Jesus Boils It Down to Two Commands The Ten Commandments are listed in Deuteronomy 5:6-21 (and Exodus 20:3-23. Interestingly, neither of these passages calls this list the “Ten Commandments” (although the phrase is used elsewhere). The Ten Commandments 1. Do not have any other gods.2. Do not worship idols (“other gods”)3. Do not use God’s […]
Today’s passage: 1 John 4:1–3 Focus verse: This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God. (1 John 4:2) The third chapter of 1 John wraps up with a reference to the Holy Spirit, whom God sent to us. John now contrasts […]
We Must Guard Against Turning the Symbol of Jesus’s Death into a Modern-Day Idol Do you worship the cross? The cross is the instrument of Jesus’s death when he died in our place for the wrong things we did—our sins. As such, it rises as a powerful symbol of our faith. Yet some well-meaning people […]
Discover How to Get Peter DeHaan’s Books at your Local Library Do you like to read books from your local or online library? I do. Did you know you can request your library to order my books? Though they don’t have to, most libraries want to buy what their patrons request. It doesn’t hurt to […]
Here’s an Overview After Visiting Our First 13 Churches We’re one-quarter of the way through our journey. It’s been more than what I’d hoped for and at the same time, not as much of what I expected. In attending the churches closest to home in our rural, white, middle-class area I expected little racial diversity, […]
Today’s passage: Matthew 17:1–9, Mark 9:1–9, Luke 9:28–36, and John 12:27–30 Focus verse: “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” (Matthew 17:5) Yesterday’s passage ended with the puzzling statement that “some of you present won’t experience death before you see me coming in my kingdom” (Matthew […]
Avoid the Error of Balaam Although many of the mentions in the Bible of Balaam are negative, in the primary account of him, he seems to basically be a good, God-fearing guy. His issue is syncretism, which is the error of Balaam. Balaam’s issue wasn’t his connection with God, but instead his attempt to meld […]
Today’s passage: 1 John 3:21–24 Focus verse: And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. (1 John 3:23) John teaches us that if we have a clear conscience before God, we can be confident that we’ll receive from him whatever we […]
We Should Continue to Remember the Poor The Bible talks about the poor and teaches how to deal with poverty. Poverty shows up 21 times in the Bible, most in the practical advice-giving book of Proverbs. The word poor appears much more often at 176 times. Combined, these passages give us much insight in how […]
Learn More about 52 Churches Discover more in the 52 Churches infographic to see key insights and data about the churches my wife and I visited in a year as covered in my book 52 Churches . Click on the above image to get a better look or download your own copy of the 52 Churches infographic. Whether or […]