Resources for Christians

Prove [or test] all things; hold fast that which is good
(1 Thessalonians 5:21)

And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
(Acts 17:10)

There are many other sites that you may find more useful – these are but a few I use and have found useful.

I cannot vouch for the up–rightness of any of these websites, having never communicated with the authors (I think this is the best way to determine the heart of a person), however, I trust their sites are true to the Word which they give access to, and I thank them for this.

Note

The dates that appear after the links indicate the last time I accessed or tested the website. These sometimes change without notice – if you find broken links can you let me know please – contact.

Pastors & Church Leaders

Basics 2022 conference < https://www.truthforlife.org/resources/series/basics-2022/ > hosted by Parkside Church, Ohio with Alistair Begg (Accessed 2022 June 05). I have not listened to every talk, but the one's I have listened to, I have found extremely useful. The theme is about preaching Christ, with a focus on preaching with a Christ Centredness from the Old Testament, in the same way Paul taught from the Scriptures, being the Old Testament. John Woodhouse from Moore Theological College in Sydney and Tony Merida from Imago Dei Church in Raleigh, USA were keynote speakers.

Apologetics is a specific arm of study of Scripture. The word comes from the Greek word ἀπολογία (apología) meaning defence. The Greek term refers to a reasoned defence that would be given in a court of law. The classic example is Plato’s Apology, Socrates’ defence against the charges of atheism and corrupting the youth. Thus Christian apologetics is the reasoned defence of the Christian faith against objections, but also includes the setting forth of positive grounds for Christianity.

Life-everlasting - this website (22 March 2024)

Creation Ministries (Based in Queensland, Australia) < https://creation.com/ > Understanding the first 11 chapters of the Bible is paramount in understanding the sinfulness of sin, and the need for the saviour to be the Lord Jesus Christ himself. That is, it was only God himself that could save us from being placed in hell for all eternity (that is for ever and ever). Websites such as this one help to understand the fundamental questions of man – where did we come from. Australian and other countries. This group produces the Creation Magazine and the Journal of Creation. (accessed 1 October 2024)

Answers in Genesis (USA) <https://answersingenesis.org > Has a website very similar to the Creation Ministries, with US cultural overtones (accessed 1 October 2024)

Institute For Creation Research (ICR) (USA) < https://www.icr.org/ > ICR exists to conduct scientific research within the realms of origins and Earth history, and then to educate the public both formally and informally through professional training programs, through conferences and seminars around the country, and through books, magazines, and media presentations. (Accessed 24 July 2020)

General theological

Life-everlasting.net - index of questions and answers

Verse by verse Ministeries (Set up by the late Steve Armstrong, but still maintained) < https://versebyverseministry.org/bible-answers >

Ariel Ministeries, expecailly from a Messianic Jewish point of view (provided by Dr Arnold Fruchtenbaum) < https://www.ariel.org/arnold-answers >

Creation

Creation Ministries (Based in Queensland, Australia) < https://creation.com/qa >

Answers in Genesis (USA) < https://answersingenesis.org/answers/ > USA website with American cultural overtones (accessed 1 October 2024)

All accessed accessed 28 October 2024

Note that I do not hold these authors or preachers to be infallible, but like any person's writings, these must always be checked against Scripture. Those listed here I have found to offer the truth and have proved a good place to start for any serious Bible study.

Website with works of many authors

STEM < https://www.stempublishing.com > publishingwebsite has many useful authors, which are not necessarily listed here. For example Edward Dennet <https://www.stempublishing.com/authors/dennett/> (accessed24 July 2020) is a great author for a new believer – he writes simply and is easy to read. Of course for the in–depth analysis one cannot go past J.N Darby <https://www.stempublishing.com/authors/darby/> (accessed 30 June 2018). But others such as H.L. Hossier (great commentary of the history books of the Old Testament – Samuel, Kings, Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah and Ester); WTP Wolson, writes more on themes: a must read to understand the Church ("The Church: What is it?), the Holy Spirit ("Another Comforter") amongst other gems; William Kelly who has some great commentaries.

Many of these authors are still published and can be found in Australia at such places as the Petersham Bible & Tract Depot in Sydney <http://tractdepot.blogspot.com.au/> (accessed 24 July 2020).

Other authors

Stephen Armstrong (1966-2021) was the founder and principal teacher of Verse by Verse Ministery International < https://www.versebyverseministry.org/ > (there is also a smart phone App) which sets out to teach Bible verse by verse. He devoted his life ministry to encouraging believers to know and live the word of God, especially through a Jewish lens (as a gentile). The teaching is plain and easy to understand and fundamentally is truthful. The site has many of the late Stephen's sermons - all are worthwhile listening to. See also: YouTube < https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAFzV5qn0D7xTDoQhXNptoQ > 6 June 2022).

Mottel Baleston (Director Messengers of the New Covenant, NY, USA) is a fine Messianic Jewish Bible Teacher, who has many online resources: < http://www.messiahnj.org/ >. I found this site to be great for his material < https://celebratemessiah.co.nz/messianic-bible-teaching/ > (Accesse 6 June 2022).

Alistair Begg at Truth for Life < https://www.truthforlife.org/about/about-alistair-begg/> a Scottish preacher located in the US: I have found his sermons extremely helpful and challenging. Sermons are posted on the Truth for Life website (< https://www.truthforlife.org/resources/sermon/ > (accessed 5 June 2022). Noting that his understanding of Israel is unreformed Anglican, as is his escatology see LE: Israel has not been replaced by the Church (Romans 11:25-27)

Horatius Bonar God's Way of Holiness (accessed 30 June 2018), often known for some of his hymns, lived 1808-1889, Edinburgh, Scotland.

Arnold Fruchtenbaum at Ariel Ministries has written much on the End Time prophecies. He has a wealth of knowledge of the Old and New Testament, and having not only met him and taken one of his three week study tours of Israel, I can testify his works are worth studying. Arnold's set of lectures on Revelation are also well worth any serious student of these prophecies to study. His understanding of Jewish life has given him an in-depth insight into the OT that an average Christian would struggle to understand.

More about Dr Fruchtenbaum can be found at Ariel Ministries Australia < https://ariel.org.au/pages/dr-freuchtenbaum /> (528 October 2024)

Ariel Ministeries USA (6 November 2021) have many resources including DVD's that are every worth watching, especially those dealing with the history of the Jews. However, if you are in Australia and want to purchase books - try the Australian website run by Chris Savage: < https://ariel.org.au/ >. There is also a NZ website (accessed 28 October 2024).

My wife and I have found "The Footsteps of the Messiah - A study of the Sequence of Prophetic Events", Ariel Ministries, San Antonio USA (ISBN 0-914863-09-6) Reprinted in 2011 to be very helpful in our relationship with Jesus Christ. It covers the entire prophetic period of the Messiah, and has a number of very useful appendices. There is also a study guide available for this book and a CD of lectures covering much of the subject matter (24 July 2020).

Arno C Gaebelein: His annotated bible is a 'must' resource for any serious student of the Bible. Of importance is that he offers clear concise augments against higher criticism especially liberal hermeneutics. There are a number of sites, but it depends upon whether you want a chapter or the whole book.

Alexander Hislop: The Two Babylons or The Papal Worship Proved to be the Worship of Nimrod and His Wife by Alexander Hislop First published as a pamphlet in 1853--greatly expanded in 1858, available in hardcover (although not sure whether available in 2012) on online - try, https://www.biblebelievers.com/babylon/ > for html version or elsewhere as PDF, including Google Books. This is an excellent book to help understand how worldly traditions have influenced the church and destroyed, in some cases, its focus on the Lord Jesus Christ. (Accessed 5 June 2022)

David Hunt (1926 - 2013) The Berean Call < http://www.thebereancall.org/ > (accessed 25 May 2016) His most best known book is probably The Seduction of Christianity but has since produced many worthwhile books especially some Israel and its role in Christendom (e.g. A Cup of Trembling). He has a good understanding of Islam and why it fails to please God.

Harry A Ironside (1876 - 1951) works can found at The Library Thing < http://www.librarything.com/author/ironsideha > and other locations - try also Google Book. A bible teacher and evangelist, and pastor of Moody Memorial Church (Chicago, USA). (Accessed 30 November 2014).

William Kelly The writings of William Kelly < https://www.stempublishing.com/authors/kelly/ >
Gives a clear and concise exposition of many books of the bible, especially the Old Testament along with messages for Christian living.

CH Mackintosh (1820 - 1896) The wittings of CH Mackintosh < https://www.stempublishing.com/authors/mackintosh/ >
One of the best for understanding the Law and its relation to Christian theology. He wrote extensively on Christian living, but also on the first five books of the bible.

Chuck Missler (1934 - 2018) K House < http://www.khouse.org/ > The late Chuck Missler produced many useful resources, including sound recordings of messages and notes. His Genesis, although highly technical, is good reading and a must for any Christian student of science.

James Innell Packer (1926 -) is probably best known for his book Knowing God (Publisher: InterVarsity Press ISBN # 9780830816507). Some have dismissed him totally due to his failure to separate from those whose actions not only appear evil but in some cases are evil (see his views on the ecumenical movement), however, his early works are sound (let me know if this is not true contact eMail).

Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899 - 1981) < https://www.mljtrust.org/ >, an evangelist, who has a vast collectionf of sermons and written material, that covers a host of issues relevant for today's society. Some of his sermons are avaialable as MP3's. (accessed 2 August 2022)

Arthur Pink (1886 - 1952) has many websites devoted to him, one being Grace Gems: Pink < https://gracegems.org/Pink/Books.htm > (2 August 2022). He was an avid writer dealing especially with the rapid declension of the church in the early part of last century. I have his "Exposition of Hebrews" in hard copy, which is excellent; noting he was an ardent Calvinist.

John Charles Ryle (1816 - 1900) an Anglican bishop who wrote many thought provoking pamphlets and books. Some on-line resources include Grace Gems: Ryle < http://gracegems.org/Ryle/books.htm > or at Bible Bulletin Board < http://www.biblebb.com/ryle.htm > (30 June 2018). Ryle's excellent commentaries especially of the Gospels must be read by serious students and can be purchased in book form.

Charles Spurgeon (1834 - 1892) wrote thousands of articles, many of which are on line. Many of his works are acrhive in the Spurgeon Center for Biblical Preaching < https://www.spurgeon.org/ > (5 June 2022). There are many other websites that house the works of Spurgeon. However, most of Spurgeon's works are available cheaply from good book sellers. His more famous books include "Morning and Evening" a series of devotions to be read twice daily and The Treasury of David < https://archive.spurgeon.org/treasury/treasury.php > (23 April 2023) a treatise on the Psalms. For the preacher I find "Lectures to My Students" (Christian Heritage, UK, 1998) very useful, owing the hard copy - available on Google Books <https://books.google.com.au/books > (accessed 5 June 2022).

Given the Old English used by Spurgeon, Alistair Begg has rewritten Spurgeon's daily devotionals; the current version can be found at < https://www.truthforlife.org/devotionals/spurgeon > (Accessed 6 Jne 2022).

Aiden Wilson Tozer (1897 - 1963) wrote many articles pertinent to the modern church whose declension has rendered her impotent. His motto, if he had one, was "knowing God firsthand". Many of his articles have been republished and can be found in cheap paperback versions for only a few dollars from reputable Christian book stores. Some can be found on the internet. Recommended reading includes "What Ever Happened To Worship", "Pursuit of God", "God's pursuit of Man", "This world: playground or battleground", "The Worship Driven Life" to name but a few. His works can be found on many websites; one of which has some of his sermons as MP3 files called Sermon Index with AW Tozer's works found here <https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/mydownloads/viewcat.php?cid=6> (6 February 2021).

Andy Woods < https://www.andywoodsministries.org/ >a straight forward bible teacher whose on-line sermons are well worth listening to - obtainable from Sugar Land Bible Church < https://slbc.org > or < https://www.sermonaudio.com/search.asp?speakeronly=true&currsection=sermonsspeaker&keyword=Dr._Andrew_Woods >. The sermons come with Powerpoint notes or pdf, which help with understanding the content - see also his Facebook page YouTube (28 October 2024).

Others worthy of study

J N Darby, W Kelly, C H Mackintosh, J G Bellett , E Dennett, F B Hole, H Smith, W T P Wolston, H L Rossier etc.; see STEM Publishing < https://www.stempublishing.com/ >

Plain Bible Teaching

Chris Savage - Ariel Ministeries Australia (similar exists in USA & NZ): one hour Thematic Bible teaching sessions via Zoom(™) focusing on the Bible from the view point of Jesus Christ as a Jew and Messiah (Messianic Jewish view point). The contact for this can be found on the website - the details are emailed weekly; see < https://ariel.org.au/ >. I have taken the Thursday night class since 2020 and found it extremely useful - there is always something to learn, however learned you might be! The sessions are recorded and can be found on their YouTube < https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiaOJDyT2oS8EzHqsyaU80Q > (Accessed 29 October 2024).

Bible study from a Christian Jew

Mottel Baleston (Director Messengers of the New Covenant, NY, USA) is a fine Messianic Jewish Bible Teacher, who has many online resources. I found this site to be great for his material < https://celebratemessiah.co.nz/messianic-bible-teaching/ > (Accesse 6 June 2022). Search YouTube for more of his teaching works < https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=mottel+balestron >. My wife and I listened in real time to his teaching sessions on Galations - it was excellent.

Bible teaching courses

Ariel College of the Bible and Messianic Jewish Studies: < https://www.arielcollege.com/ > provides an ever expanding comprehensive curriculum for the student who wants to undertake an indepth study of Scripture from the Jewish Messianic point of view. This view provides the basis for understanding any Scripture and is the logical point in which to commence such a study. The costs are minimal (and based on the level of supervision and assessment you want) and you can move at your own rate. I have started with Genesis (2022) and have found the teaching excellent, which is in contrast to bible college where Genesis is taught either very poorly (considered unimportant), or skipped altogether (accessed 28 October 2024).

Evidence of the authority of Scripture

The Canon of Scripture, Bruce, FF InterVarsity, Illinois, 1988 (along with other works by FF Bruce)

Commentaries

Gaebelein's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible, Gaebelein, Arno C 1970, 1989 (reprint 2), Loizeauz Brothers, USA. A very concise and useful commentary of the entire bible which is a compilation of his writings: Annotated Bible by Arno Clement Gaebelein (1861-1942)

By Bible book < http://biblecentre.org/content.php?auth=5&mode=5 > (not all books):
from < http://biblecentre.org/home.php > (Accessed 25 October 2017)

Genesis to Deuteronomy. Notes on the Pentateuch. Mackintosh, Charles H, Loizeauz Brothers, New Jersey, 1974 (i.e. a reprint of 1880). (Much of this can be found on the web). It is the best commentary for any serious student of the Pentateuch (First five books, being the Law) of the Old Testament. See < https://www.stempublishing.com/authors/mackintosh/ > (6 November 2021)

The Treasury of David Spurgeon Charles H < https://archive.spurgeon.org/treasury/treasury.php > a commentary of every Psalm along with helpful notes for preachers (23 April 2023).

Apostacy and the Catholic Church

The Two Babylons: Romanism and its origins Hislop, Alexander, 1916, reprinted many times, Century Reprographic & Print Services, Glasgow. Also available online at many locations e.g.< https://www.biblebelievers.com/babylon/> (Accessed 5 June 2022). Gives an interesting history of the pagan elements of Christian traditions such as Easter and Christmas and the corruption of Church doctrine by Rome.

Christian living

The Mackintosh Treasury: Miscellaneous Writings Mackintosh, Charles H, Loizeaux Brothers NJ, 1976. Many articles found in this book can be found on-line e.g. < https://www.stempublishing.com/authors/mackintosh/ >

Genesis vs Evolution

Many Infallible Proofs, Morris HM and Morris III, HM, Master Books, 1997 deals with Genesis and the false theory of evolution.

Christian Preachers & Pastors

Lectures to My Students, Spurgeon Charles H, republished by Christian Focus Publications, 1998. < https://archive.org/details/lecturestomystu00unkngoog > (Accessed 23 April 2023).

Doctrine & Christianity

The Footsteps of the Messiah - A study of the Sequence of Prophetic Events, Fruchtenbaum, Arnold, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio USA (ISBN 0-914863-09-6) Reprinted 2011 has been helpful in our relationship with Jesus Christ be helping understand the gospel and the fulfilment of the Messianic prophecies. See Ariel Ministries (Accessed 23 April 2023). (Australian audiences, try here for teaching from this resource: https://ariel.org.au/ )

Israelology: The Missing Link In Systematic Theology, Fruchtenbaum, Arnold, Ariel Ministries, San Antoni, USA. ISBN:978-1-935174-64-6 hardcover 1030 pages. See Ariel Ministries (Accessed 23 April 2023).

Yeshua - The Life of Messiah from a Messianic Jewish Perspective (3 volumes) (An abridged version is also available) Fruchtenbaum, Arnold, Ariel Ministries, San Antoni, USA; During His ministry to the Jewish people, Yeshua (Jesus) journeyed throughout the land promised to the Jewish patriarchs, presenting Himself to the Jews as their Messiah. He was a Jew living in a Jewish land among the Jewish people. Yet, much of the knowledge of this Jewish society, its culture and traditions has grown dim with the passage of time. In this work, Dr. Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum shines a bright light on the life of Yeshua and the land of Israel during the Second Temple period, interpreting the Gospels from a Messianic Jewish perspective. To achieve this, Dr. Fruchtenbaum had done original research in the Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek source texts, and has also drawn on the works of other scholars and the writings of ancient rabbis.

Bibles & reading plans

Daily Bible Reading Plan

Prayed and reading the Bible are key aspects of a Christian's life. Although systematic reading of the Bible is not mandatory, it does help develop a habit of reading God's word. There are a number of aids available, and with modern technology these can remind you daily, and even provide the Scriptures to be read. Perhaps Robert Murray M'Cheyne Bible Reading Plan is the most common plan used - listed below are some organisations that provide it with the scriptures.
M'Cheyne wrote:

"It has long been in my mind to prepare a scheme of Scripture reading, in which as many as were made willing by God might agree, so that the whole Bible might be read once by you in the year, and all might be feeding in the same portion of the green pasture at the same time."

Robert Murray M'Cheyne Bible Reading Plans

Web version from TruthforLife.org

Web version from Biblegateway.com

PDF PDF version of one year reading plan

www.biblegateway.com/

Bible Gateway reading plans lists a number of reading plans (unfortunately this website is sullied with advertisements).

(All websites accessed 28 October 2024)

Bibles on one page

The following allow you to choose a chapter from a book from a single page - which then links to biblegateway.com.

Bibles on-line

There a many bibles nowadays available on-line. This website uses biblegateway to post more than one version at a time on a page - see Bibles on One Page

BibleGateway.com < https://www.biblegateway.com/ > has all the translations one would expect from a modern on-line bible. I have used this for my four bible-on-one-page setup, because it brings up a very clean reading pane, and in this case four versions in columns. This I have found very useful. I also like the way it presents search findings - either within context (a number of verses) or the whole chapter. (Accessed 30 June 2018)

Bible Hub < https://biblehub.com/ > (was Biblos)
Bible Hub has many tools and is useful for understanding translation, especially its interlinear pages < https://biblehub.com/interlinear/ >. I find this site useful for learning Greek, as it either displays the Greek and holding the mouse over the word reveals the meaning (e.g. https://biblehub.com/whdc/mark/1.htm ) or an interlinear version can be displayed. In the interlinear version the Greek, Strong's, English, and Greek etc. are stacked allowing easy access to the hyerlinks (e.g. https://biblehub.com/interlinear/mark/1.htm). The site offers a number of Greek texts for this purpose, and of course, Hebrew for the Old Testament. (Accessed 28 December 2020)

Blue Letter Bible < https://www.blueletterbible.org/ >
This website can display a number of translations including Greek and Hebrew and has a many common commentaries and the International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia edited by James Orr. This site has the useful facility of being able to bring up a range of tools with each verse, that allows addition resources to be employed to help in understanding the text including the Hebrew or Greek (Stephens' Textus Receptus), Strong's, various commentaries (I cannot vouch for these, therefore be a Berean if you use them) and various bible dictionaries including Vine's. The theology of the provider appears to be evangelical as do its sponsors "Sowing Circle" (http://www.sowingcircle.org/).

Reverse Greek Bible by Bill Mounce at < https://www.biblegateway.com/versions/Mounce-Reverse-Interlinear-New-Testament/ >. This is known as "Mounce Reverse-Interlinear™", 2011 by Robert H Mounce and William D Mounce - a useful resource (13 December 2022).

e-Bible softeware

Blue letter bible app < https://www.blueletterbible.org/ > I have found very useful for bible study. It provides an easy way to examine the Greek or Hebrew behind any verse, and links to commentaries (if you are connected to the internet). In someways its a bit 'clunky' - especailly when swapping from one book to another but a very useful tool (29 January 2023).

e-Sword < https://www.e-sword.net/> I began using this program in 2012 and have found it very useful. There are a large range of translations that can be downloaded for free, along with copyrighted material that can be purchased for reasonable amounts. I have found both the journal notes and topic notes very useful. Of much use is the ability to compare verses especially of different languages. However, the program lacks untility when managing user input such as journal notes - these can only be printed, not exported - they are saved internally as RFT (6 Jan 2019).

On-line Bible < https://www.onlinebible.net > This public domain computer bible program has been around for some time. It is relatively easy to use, although setting up the preference is not very intuitive nor is the screen "look and feel". It has many of the most common translations along with notes and classical texts and runs on Windows 10, 11 (Updated 29 January 2023).

YouVersion < https://www.youversion.com/ > is useful Bible app for mobile devices. It provides a very clear screen presentation of the Bible and has various features along with the most common Bible versions. The App tries to be a social media device as well, a feature I have not used, but perhaps could be useful for some. However, you cannot search the Scripture unless connected to the internet. This is most unfortunate as there are many folk who cannot afford to be connected to the internet on their mobile, and it is not needed, except for setting up. In summary a useful App for Bible on mobiles but poorly implemented, needing internet connection most of the time, unless you put up with warning messages. You also need to set up an 'account' - I created a unique Gmail account for this so my usual account is not clogged with daily advertisements (29 January 2023).

There are many others that can be found by searching the internet.

General Chrisitan websites

Ariel Ministries < https://www.ariel.org > has a large number of resources dealing with the Old Testament, the history of the Jews and prophecy. The Ministry is one aimed at unsaved Jews, to bring the good news of Yeshia Ha-Mashiah. , and is recommended to anyone who is or wishes to evangelise Jews. (5 June 2022)

Ariel Ministries in Australia < https://ariel.org.au/ > has weekly Bible studies (multiple) by Zoom™, which commence with the Covid-19 pandemic. These are run by Chris Savage using Arnold Fruchtenbaum's material. (Accessed 5 June 2022)

The Bible Study Project < https://www.biblestudyproject.org/ > A repository (or library) of information managed by Norman Manzon - much from Dr Arnold Fruchtenbaum from Ariel Ministeries - covering the principal doctrines of the God (Accessed 6 November 2021).

Herald of Hope < https://www.heraldofhope.org.au/ > Current issues for a Christian's consideration: has very sound teaching and is highly recommended, although their eschatology can lack the Jewish view point and they can try too hard to link today's events with prophecy. However, this group have a strong commitment to ensuring Christians understand the end times using a range of media including some good posters. I receive Herald of Hope a bi-monthly newsletter which is always informative, and includes commentary on contemporary world events - highly recommended. (July 2020)

OpenBible.Info < https://www.openbible.info/topics/ > Bible verses by topic by gives a fairly comprehensive list of topics for which Bible verses have been found pertaining to the issue (ESV) - for instance there are 182 verses listed under "marriage". I have cannot vouch for the author, but the verses chosen appear to be robust for main-stream topics. (30 June 2018).

Sound Teaching on Electronic Media (STEM) < https://www.stempublishing.com/ >is an excellent resource for the Christian. It houses many Texts - often complete works, such as from Macintosh, Wolston etc., previously published magazines and hymns. It also has the KJV and Darby English versions (New Translation) of the Bible (6 January 2019.

Verse by Verse < https://www.versebyverseministry.org > examines Scripture verse by set was set-up by the late Steve Armstrong who sadely past away from Covid-19 on the 22 January 2021 (who I spent 3 weeks with in 2015, along with his wonderful wife). The website is aimed at the enquiring Christian, with answers to questions about the Bible and Christianity, expository sermons and devotionals. . (October 2021).

Specific or specialist websites

Pre-trib (pre-tribulation Research Centre) < https://www.pre-trib.org/ > provides information about the natural order of things, being the order by which God will judge the world as laid out in Revelation. The website contains many useful resources, especially for explaining the error many churches and commentators teach. (2 February 2022)

Bibles, books, tracts and other literature

Bible Truth Publishers < https://bibletruthpublishers.com/ > publishers of Books, pamphlets, tracts especially of those of the traditions of the 1800 reformers. They have some wonderful resources - noting that many of the books are available on the internet at other sites such as STEM - see below, plus their own. I have not yet used this company to purchase material, being an American based company, I am unsure whether they would deliver to any other part of the world (I could not find the charge for postage). (30 June 2018).

Petersham Bible Book & Bible Depot < http://tractdepot.blogspot.com/ >The Petersham Bile Book and Tract Depot is a small outlet for Bible based literature, including tracts and books. They are also distributors for Bible Truth Publishers (Jan 2019).

Spurgeon's Morning and Evening: Daily Readings < https://ccel.org/ccel/spurgeon/morneve/morneve> (Whole book) (accessed 18 October 2020). This devotional has a morning and evening devotion for each day of the year. C.H. Spurgeon weaves a verse of Scripture into each, helping readers draw the true meaning out of the selected passages and along with relevance to our lives. These daily messages provide Christians with the spiritual food they need to begin and end each day.

There are numerous websites that serve each devotion by day, (some provide audio) but sadly usually a day late, being the other side the date line (i.e. in the USA). e.g. Today's morning and evening devotional (accessed 18 October 2020). Most good Bible apps will also include this book as a reference.

Concordances

Strong's Concordance with Hebrew and Greek Lexicon < http://www.eliyah.com/lexicon.html > provides a 'front-page' that connects to Blue Letter Bible (See above).

A concordance lists every word in the bible alphabetically providing the appropriate Greek or Hebrew and its meaning. Strong's Concordance is perhaps the most renown, listing all the words from the King James Version of the bible. Others exist for different versions of the Bible. The on-line versions are very useful, however, those of us a bit older still own the book form!

Dictionaries

Greek dictionary - Bill Mounce < https://www.billmounce.com/greek-dictionary > Biblical Greek scholar. (27 January 2023)

Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words < https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/ved.html > or < https://studybible.info/vines/ > (a simplified version) (6 November 2021) is perhaps one of the best reference for certain words and their use in the New Testament. Of use, are the many examples of other places were a particular word is used, which provides context for a particular word's use.

I would recommend the first place to start is with Strong's concordance.

Lexicons

Greek–English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed. (BDAG) by Danker, Frederick William, Bauer, Walter, University of Chicago Press 2000 (Not available online), provides extended definitions for Greek terms, and therefore a fuller and deeper sense of the work for English speakers.

Gesenius's Lexicon

Hebrew and Chaldee Lexicon by Friedrich Wilhelm Gesenius (1846): Translated from the German by Samuel P. Tregelles (1813-1875) [There are other versions]. The translated version can be found at:

Blue Letter Bible < https://www.blueletterbible.org/study/lexica/gesenius/ > (Accessed 29 January 2023)

Tyndale Archive of Biblical Studies < https://www.tyndalearchive.com/TABS/Gesenius/ > (Accessed 29 January 2023)

Gaebelein's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible < htp://biblecentre.org/content.php?auth=5&mode=5 >, 1970, 1989 (reprint 2), Loizeauz Brothers, USA. A very concise and useful commentary of the entire bible which is a compilation of his writings: Annotated Bible by Arno Clement Gaebelein (1861-1942). See Arno C Gaebelein (above) for more internet sites.

Bible books - Old and New Testaments < https://www.stempublishing.com/index/bybook.html > (Accessed 25 October 2017)

Bible commentaries, expositories, teachings and hymns at STEM – Sound Teaching on Electronic Media <https://www.stempublishing.com/> has expanded over the years and includes a solid range of hymns and a range of excellent authors including: J N Darby, W Kelly, C H Mackintosh, N Anderson, T B Baines, J G Bellett , G Davison, E Dennett , W W Fereday , F B Hole , F A Hughes , L M Grant , J McBroom , A Miller , H Smith , W Trotter , J A Trench , W H Westcott , G V Wigram , W T P Wolston , H L Rossier (18 August 2013).

Darby's Synopsis of the Whole Bible < http://www.studylight.org/commentaries/dsn/ > (6 January 2019)

There are a plethora of websites and books that Christians can find to help them either discern right from wrong or help decide whether to do something or not. The following are a few that may be useful.

Entertainment – TV/Movies

Christian Spotlight on Entertainment < http://www.christiananswers.net/spotlight/home.html > provides guidance for some (American) movies and TV entertainment, sufficient to make a judgement whether children should watch the program (accessed 13 March 2022).

It is more difficult to find non-English, non-American websites that do the same thing.

Kids in Mind < https://kids-in-mind.com/ > is not a Christian based website but provides very in depth analysis of (American) movies, which I have found useful for deciding whether to see a particular movie. It provides a summary of each incident of violence, kissing/sex/nudity/immodesty, profanity and drug use. It makes no remark on the overall morality of the movie (accessed 13 March 2022).

Islam

Sharam Hadian < http://www.tilproject.com/ > is an evangelical Christian convert from Islam, an Iranian, who by the grace of God has been saved. If one wants to understand Islam, it is best to listen to a Muslim who has been saved. He speaks fearlessly about why Islam is totally contrary to the Bible and the Lord God Most High – and is a religion of violence (Surah 9:5, 9:29, 47:4 etc.), having a fully formed doctrine and law to kill and intends either forcing conversion or killing those who will not, or have left Islam. A recent conference hosted by Sugar Land Bible Church on Islam is very worthwhile listening to: Answering Islam Conference. < http://slbc.org/media/sermon-archives/ > (Accessed 6 November 2021).

The Qur'an is written in Arabic, as it is the only language that Allah apparently understands, but this website provides an English translation. To understand Islam one also needs to read "The Reliance of the Traveller and Tools for the Worshippers" which sets out the Shari Law. The Shari is important in understanding Islam - being their case-law and jurisprudence. For example why women are second class citizens, women to be stoned to death for adultery, amputation for theft and the death penalty for leaving Islam, and for "insulting the prophet".

Gender and Sexuality Issues

Parents need to grapple with sin in both their own lives and their children's: that of gender and sexuality dominates our lives these days. The Church often is capable of defining the moral issue (although very less so in Australia due to apostasy), but is usually very poor at dealing with the vexing issues of the reality of relations between those caught in the sin of sexual immorality and those who are not.

Saved by the grace of God, a lesbian's journey to be in Christ

Rosaria Butterfield < https://rosariabutterfield.com/ > journeyed from being a lesbian to being saved and becoming a wife of a pastor with four children – her work is worthwhile because it provides a sounding–board on how one deals with sin, not only in one's own life, but also in those who might need to deal with these issues, whether homosexuality or transgender issues etc., on a day by day basis such as with our children, colleagues or one's neighbour. She also has a sound understanding of differentiating the consequence of the fallen nature and the causality of sin in our life. (assessed 28 October 2024)

I found the following speech by Dr Butterfield very useful, including the Q&A afterward – My Train Wreck Conversion: Sexuality, Identity & the Bible| < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DN6yYSj08gI > (accessed 28 October 2024).

Homosexuality and the Bible

Andy Woods' lecture on God's perspective of homosexuality is very useful for a reality check on what we ought to believe as Christians; The Bible and Homosexuality < https://slbc.org/sermon/the-bible-and-homosexuality/ > (29 October 2024).

Alistair Begg also has preached on this topic – like Andy Woods – aimed at Christians who need to understand their Bible well; Homosexuality, a Biblical Perspective < https://www.truthforlife.org/resources/sermon/homosexuality-a-biblical-perspective/ > (29 October 2024).

Sy Rogers (died 2020) had grappled with homosexuality all his life. As a born-again-Christian, married with children, he delivered a powerful message on dealing with sin, a relationship with God, and sexuality. I heard him speak in August 2016, and found he had a powerful message - not just for the homosexual, but the single person and those married. < https://youtu.be/zuLI1c9VQ7c > (accessed 28 October 2024).

Identity issues

Sermon by Clint Lombard (Grace Church Buderim, Australia), "Identity, based on Psalm 8" (MP3) has comprehensive notes dealing with itentity. It's synopsis is; the Christian's focus is Christ, the gospel is Christ, and our identity is in Christ. < https://gracechurchbuderim.com.au/sermons/identity-psalm-8/ > (accessed 28 October 2024).

Homosexuality and the US constitution

For Americans Andy Woods (a lawyer and pastor) gave a lecture on how the USA Supreme Court arrived at its conclusion that marriage, and hence a family, could not be confined to just a man and woman; How Free Is the Land of the Free? < https://slbc.org/sermon/how-free-is-the-land-of-the-free/ >. (6 January 2019)

History is a vexing issue for Christians, as no history can be written without bias! (Believe, me, I have tried it). The following are few books and resources I have found useful or interesting.

History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century (1846) Jean-Henri Merle d'Aubigné, Baker House, Michigan. I own a 1987 reprint as three books - but these books are also available on Google books, and from some book publishers eg at Project Gutenberg <https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/40858 > (17 May 2021).

Flavius Josephus (born Joseph ben Mattathias) wrote a number of compelling and certainly interesting books about the time Jesus lived. His works have been translated and are available in book form or on websites such as Sacred Texts < http://www.sacred-texts.com/jud/josephus/index.htm > (accessed 22 November 2015). His major works are:

War of the Jews (78 AD) < http://sacred-texts.com/jud/josephus/war-pref.htm >

Antiquities of the Jews (93 AD) < http://sacred-texts.com/jud/josephus/ant-1.htm >

Against Apion (96-100 AD) < http://sacred-texts.com/jud/josephus/apion-1.htm >

The Life of Josephus (100 AD) < http://sacred-texts.com/jud/josephus/autobiog.htm > (6 January 2019)

Miller's Church History Available online and in book form; < https://www.stempublishing.com/history/ > is a useful examination of the first 1800 years of church history - it has far less detail than d'Aubigne's history but is very accessible (6 January 2019).

There are now many websites that allow you not only to read the hymns but will play various tunes that can be used to accompany the hymn.

Hymnary.org < https://hymnary.org/ > is a good resource for finding hymns, easy to search and a very wide range, especially the old; there are words and various tunes. The site is indexed in a number of ways including author or first line etc. (Accessed 30 January 2023).

STEM – Sound Teaching on Electronic Media has expanded over the years and includes a range of hymns from the "Little Flock" hymnal and other < https://www.stempublishing.com/hymns/ >. (Accessed 30 January 2023).

Ira D Sankey (1840 -1908) put together a number of hymnals which are still used to day. The hard copy books are difficult to find (in Australia) but they can be found on-line e.g. Internet Archive with Ira Sankey's material being found at < https://archive.org/details/gospelhymns16sank > (Accessed 30 January 2023).

Isaac Watts (1674 - 1748) < https://ccel.org/ccel/watts/ > wrote some 750 hymns which can be found on the Christian Classics Ethereal Library website (Accessed 30 January 2023).

Favourite Hymns can be found on this website Life-Everlasting/pages/hymns

There are now many websites devoted to language, both teaching and translation. The following are just a couple I use regularity.

All language is learnt by memorizing the vocabulary, which involves looking, saying and writing the words, followed by review after review after review. There are many software tools to help. I use two tools - flash cards - and nothing can beat flashcards - I carry them everywhere - and a program called Anki.

Anki < https://apps.ankiweb.net/ > (accessed 13 December 2022) is a shareware program, which I believe was originally written to help the author learn Japanese. It "learns' about you as you move through the vocabulary database, making you review words early if you get them wrong and holds off on the easy words." There are a wide range of languages available, put together, by dedicated people. Sound can be linked to the 'flash cards' so on review you say the word then hear and see what it should have sounded and looked like. I use a database that follows Mounce's Greek "Basics of Biblical Greek, Grammar, William D Mounce, Zondervan, 2003. (Noting that Mounce has a similar system, except I am learning Greek, Hebrew and French - Anki helps in all three cases). My son a university language student uses Anki for various languages including German, Spanish, Latin and Italian.

German

QuickDic < http://www.quickdic.org > One of the best German-English translators is a program by Stefan Büdenbender called. It not only gives literal translations, but also expresses the word in short phrases and sentences. (accessed 17 May 2021)

Greek

William (Bill) Mounce < https://www.billmounce.com/ > (accessed 13 December 2022) uses an unusual method of teaching Greek - he demands that one understands why a word, or group of words have a particular form - so instead of learning hundreds of paradigms - or charts of words - one learns the rules that are used to construct a word, and only memorize the exceptions. This I find to my style; being a scientist, understanding the science of why, say a certain group of vowels change under certain conditions is fascination. In some ways if you study Greek this way you also study the science of linguistics.

I am collecting various resources for studying Greek based mainly on how William Mounce teaches the language. (Greek Resources)

Hebrew

Davar <https://www.faithofgod.net/davar/> is a free Hebrew dictionary of Old Testament words and lexicon. I personally find it very frustrating to use, but this may be due to my lack of knowledge of the Hebrew Language. (accessed 17 May 2021)

The Blue Letter Bible - see above has Strong's Concordance amongst others linked to the bible, so the underlying Hebrew or Greek can be delved into.

Interlinear Bibles

Bible Hub has a number of Bible versions including interlinear Greek and Hebrew Scriptures <https://biblehub.com/interlinear/>. I find this site useful in learning Greek as it either displays the Greek and holding the mouse over the word reveals the meaning (e.g. https://study.interlinearbible.org/mark/4.htm) or a interlinear version can be displayed that is the Greek, Strong's and English (e.g. https://biblehub.com/interlinear/mark/4.htm) contains both the Greek and a translation of each word into English along with the Strong's number and the word's meaning. The site offers a number of Greek texts for this purpose, and of course, Hebrew for the Old Testament. (Updated 17 May 2021).

Stephen Armstrong runs a ministry that sets out to provide Bible teaching from Scriptures, both face to face and online: Verse by Verse Ministry. The messages are fairly simple, but logical and very useful for systematic studies of the Bible. The Ministery also has a Q&A section which is a useful resources, noting the answers are in the context of American society, what sometimes shapes the exegesis < https://www.versebyverseministry.org/bible-answers/ >. (Accessed 13 December 2022)

Alistair Begg a Scottish preacher located in the US at Cleveland's Parkside Church preaches a concise and very powerful message from Scripture. I have found his sermons extremely helpful and challenging. Sermons are posted at Truth for Life (< https://www.truthforlife.org/resources/most-recent-sermons/ > (13 December 2022). Noting that his understanding of Israel is unreformed Anglican, as is his escatology - see LE: Israel has not been replaced by the Church (Romans 11:25-27)

Andy Woods a straight forward bible teacher from Sugar Land Bible Church who believes that expository preaching should form any church's main genre of preaching. As a lawyer he brings a sense of logic to his preaching and teaching, and therefore, the arguments formed are easy to follow. See on-line sermons < https://slbc.org/media/sermon-archives/ >. The sermons come with Powerpoint notes or pdf, which help with understanding the content. (6 January 2019)

Sermons from other people < http://www.sermonindex.net/modules/mydownloads/ > (accessed 31 July 2014), some of which I know and some I have never heard, therefore, uses these with care.

Bible Places <https://www.bibleplaces.com> gives a research some firsthand descriptions of Israel. Photos from the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands and Historic Views lists a large number of places of Bible importance and gives a good range of photographs (accessed 17 May 2021).

I find the publisher Zondervan has a range of tools, texts and charts to help one understand the land of Israel and its surrounds.

Evangelism tools

Living Waters < https://www.livingwaters.com/ > is a good website (although incredibly busy and overcrowded), not to detract from the many others that are very good resources. An audio all preachers need to listen to is "Hell's Best Kept Secret" (by Ray Comfort) which can be heard on line or there is a transcript on this webpage (5 June 2022). This sermon shows that 80% of those that decide to follow Christ will fall away - so how do you make the Gospel real.

Christian Blogs

I find that most Blogs are self seeking, and not particularly useful. However, we have a large family blog that has been useful, especially for keeping up with illnesses's, and the whereabouts of cousins etc.

I find Tim Challies at < https://www.challies.com/ > (accessed 5 June 2022) interesting and challenging at times.

Weather in Australia

Created so certain pages could be found easily. It probably works well for city folk, but anyone with a serious interest in the weather has had difficulty finding pages such as the "notes on the weather". The following is a small 'html5' App written for iPhone, but works on the computer.

Bureau of Meteorology (BOM)

Endnote

Last update: 29 October 2024