Musings

The Bible Magazine

April 23, 2024

There may be other Christian magazines promoting scripture, but it may not be easy finding one that surpasses what the Union Gospel Press has available. Their Bible Expositor and Illuminator publication is a wonderful blessing for spiritual growth, especially since it appears to be helpful no matter what level of theological knowledge one has! It’s basic, while also able to satisfy deep thinkers and the not-so-deep ones.

It’s inspiring to receive a letter like the one that came recently to explain the recent activity going on at LifeStone/Union Gospel Press. It’s April of 2024, so why would a surge of new customers occur now? Could it simply be because it’s about time for America to return to being one nation under God?

Union Gospel Press provides e-book versions of their curriculum material. They don’t operate on donations. Instead, they offer their products at a fair price. Clearly, God is blessing their work. These words aren’t from sampling a few pages. They come after having studied five seasons of the Bible Expositor and Illuminator. 

It’s amazing how well each lesson is divided up for the week’s message. They begin with the section of Bible verses referring to the topic and then go and expose what each verse is illuminating. Practical points are highlighted. Questions inspire research and discussion. The primary verse is opened up in such a way that leaves the reader enlightened as to the meaning of what God wants us to comprehend.

After being led to an understanding necessary, readers are brought to the heart of the lesson. Great examples are used to clarify how faith works. Once this is accomplished for that lesson, next is how it is incorporated into missionary work around the world. Never assume to fully know what missions God has for us, because His ways are not our ways. God wants us to know His ways, and this section of the Bible Expositor and Illuminator does just that.

Next within the seasonal issues of each lesson comes the Jewish aspect. This is where the magazine gets extra valuable! We rarely get to learn about such details coming from that perspective! The section following the Jewish aspect, is Guiding the Superintendent. This may sound trivial, but after sampling what kind of input comes from it, trivial would not be the way to describe that part of the magazine.

That’s about the lessons. Until one gives such publications a fair amount of time to reveal what can be gained from reading them, no one should assume to know it’s not worth the time, effort, or money to consider it. Logically, it’s not for everyone. However, how can you know if it’s not what has been keeping you from more of God’s blessings?

 

 

  • It was on Wednesday morning, August 30, 2023, when I first saw the Bible Expositor and Illuminator. My dog was due for her nail trim at her salon, so after her nails were trimmed, we had a mountain of laundry to do. Our laundry machine wasn’t working, so we hung out for a while at the Port Ewen Laundromat. They had copies of the magazine that were not large print, but they were large enough for me to see that it’s a blessing to read.
  • On Friday morning, October 20, 2023, I returned to that laundromat to wash some more laundry. They had no copies of the magazine there, so I knew I had to order it if I wanted to continue reading their lessons. The next Monday morning on the 23rd, I call the Union Gospel Press a second time. This time it was to place an order regardless of the cost. The large print costs more, but is worth it. One week later, on October 30th, four issues arrived! There was an entire year of issues for me to dive into!
  • The issues available at the laundromat in August of 2023 included a winter quarter with a spring one there. A fall issue from 2022 may also have been there, but I didn’t have time to read it. The winter one was no longer available to order from Union Gospel Press, but they could send the back issues for the spring and summer of 2023 during the fall. It’s getting to be a rare treat to receive quality service, so may the Lord bless this publication company for providing a service greatly needed during these trying times!