John 18.16-17 records, Peter remained standing outside by the door. So the other disciple, the one known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the girl who was…
Matthew 28.16-17 observes, the eleven disciples were on their way to Galilee, headed for the mountain
Jesus had set for their reunion. The moment they saw Him they worshiped Him. Some, though, held back, not sure about worship, about risking themselves totally.
Shame, and similarly, fear of what people might think, are two cancers impacting greatly the Church, inhibiting its obedience to the mission assigned by Jesus to go into all the world and make disciples, teaching people everywhere to obey His commands. (more…)
1 John 4. 15-16 describes, everyone who confesses that Jesus is God’s Son participates continuously in
an intimate relationship with God. We know it so well, we’ve embraced it heart and soul, this love that comes from God.
Doing the work of God keeps us in intimacy with God. The work of God is this: to make known the Father and the Son in Whom we receive forgiveness of sins and life forever. (more…)
Matthew 5.14-16 teaches us, God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a
city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.
God is not a secret to be kept. A popular song echoes this refrain. The key to sharing Him with others is living as light-bearers and being transparent before others. (more…)
Psalm 107.2 declares, let those delivered by the LORD speak out, those whom He delivered from the
power of the enemy.
Who is the enemy? The enemy of all humanity? Death.
Only one God promises deliverance from death to ALL who humble themselves and follow Him. Only one God proved His ability to deliver on His promise by Himself rising from the dead after men were convinced of their killing Him on a cross. (more…)
Isaiah 6.10 commands, make the hearts of these people calloused; make their ears deaf and their eyes blind! Otherwise they might see with their eyes and hear with their ears, their hearts might understand and they might repent and be healed.
In an age when we espouse, God wants all people saved, it is interesting to hear Him say, keep people from repenting. While some will ask, saved from what? Saved from the punishment that follows the judgement to come when all people stand before God and are weighed and measured according to His will and ways as recorded in His word, the Scriptures. (more…)
Proverbs 28.1 describes the righteous (being) as bold as a lion.
When we think of courage we think of near death experiences where some type of threat is about to take our lives but we somehow fight, resist or escape to avoid the intended result. We also think of those who went into such an event knowing they probably would not return and many didn’t. Our soldiers live in this category as do Christians who remain in hostile countries.
Certainly these are accurate descriptions of courage but maybe there is a more mundane description that all of us can and should embrace if we are going to live courageously. (more…)
Isaiah 43.10 describes ‘You are My witnesses,’ declares the Lord, and My servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe Me and understand that I am He.
How do we get to know God better and more personally is the universal question among those who truly believe in God. Religion provides a means to that end sometimes and in some ways. The disciplines of Bible reading and prayer are certainly helpful to knowing God better.
God wants us to accomplish our objective so has given us two clues for knowing, believing and understanding Him. (more…)
Acts 27:23 proclaims the God to whom I belong and whom I serve…How do you recognize yourself?
Everyone we meet for the first time asks, ‘what do you do?’ What do you say?
It would be odd for any one of us to say I belong to God and serve Him. This was how the Apostle Paul identified himself when speaking to his captors and other prisoners just before their shipwreck.
Were we to identify ourselves as Paul it would feel weird, besides we know that people are just making small talk by being polite in asking about our work. However I think the real issue is deeper for us. (more…)
Acts 20:26 comments I am innocent of the blood of any of you.
The Apostle Paul understood completely his mission to tell others about God’s offer of a pardon to all of humanity through Jesus His Son for all the evil humanity has ever done against God. Paul remembered the warning God gave to the prophet Ezekiel about failure to not warn Israel of approaching judgment.
God intended to hold Ezekiel accountable for faithfully declaring His command to repent lest the people perish without opportunity to make amends with God. Paul understood that God, by entrusting His message to His people of forgiveness through Jesus, held the same expectations for Christians as He had for Ezekiel. (more…)
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