Tommy Mann

  God gave Moses precise instructions on how to construct the tabernacle, and He equipped certain people with the skills to complete the task. Then He called for all the people to have some skin in the game, so the tabernacle would be furnished by each tribe bringing contributions. In Exodus 35:4-5 we read, “Moses said to all the congregation of the people of Israel, ‘This is the thing that the LORD has commanded. Take from among you a contribution to the LORD. Whoever is of a generous heart, let him bring the LORD’S contribution: gold, silver, and bronze.’” Each family was encouraged to do what they could so that the whole camp could benefit from a place of worship. We should still follow that model today. In a 2013 article in  Relevant  titled “What Would Happen if the Church Tithed,” the author found that only 2.5% of Christians per capita give to the church, and that if all professing believers would give their 10% there would be an additional $165 billion, or enough ...

God famously called Moses at the burning bush in Exodus 3. There the Lord told Moses that he had a special assignment—to go to Egypt’s Pharoah and demand the release of the Hebrew slaves.     After describing the Hebrews’ plight to Moses, God declared, “and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey…(v.8).”    God had come down to deliver them. That was great news! God was going to show up and fix everything.    But then just two verses later God seems to have changed His mind, saying, “Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt (v.10).”   So which is it? Was God coming down to deliver His people, or was God sending Moses to deliver His people?    The two are not mutually exclusive. It was not either/or, but both. God was coming down to equip Moses for the job. Over ...

We talk a lot about the will of God. As a pastor people say things to me like, “Pray for me as I try to discern God’s will.” We tell our students they need to find out God’s will for their lives. We have turned God’s will into some deep mystery, but the truth is, we can easily know God’s will.    Jesus knew the will of God for His own life and ministry on earth. In John 6:39-40 the Son of God said these words:   “And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”   God’s will is that people are saved. He wants all who look on Jesus to receive the eternal life He came to make available. The language here reminds me of what Jesus told Nicodemus just three chapters earlier, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must t...

I have always been fascinated by the burning bush in Exodus 3. If you know the story, Moses grew up in the royal family, but he had to run for his life when he became a fugitive. After hiding out in the desert as a shepherd, God called Moses at the burning bush.    Verse two says, “And the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed.” This odd sight caught Moses’ attention, and from there the Lord spoke to him, telling him he was chosen to return to Egypt, go before Pharaoh, and demand the release of the Hebrew slaves.    Understandably, Moses was not thrilled at his assignment. He made several attempts at excuses, but God countered each one. Moses balked, but God assured him that he would not go alone. In the twelfth verse God said, “But I will be with you.”   And He was. God led Moses, and his brother Aaron, before the most powerful man in the world. Throu...

  In 1959 a new football franchise in Los Angeles was created as part of the new American Football League. The team owner, Barron Hilton of the Hilton Hotel family, held a competition to name the team. The winning name was the Chargers, which, according to Hilton, was based on the tradition at LA Dodgers baseball games of playing a bugle and the fans yelling, “Charge!” While that may be true, critics of Hilton accused him of picking the name because it happened to coincide with the launch of his new charge card company.    When we talk about charging, we can think of troops (or athletes) charging into battle; or we can think of charging a credit card. But I want us to think of a different kind of charge for a minute. Deuteronomy 11:1 says, “You shall therefore love the Lord your God and keep His charge, His statutes, His rules, and His commandments always.”   This is Moses speaking, knowing he was at the end of his life. The Lord allowed him to address Israel one las...

God called Moses at the burning bush, and Moses faithfully answered that call for the rest of his life. This 15-part study covers the book of Exodus, and each chapter includes discussion questions. Perfect for small groups, Bible studies, or personal edification, Answering God's Call  takes the reader from Egypt to Sinai while following the Mission of Moses. Answering God's Call  begins in Egypt with the Hebrews in slavery, then chronicles Moses as a baby, a fugitive, a shepherd, and finally, a deliverer. You can order it here . Just like with What Now? , 100% of the book sales go towards Philippi Baptist Church's debt retirement. For more information on book proceeds from Tommy Mann Ministries, read this post .

      In Part 1 we saw that David and Solomon led the nation to build a temple. Although some comparisons are fair, it is not really accurate to say that the temple was like “church.” This temple existed as a way for mankind to appease God’s wrath.      The temple, which was built according to God’s specifications, had an outer courtyard where each person was allowed to come for a sacrifice. But inside the temple, in the Holy Place, only the priests were allowed to go. At the back of that room was a large veil—a 60 foot high, 4 inch thick veil—that led into the Most Holy Place (or Holy of Holies). Only the high priest could enter that room, and only once a year on the Day of Atonement.      On the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), the high priest would offer a sacrifice on behalf of the entire nation. This did not forgive sins (“For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.” Hebrews 10:4), ...

As a Christian is there ever a time that we can justify going to war? War obviously involves taking lives, and aren’t we supposed to be against that? What about the death penalty: isn’t killing a killer still murder? Some Christians are opposed to these concepts, and I want to be very clear here. I am not writing this to argue with you; I respect that stance, and I am not trying to start a war of words. This is just my personal belief after studying this topic.  At the same time, I am not a hawk when it comes to war. I do not believe in going to war for selfish reasons, like gaining territory, resources, or money. But I do believe the Bible teaches the concept of just wars, to wit, some wars are justifiable. But aren’t we called to be peacemakers? Yes, in His famous sermon on the mount Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God (Matthew 5:9).” But this sermon was given to teach how to conduct ourselves in our individual ...