Jeremiah was a prophet to the southern kingdom of Judah who wrote the book of Jeremiah. His name means “exaltation of the Lord.” Below is a basic chronology of his 40+ year ministry.
Jeremiah’s Ministry Chronology
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Blog
Latest Blog Posts from Wednesday in the Word, the podcast about what the Bible means and how we know.
Understanding Prophecy
Studying biblical prophecy is an often overwhelming task. Much of it is written in Hebrew poetry. The names and places are foreign, and the metaphors don’t always resonate with our modern ears. Yet we can usually understand the main point. If studying an Old Testament prophet overwhelms you, here are some tips to get you started.
Guest Teacher: Ken Elzinga
The talks in this collection were given by one of my role models Ken Elzinga to various audiences over several years. Professor Elzinga is a famous economist and the Robert C. Taylor Professor of Economics at the University of Virginia. He is also a very wise man.
04 Meeting God in the Psalms
Meeting God in the Psalms: How to take what you learned and transformed it into a talk that will change someone’s life.
Psalm 107: The Lord delivers us from manifold troubles
Lecture notes for Psalm 107 The Lord delivers us from manifold troubles
Psalm 109: Vengeance invoked upon adversaries
Lecture notes for Psalm 109 which is used by Peter to describe Judas in Acts 2:16-20: “the Scriptures had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit foretold by the mouth of David concerning Judas”
Psalm 49 The Folly of Trusting in Riches
Lecture Notes for Psalm 49
Psalm 73: The wicked contrasted with the righteous
Psalm 73 The end of the wicked contrasted with the end of the righteous.
02 Living the Psalms
Living the Psalms: Learn how to apply the wisdom of the psalms to your life today as you study them with greater detail.
Psalms
How to study and understand the psalms plus examples of specific psalms.
05 Sharing the Psalms
A practical guide to sharing the psalms: choose passages, frame the context, ask great questions, and point people to hope in Christ.
How to Format Your Notes so You Teach Better
Discover a practical teaching note format that helps Bible teachers teach with more clarity. Templates and tips inside.
Pearls of Wisdom: on dreams
About this series: Many years ago, we asked the matriarchs in our church to share “pearls of wisdom” they learned over the course of their walk with the Lord. We collected their stories in a booklet which we distributed through the women’s ministries. My copy of the booklet is now tattered and faded, and many of the women quoted are home with the Lord. To keep their words alive and honor their wisdom, I am sharing their pearls here before my booklet turns to dust. I hope these words inspire you to share a cup of tea with an older woman in your church and listen to her pearls of wisdom.
Pearls of Wisdom: on loss
Many years ago, we asked the matriarchs in our church to share “pearls of wisdom” they learned over the course of their walk with the Lord. We collected their stories in a booklet which we distributed through the women’s ministries. My copy of the booklet is now tattered and faded, and many of the women quoted are home with the Lord. To keep their words alive and honor their wisdom, I am sharing their pearls here before my booklet turns to dust. I hope these words inspire you to share a cup of tea with an older woman in your church and listen to her pearls of wisdom.
01 How to Study the Psalms
How to study the Psalms: understand Hebrew poetry and parallelism, follow structure, and apply wisdom with confidence.
Pearls of Wisdom: on parenting
Many years ago, we asked the matriarchs in our church to share “pearls of wisdom” they learned over the course of their walk with the Lord. We collected their stories in a booklet which we distributed through the women’s ministries. My copy of the booklet is now tattered and faded, and many of the women quoted are home with the Lord. To keep their words alive and honor their wisdom, I am sharing their pearls here before my booklet turns to dust. I hope these words inspire you to share a cup of tea with an older woman in your church and listen to her pearls of wisdom.
Pearls of Wisdom: on family
About this series: Many years ago, we asked the matriarchs in our church to share "pearls of wisdom" they learned over the course of their walk with the Lord. We collected their stories in a booklet which we distributed through women's ministries. My copy of the...
Pearls of Wisdom: from our mothers
Many years ago, we asked the matriarchs in our church to share “pearls of wisdom” they learned over the course of their walk with the Lord. We collected their stories in a booklet which we distributed through the women’s ministries. My copy of the booklet is now tattered and faded, and many of the women quoted are home with the Lord. To keep their words alive and honor their wisdom, I am sharing their pearls here before my booklet turns to dust. I hope these words inspire you to share a cup of tea with an older woman in your church and listen to her pearls of wisdom.
10 Praying Without Losing Heart (Colossians 4:2-18)
How are we to understand these various Scripture verses that encourage us to persevere in prayer, continue to pray, pray without ceasing, and pray at all times. Can we fulfill them by setting an app on our smart phones to remind us to pray 15 minutes of every hour? If not number of minutes, what are the authors asking us to do?
09 What It Means to Do Everything in the Name of the Lord (Colossians 3:18-4:1)
In this series of exhortations, Paul explains how belief in the gospel changes how you act in three pairs of relationships: wives/husbands, children/parents and slaves/masters. The overarching theme in this section is to live all our relationships as bond servants of the Lord Jesus Christ, knowing ultimately we serve him. The challenge is to resist the tendency to “win.” Instead we are to recognize God has a higher prior claim on our lives and seek to do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ — in whatever situation we find ourselves.
Ministry Survey Example Questions
As a ministry leader, you often do surveys. But what questions should ask? Which questions solicit the best input? After 30 years in ministry — and countless surveys! — these are the questions I’ve found most helpful.
08 How the Gospel Changes the Way You Treat People (Colossians 3:8-17)
Paul has been warning the Colossians that they are in danger of becoming like the Pharisee in the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Luke 18). Essentially, he warns: Don’t trust in your law-keeping; trust in the blood of Christ and the hope of the gospel. Then you’ll see real gospel change.
07 What It Means to Seek the Things Above (Colossians 3:1-7)
The point of Christianity is NOT how do I make this world a better place. The point is where am I going to spend eternity and how do I know?
06 When Religious Rules Replace Christ (Colossians 2:16-23)
Paul contrasts faith in Christ with keeping a set of religious disciplines. He claims limiting what you eat or practicing specific rituals as an effort to prove yourself a spiritual person or show yourself worthy to God is foolishness. It misses what Christ came to do for you.
The Easiest Way to Make a Lot of Coffee
As a ministry leader you probably make a lot of coffee. I’ve found using the Toddy Coffee system is the easiest way to make the most coffee with the least amount of mess, fuss and clean up. Here’s how.
05 Finding Fulfillment: How Christ Frees You from Counterfeit Spirituality (Colossians 2:4-15)
Performing external rituals does not change my sinful heart. There is only one way to be made clean.
04 Riches of Assurance: Christ in You, the Hope of Glory (Colossians 1:24-2:3)
Paul is laboring to nurture a strong mature faith among his readers. He struggles to make the truth of the gospel crystal clear so that our understanding reaches settled conviction and full assurance such we have the courage to follow Jesus no matter what.
03 Why You Can’t Seek God and Avoid Christ (Colossians 1:13-23)
In perhaps the most explicit teaching on the Christ in the New Testament, Paul says: 1) all that we can know of God is seen in Jesus because the visible man Jesus reveals the invisible God to us, and 2) Jesus has priority in every way as the Father has given authority over all creation to Jesus. Written to a community in danger of leaving the gospel, Paul emphasizes that Christ and the cross are essential to getting the gospel right.
02 Where Hope Begins (Colossians 1:3-12)
Paul is thankful for what God has done in the Colossian church to bring about their faith and salvation through Jesus Christ which has resulted in their faith and love of their fellow believers. What has transformed their thinking and who they identify as their people is the hope which results from understanding and believing the gospel of Jesus Christ.
01 Introduction to Colossians (Colossians 1:1-2)
The first two verses of Colossians follow the typical greeting for a New Testament letter: the author(s), the recipient(s), greetings. Paul identifies what his readers should understand about him. Then he explains who he considers his readers to be, particularly in relationship to God.
06 1 Peter 3:8-17 Who is there to harm you?
Peter's main concern in this section is how we treat others, both inside and outside the family of God. But his point is a fuller richer picture than 'be nice.' His advice is fix your hope completely on the grace that is coming to you. And then be humble. Be...
Colossians Bible Study Resources
Study questions, maps, charts, key words, history, background, outlines, and links to help you study Paul’s epistle to the Colossians.
Read through the Bible
Have you decided to read through the Bible as one of your New Year’s Resolutions? Here’s a great selection of plans to help you keep that resolution.
Colossians: Getting the Gospel Right
If pressed could you discern the actual gospel of Jesus Christ from a counterfeit? Especially if the skewed message came from within mainstream evangelicalism?
10 Tips for cleaning your closet
I finally tackled the task of cleaning my clothes closet. In case you're also struggling with how to lighten your possessions, here are some of the criteria I used to decide what to keep and what to donate. I tossed clothes that met the following criteria: I bought...
How to Have a “Mary” (Not Martha) Christmas (Luke 10:38–42)
This December you can have a Mary Christmas or a Martha Christmas. Learn the difference.