An exhaustive concordance is an essential reference for thoroughly researching the individual words of the Bible. Since God inspired the very words of Scripture, it follows that as Christians we should take each word seriously as we strive to understand what God has said. An exhaustive concordance is a great…
The apostle James often exhorts his readers with stark contrasts. For example, he contrasts the man of faith with the double-minded and unstable one who doubts (1:6–8). Or he contrasts our sinful desires that lead to death with God’s good gifts that lead to a new birth (1:14–18). Another contrast…
Everyone agrees that the Golden Rule is a good ethic to follow. Everyone agrees that it’s a principle they seek to live by. And yet, how often do we practice it? If we’re being honest, it doesn’t really seem that often! Rather, retaliation or manipulation seem to be the ethics…
One of my favorite parts of our Sunday worship service is the reading of Scripture. It’s not just the fact that we read the Bible, but that we hear God’s word being read. We’re not just seeing the words on the page or screen; we’re hearing God speak to his…
While fluency in Hebrew or Greek will remain out of reach for most of us, we can still use tools to help us better learn and understand the words God inspired. One of these tools is Strong’s Tagged Bibles. We’ve taken the time to add an exhaustive concordance and dictionary…
We don’t normally think of study as something fun. But here at Olive Tree we’re committed to providing you with an awesome experience of studying the Bible. With the best resources available and a user-friendly customizable app, Bible study is fun (along with edifying, transformative, encouraging, etc.). Here’s a look…
The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (NTSK) is like a cross-reference library but bigger and better. With over 600,000 cross-references, the NTSK averages 20 cross-references per verse of the Bible. Not only that, the NTSK uses symbols and abbreviations to provide information about the cross-references. For example, a * placed…
I was recently preaching through the last section of Matthew’s gospel and made an important discovery. I discovered that Matthew uses the same word fifteen times in 26:2–27:26. The word is παραδίδωμι and the Legacy Standard Bible translates it as “deliver” or “betray.” Let me walk you through how I…
How would you describe your blessedness? What do you find your blessedness in? How do you want God to bless you? The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge is an incredible resource for seeing what Scripture says about itself. It consists of more than 500,000 cross-references. Better yet, when used in our…
You may be thinking that you’ve already missed out on reading through the Bible this year and have now set your sights on the beginning of the next. Not so fast! Did you know that you can start a Bible reading plan any time of the year? Did you also…