We Are Made in God’s Image, Not the Other Way Around An idol is anything that becomes more important than God. The Old Testament of the Bible talks a lot about God’s displeasure with his people worshipping idols, that is, false God’s. Today our idols may be things like money, career, possessions, and status. Even […]
3 Tips to Have a Positive Experience When going to church—whether as a visitor or a regular attendee—there are three keys to having a successful, meaningful, and spirit-filled experience. These are attitude, prayer, and expectation. Without addressing these critical elements, many church services will fall short of expectations. Following these three essential steps, however, can […]
Psalm 156 from Beyond Psalm 150 With the people poised to take the promised land, Moses recaps their forty-year history in the desert and reviews the instructions God gave them. At one point Moses leads the people in a liturgy of blessings (for obedience) and curses (for disobedience). In this the Levites make a statement […]
An Old Testament Parable Warning about the Perils of Prostitution and Idolatry Ezekiel shares a story about two sisters. It’s an Old Testament parable. And it comes directly from God. The older sister is Oholah, and the younger sister is Oholibah. Oholah is Samaria, the capital of Israel and represents the ten northern tribes. The […]
Today’s passage: John 17:20–26 Focus verse: “I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity.” (John 17:23) Jesus’s last prayer has three sections. First, he prays for his mission, its successful completion, and giving God glory. Next, he moves on to pray for his disciples, that they will persevere, […]
Keep the Sabbath Holy and Don’t Do Any Work In my post God Rested, I talked about the Old Testament command to keep the Sabbath holy and not do any work (Exodus 20:8-11). Yet Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament law, so it doesn’t apply anymore (Matthew 5:17). However, God rested on the seventh day of […]
The experiences I share in this book are my experiences. Others may have different observations. I’m an introvert, as is a slight majority of people. Even so, I doubt my reactions are unique to me or even to other introverts. Consider these fifthteen discussion questions about How to Be an Engaging Church. 1. Whether introvert […]
Psalm 155: from Beyond Psalm 150 As God’s people travel through the desert and prepare to take the promised land, they come to the border of the Amorites. They ask King Sihon for permission to travel through the country, promising to stay on the main thoroughfare and not take any of the Amorites’ food or […]
The phrase son of man occurs in 178 verses in the Bible. Sometimes son is written with an uppercase S and other times with a lowercase s. When used with an uppercase S, the references are to Jesus, as seen in all four gospels (28 times in Matthew; 13 times in Mark; 25 times in […]
Today’s passage: John 17:1–19 Focus verse: “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” (John 17:3) With the time of his arrest drawing near and having given his final teaching to his disciples, Jesus prays. This isn’t a quick, God-help-me prayer. It’s an […]