False teachers slander what they don’t understand, and they will be destroyed Over the years I’ve heard many ministers talk about things they didn’t understand. Not biblical or spiritual things, but worldly things. Out of ignorance they condemn certain people … Continue reading →
Through Jesus we become his priests and his temple, which should change everything In the Old Testament the people go to the temple to encounter God. The priests help them in this; they act as a liaison between them and … Continue reading →
Good deeds and right living don’t earn our salvation, but they do confirm it Paul writes to his friends in Thessalonica. He reminds them—and us—that salvation is a gift from God. We can’t earn it and can only receive it … Continue reading →
The Bible isn’t the point, it’s the God revealed in the Bible Hebrews chapter 10 opens with a line worthy of contemplation. It says, that the Law—that is the Old Testament—merely hints at what we have to look forward to, … Continue reading →
One of the reasons we learn about God is so we can teach others In the letter written to the Hebrew people who follow Jesus, there’s a short phrase that’s easy to skip over. The author, who I suspect is … Continue reading →
Angels often start by telling the people they visit to not be afraid The Book of Mark wraps up with three women going to the tomb of Jesus to anoint his body. They are Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of … Continue reading →
Jesus wants us to fully forgive others so that we may be fully forgiven In asking the simple question, “Is God’s forgiveness conditional?” the answer seems obvious: “No! God’s forgiveness is unconditional.” I was taught that if I followed Jesus, … Continue reading →
We are to go out and preach repentance under the power of the Holy Spirit After Jesus calls his disciples, he trains them and then sends them into the world. He gives them five simple instructions: Go out: To be … Continue reading →
A grand adventure awaits us but only if we are willing to leave what we have behind The first chapter of Mark talks about Jesus calling his disciples. As he walks along the shore, he comes across two brothers fishing. … Continue reading →
God will shine so brightly that we won’t need the sun to see As the epic battle in Revelation continues, just before Babylon—the symbol of all that’s evil—is about to receive her final punishment, an angel comes from heaven. John … Continue reading →
Good and evil are not equal and opposite forces In Revelation we read about the dragon and the beast, a great battle, and the tribulation the whole world faces. Embedded in the middle of this epic tale, we see a … Continue reading →
We need to learn to worship God in silence, doing nothing but standing in awe of him The Book of Revelation is an amazing book. However, I fear that many people miss the point of it. The intent of Revelation … Continue reading →
What we may perceive as a lack of love may actually be the embodiment of it In the book of Revelation, John shares a grand vision with an epic scope, far reaching and future focused. But before we get to … Continue reading →
Whoever has the Son has life In the first of John’s three letters, he writes to the early followers of Jesus, reminding them of God’s essential message about Jesus, light, and life. Jesus, by the way, is the light and … Continue reading →
When we focus on other people, we may lose sight of our own calling As Jesus wraps up his stint on earth, he spends some time with his disciples, the core group he trained for three years. They will need … Continue reading →
Too many people fail to see God at work and instead oppose those who follow him into his new ways Jesus warns his followers what awaits them. First, they’ll get kicked out of their church and then people will kill … Continue reading →
Too often we place our personal needs over what God is at work doing When Jesus’s friend Lazarus dies, Jesus goes to were the man is interred and, with a dramatic flair, raises him from the dead. When the people … Continue reading →
Though many people like an easy Jesus, not everyone accepts what he says Jesus normally teaches the masses in parables. Though most don’t really understand what he means, they like his stories because they’re so countercultural. Plus, he sometimes gives … Continue reading →
Considering Jesus as the Word of God shines new light on some verses in the Bible The book of John, which is a biography of Jesus, opens with a most poetic passage. It calls Jesus the Word. It confirms Jesus’s … Continue reading →
Examine our motives when we give Paul writes a succinct reminder to Jesus’s followers in Corinth. By extension it also applies to us. He says “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously,” … Continue reading →