Prairie Bible Church

If you look at the world and wonder what has gone wrong, Romans 1:18-32 gives us the answer. Though God revealed Himself to us, humanity rejected Him, and the result has been a slide into deeper and deeper darkness. Later in Romans, Paul describes the progression out of foolishness for those who are now in Christ: “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies...

When the Bible speaks of being ashamed, it is more than just a feeling of humiliation or embarrassment. It refers to public dishonor and a loss of dignity. Perhaps you have had a moment or two like that, where you have been truly ashamed, not just embarrassed or humiliated, but publicly dishonored and stripped of dignity. Maybe it was something you once did, something you are doing, or something d...

Paul authored Romans in the winter of AD 57-58 during a three month stay in Corinth (Acts 20:3) near the end of his third missionary journey. At the time of writing, Paul had collected an offering from Gentile churches to help the Jewish Christians in Judea. His plan was to take this offering to Jerusalem as soon as the weather was suitable, then to travel from there to Rome.   Paul expressed his...

Throughout history, the Lord has used Romans to save many giants of the faith. Augustine, Martin Luther, John Wesley, and numerous others have experienced the glory of the gospel through this God-inspired letter. Romans contains the longest introduction of any of Paul’s letters: a staggering 71 words between Paul’s name and the name of his recipients. His greeting contains a lengthy description of...

According to a simple Google search, there are roughly 245 million Christians in the United States. By this statistic, two out of every three people you know are Christians, but we all know that this is not true. One can claim to be a Christian and yet not know or love Christ at all. Rather than thinking this is only an out-in-the-world problem, we must recognize that this is also an in-the-church...

The phrase “righteous and devout” occurs only once in the Bible, and it is used to describe Simeon. While we do not know much about this great man historically, we do know that Simeon loved God and His people. He was waiting on God to comfort Israel, and he was waiting on God’s plan for his own life: that before he died, he would see Jesus. Simeon not only worshiped God when he saw God’s Son, he a...

Ecclesiastes is written by a “Preacher.” This Hebrew word, Qoheleth, pictures a speaker standing before an assembly to deliver an important message. The Qoheleth, King Solomon, was no ordinary preacher. He was the wisest man on earth. “And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding beyond measure, and breadth of mind like the sand on the seashore, so that Solomon’s wisdom surpassed the wisdom of al...

One key theme of Ecclesiastes is that life’s problems and pain should not stop us from enjoying life’s blessings. As followers of Jesus, we can be "sorrowful, yet always rejoicing." But Ecclesiastes teaches that the only way to have sustainable, true joy is by living within God’s boundaries. God’s Word is not a prison; it is a fence of protection against the devastating consequences of s...

The Bible is a book that contains lessons for every area of life, including how we invest our money. God not only gave Solomon wisdom, He gave him more riches and possessions than any king before or after him (2 Chronicles 1:12). God used Solomon, the human author of Ecclesiastes, to teach us timeless lessons for how to view the financial markets. In a sinful and broken world, the stock market wil...

There was a man who had so much promise. He came from a powerful, wealthy, and good looking family with parents who loved him. He was favored and put in a position of authority at a young age over a great kingdom. Most importantly, God greatly loved him. God gave him wisdom, wealth, and honor far beyond anyone of his time. God even appeared to him two times. God gave him everything, but this man r...

The more we try to control everything around us, the more out of control everything seems to become. That is because there is no escape from life’s sudden pressures and dangers. Our money, status, even wisdom and righteousness cannot insulate us from all the disasters that happen in the world. We only need to look back to 2020 to find an event that happened unexpectedly and forever changed our liv...

Most people do not like to think about death, especially their own. Death makes us uncomfortable, and the thought of it seems to take the fun out of life. But there is great value in meditating on our death. It reminds us that we don’t have forever to do the things that really matter. One day, we will wake up and realize that we don’t have as much time as we thought. The sooner we come to that rea...

One of the marks of our age is a rejection of authority. This rejection has led to a lack of respect for God and the government he appoints. Obedience to God and government, in that order, leads to great blessing. If we are to respect the authorities God places in our lives, we must start with a healthy respect for God Himself. To fear the Lord does not mean that a Christian lives in constant fear...

There are many ditches and potholes to be avoided on life’s path, and we are all prone to one or the other. Some live recklessly and die young, while others beat themselves up over things that are not even sin. There are also those who are experts at pointing out wrongs in others but never examine themselves. Solomon points out that the cause of all this is our sinful hearts: “See, this alone I fo...

The Bible holds up wisdom as one of the greatest treasures that we can receive. It says, “The Lord founded the earth by wisdom and established the heavens by understanding.” Yet, most people check out on wisdom—they’d rather live by their own code. “For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts we...

Life is tough, and when we make bad choices, it’s really tough. Our suffering is not merely because of destiny or the devil; sometimes we suffer for our own dumb decisions. We see this in Israel’s story. Like parents who want their kids to succeed, God longed for Israel to thrive rather than only suffer, “Oh that they had such a heart as this always, to fear me and to keep all my commandments, tha...

The Bible does not say that money itself is a root of all kinds of evils. It says that the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. The question is not, “Do you have money?” It is, “Does money have you?” Wealth, when enjoyed within God’s boundaries, is a blessing to our lives. We often underestimate how much a love of money has taken hold of our hearts. Solomon warns us that the worship of m...

To fear the Lord means to stand in reverence and awe of Him; it means to respect Him. God is our “Abba, Father,” but He is also the Creator and Ruler of the universe. We often forget this and end up speaking rashly or making commitments to God that we don’t keep. Solomon warns us against approaching God carelessly. Jesus warns us against this, too: “Again you have heard that it was said to those o...

One reason that Solomon was called wise is that he did not ignore the reality of evil in the world. He acknowledged it and lamented it. In a world where overwhelming evil threatens to overcome us, we are called to overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21). Jesus was relentless in doing good: saving, rescuing, forgiving, healing, etc. So let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will r...

One of the hardest things to understand about God is His timing. So many of our questions come from a desire to know why God does what He does when He does it. His timing can feel messy, uncertain, and confusing. But Ecclesiastes reminds us that God’s timing is perfect. Ecclesiastes 3 is the preeminent chapter in all the Bible about God’s timing. It gives us a glimpse into how His timing works and...

“What’s the point?” That is Solomon’s conclusion after considering the fruit of all his hard work and wisdom. Even when all our work and discipline pay off and we accomplish all our goals, the reward often leaves us wanting. If God is not at the center of our ambitions, our work will not lead to fulfillment. But God does bless the work of the one who keeps Him at the center. “There is nothing bett...

"I would like to buy about three dollars' worth of gospel, please. Not too much – just enough to make me happy, but not so much that I get addicted. I don't want so much gospel that I learn to really hate covetousness and lust. I certainly don't want so much that I start to love my enemies, cherish self-denial, and contemplate missionary service in some alien culture. I want ec...

“I've often said that I wish people could realize all their dreams and wealth and fame so that they could see that it's not where you’ll find your sense of completion.” -Jim Carrey. Solomon had everything that the world values: wisdom, women, money, power, possessions, and prestige. Yet, Solomon was empty. Reflecting on his life, he cried, “Vanity of vanities… vanity of vanities! All is...

The first question Peter asked Jesus after he’d been restored was, “Lord, what about this man?” While Peter should have been focusing on Jesus’s plan for his life, he fixated on John. Jesus said to Peter, “What is that to you? You follow me!” We can spend our whole lives obsessively comparing ourselves to others rather than focusing on God’s plan for us. Jesus wants to spare us that. He has a uniq...

Have you ever done something so shameful, so embarrassing, so disgusting, so bad, so sinful, that all you wanted to do was run away and hide? Now put yourself in the shoes of Peter where that very moment has occurred. After closely following Jesus for three years, in Christ’s darkest hour, Peter denied even knowing Him. Not once, not twice, but three times. Although Peter once said, “even if I hav...