https://network.crcna.org/ The Network en Fri, 19 Apr 2024 09:16:16 +0000 Tue, 11 Nov 2014 13:54:11 +0000 https://network.crcna.org/topic/leadership/pastors/preaching/humiliation-bethlehem As you visualize in your mind the scene in Bethlehem at the time of Jesus’ birth, what picture comes immediately to mind? A clear, starry night, filled with heavenly peace? Angels singing songs of joy? Animals in a stable adoring the new-born king? Verlyn Verbrugge https://network.crcna.org/topic/leadership/pastors/preaching/humiliation-bethlehem Tue, 11 Nov 2014 13:54:11 +0000 https://network.crcna.org/topic/leadership/pastors/what-preach-christmas If you’re like me, preaching fresh, inspiring messages at Christmas can be a real challenge. There are only so many passages in the Bible that tell the Christmas story, and you can only spin those stories so many ways. Verlyn Verbrugge https://network.crcna.org/topic/leadership/pastors/what-preach-christmas Tue, 19 Nov 2013 11:41:50 +0000 https://network.crcna.org/topic/leadership/pastors/cost-leadership I just finished a book written by a college roommate of mine, Rev. Verlyn Verbrugge https://network.crcna.org/topic/leadership/pastors/cost-leadership Wed, 25 Sep 2013 14:01:38 +0000 https://network.crcna.org/topic/leadership/pastors/why-drive-church I preach regularly at the Woodland Drive-In Church in Grand Rapids. I’ve been doing so for almost twenty-nine years. Verlyn Verbrugge https://network.crcna.org/topic/leadership/pastors/why-drive-church Thu, 01 Aug 2013 10:02:31 +0000 https://network.crcna.org/topic/leadership/pastors/judge-or-not-judge-question One of my regular readers asked me to reflect on the whole issue of judgment in the church. Verlyn Verbrugge https://network.crcna.org/topic/leadership/pastors/judge-or-not-judge-question Tue, 02 Jul 2013 10:58:37 +0000 https://network.crcna.org/topic/leadership/pastors/playing-hebrew-word-usage Last month I examined the usage of the Greek verb “to glorify” (δοξάζω) in the New Testament. This month I want to do something similar with Hebrew. But I am not going to take one particular Hebrew word and see how it occurs with different meanings in various contexts in the Hebrew Bible. Verlyn Verbrugge https://network.crcna.org/topic/leadership/pastors/playing-hebrew-word-usage Thu, 06 Jun 2013 10:19:56 +0000 https://network.crcna.org/topic/leadership/pastors/glorify-god What do the Scriptures mean when they refer to glorifying God? This teaching is, of course, a common one in Reformed circles. Verlyn Verbrugge https://network.crcna.org/topic/leadership/pastors/glorify-god Thu, 02 May 2013 10:51:07 +0000 https://network.crcna.org/topic/leadership/pastors/hallowed-be-your-name While I’m not new to the process of writing and editing, I am new to the whole internet blogging world. For some reason, I was under the assumption that while my contributions the past few months may have been read by a few people, no one felt it was significant enough to comment on. Verlyn Verbrugge https://network.crcna.org/topic/leadership/pastors/hallowed-be-your-name Thu, 04 Apr 2013 10:29:54 +0000 https://network.crcna.org/topic/leadership/pastors/you-and-you-and-you We have a problem in the English language when reading the Bible—a problem that most other languages do not have. When we read the word “you” and “your” in a passage, there is no way to tell whether the message is being directed to a single person or to a group of people. Verlyn Verbrugge https://network.crcna.org/topic/leadership/pastors/you-and-you-and-you Thu, 07 Mar 2013 11:07:41 +0000 https://network.crcna.org/topic/leadership/pastors/which-if-it One of the more important things a preacher should do when working with a passage of Scripture is to examine every conditional sentence that you encounter, especially in the New Testament. Verlyn Verbrugge https://network.crcna.org/topic/leadership/pastors/which-if-it Thu, 07 Feb 2013 11:54:01 +0000 https://network.crcna.org/topic/leadership/pastors/transformation-hope In my work as an editor at Zondervan, I often come upon some interesting scholarly discoveries. I have been doing some editorial work on a revision of The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, which is being worked on by New Testament scholar Moises Silva. Verlyn Verbrugge https://network.crcna.org/topic/leadership/pastors/transformation-hope Thu, 10 Jan 2013 11:00:01 +0000 https://network.crcna.org/topic/leadership/pastors/mary-and-joseph-bethlehem An analysis of participles is an important part of understanding the Greek nuances of any passage. We need to know the differences between the present, aorist, and perfect participles. And we need to know the differences between an adjectival participle and an adverbial participle. Verlyn Verbrugge https://network.crcna.org/topic/leadership/pastors/mary-and-joseph-bethlehem Thu, 06 Dec 2012 11:00:52 +0000 https://network.crcna.org/topic/leadership/pastors/hebrew-word-play Have you ever been in a group where most of the people spoke fluently in a language you barely understood? You could sort of follow the conversation until someone says something and everyone but you bursts out laughing. Why? Verlyn Verbrugge https://network.crcna.org/topic/leadership/pastors/hebrew-word-play Thu, 01 Nov 2012 10:18:06 +0000 https://network.crcna.org/topic/leadership/pastors/examining-first-letter-john I have recently been going through the first letter of John in my preaching at the Woodland Drive-In Church in Grand Rapids. I have been surprised myself how looking at the Greek is shaping the messages that I have been developing. Verlyn Verbrugge https://network.crcna.org/topic/leadership/pastors/examining-first-letter-john Thu, 11 Oct 2012 10:33:09 +0000 https://network.crcna.org/topic/leadership/pastors/using-your-hebrew-and-greek-part-2 One of the most profitable things a preacher can do in studying God’s Word is to engage in word studies of key words in a passage of Scripture. And I am talking about word studies not based on English words but on the Hebrew and Greek words. Verlyn Verbrugge https://network.crcna.org/topic/leadership/pastors/using-your-hebrew-and-greek-part-2 Thu, 06 Sep 2012 11:08:25 +0000 https://network.crcna.org/topic/leadership/pastors/using-your-hebrew-and-greek During my tenure at Zondervan Publishing, I have worked with a number of evangelical scholars developing a large number of top-notch resources on biblical languages, from first year to advanced Greek and Hebrew. Verlyn Verbrugge https://network.crcna.org/topic/leadership/pastors/using-your-hebrew-and-greek Thu, 02 Aug 2012 12:56:03 +0000