Olive Tree Staff, Author at Olive Tree Blog

New Testament

The Faith of a Dying Thief

In Christ’s Words from the Cross, Charles Spurgeon talks in great lengths about Jesus’ crucifixion, including those who were crucified with him. The dying thief did the impossible that day. In front of multitudes of scoffers, he used the only part of his body not nailed to the cross (his…

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Look Inside

See the Lost Sermons of Spurgeon [PICTURES]

In 1857, Charles Spurgeon promised to release all his earliest sermons. But, due to the incredible amount of other work he was committed to accomplishing, this dream was never fulfilled. Now, 160 years later, the Lost Sermons of Spurgeon have been recovered and his promise kept. A TEENAGER’S NOTEBOOKS Christian…

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Commentaries

Baker Exegetical Commentary on the NT

We now have the 18-volume version of the Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (BECNT)! This resource comes with over 6,000 pages of conservative, modern scholarship—and it now includes commentary on Romans, Colossians, and Philemon. THE BASICS OF THE BAKER EXEGETICAL COMMENTARY This series is written by well-known and…

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Topical

In the World, Not of It

My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. —John 17:15-16 NIV IN THE WORLD, NOT OF THE WORLD How are God’s people supposed to engage…

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Topical

Confidence in God

“Confidence in God” is an article from the NLT Study Bible. It is a fantastic resource for anyone in the earlier stages of Bible study. God gave Nehemiah favor in the eyes of a mighty Persian king so that the king responded favorably to all of Nehemiah’s requests (1:11; 2:8,…

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New Testament

An Ancient Perspective on the Beatitudes

Learning from ancient Christians is priceless (here’s why). But it can be difficult to find out what they each had to say about a specific passage of the Bible. For example, it wouldn’t be super easy to find commentary on the Beatitudes from a handful of church fathers. Not only…

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Historical

Why Read Books by Ancient Christians?

Not too many people loved reading Hamlet or Wuthering Heights in high school. Why? The language was confusing! Older literature takes time to understand due to cultural nuances, idioms, and unfamiliar vocabulary. This can be a huge deterrent for reading the works of ancient Christians. Reading translations of Augustine’s or…

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Topical

You’re Called to Be an Apologist [VIDEO]

WHAT IS AN APOLOGIST? The words “apologist” and “apologetics” stem from the Greek word apologia. This word means “defense” or “answer.” It appears 17 times as either a noun or verb in the New Testament—including 1 Peter 3:15-16: “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give…

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Topical

5 Common Inner Crises Christians Face

But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of…

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App Tips

3 Time Management Tips

Here are 3 time management tips to help you be more efficient as you study the Bible. TIME MANAGEMENT TIP #1:USE THE STUDY CENTER AT FULL-FORCE The Study Center has four tabs: Resource Guide, Parallel, Notes, and Lookup. Have you discovered how to take advantage of these tabs all at…

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