend Anya. Raised as a member of the "untouchable" caste in India, Anya knows what it means to be treated as "less than." For centuries in India's cruel caste system, untouchables were regarded as less than human. Women were treated even worse. People of higher castes would cross the street to avoid walking on the sid...

by Marilynn Chadwick One of the most inspiring "real life" women of valor I have ever known was Barbara Brewton Cameron. This vibrant and joyful woman with an easy laugh and a giant heart was a powerful leader in her community. She became a dear friend, mentor, and role model. During our fifteen-year friendship, Barbara opened my eyes to the  powerful impact that one ordinary woman can have on her...

by Marilynn Chadwick Men, women, and children of all ages squeezed into the patchwork tent that was both home and church for Pastor Raju and his family. David and I were traveling through this remote slum village in India to see the work of church planters like Raju. Raju was a ragpicker by trade. Daily, he sifted through the nearby garbage dump to find rags, plastic, bits of this-and-that to sell...

by Marilynn Chadwick I believe every woman has a little bit of princess in her. And deep down inside, she believes  she can change the world. A long time ago there lived a real princess who actually did change the world. Her name was Margaret. She married a Scottish King and thus became Queen Margaret, one of the most beloved nobles in the history of Scotland. I became captivated by her story year...

by Marilynn Chadwick There are many heroines found in the pages of the Bible. The Hebrew term used in Proverbs 31:10 for the famed "virtuous woman," eshet chayil, can be better translated as "woman of valor" (Proverbs 31:10 JPS Tanakh 1917). I've come to believe women are at our best when engaged in a courageous fight for someone outside ourselves. While I love biblical heroines, I equally love st...