What Happened? In the Bible, Dr. Luke notes that the gathering of folks who follow Jesus (aka, the church) enjoy the goodwill of all the people. In another place he records that all the people have a high regard for the church. They had a great reputation. Perhaps that’s why they grow from a handful […]
Discussing Church 21 Most of this church’s ministry happens on Saturday. The Sunday service is for those they meet during their Wednesday evening street ministry. Consider these four discussion questions about Church #21: 1. We turn to Hebrews 6, but as the pastor begins her message, the Holy Spirit sends her to Ephesians 4. We […]
The Great Three in One: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit Most Christians comprehend God as Trinity, a singular entity existing as three persons: Father, Son (Jesus), and Holy Spirit. This is confusing, but recall that Jesus says, “the Father and me are one” (John 10:30). Another time Jesus tells his disciples to baptize people “in […]
We Must Remove Distractions to Hear What the Holy Spirit Says I recently listened to a talk on the topic of noise. It was the opening message to a sermon series. The teaching provided many thought-provoking ideas to consider. It also supplied me with a springboard to examine my own contemplation about noise—specifically the noise […]
Discover Four Key Things Scripture Says about the Word of God The phrase “Word of God” appears forty-five times in the Bible, mostly in the New Testament. The book of Acts leads the way with eleven occurrences, followed by Revelation with six. But what does the Word of God mean? 1. The Bible Ask people […]
John Teaches about The Holy Spirit One of the things I enjoy when studying the Bible is to investigate words and phrases that are repeated throughout its pages. The phrase “Spirit of Truth” is one such example that jumps out at me and begs further investigation. Interestingly, only John uses “Spirit of Truth” in his […]
3 Illustrations of the Trinity A commonality among most who call themselves Christian is the understanding of God as Trinity—the Holy Trinity— that is, a singular entity existing as three persons: Father, Son (Jesus), and Spirit. That is confusing, but recall that Jesus said, “I and my Father are one,” (John 10:30). Two common illustrations […]
Be Careful What You Say Many people today—too many—feel they have a right to say whatever they want to say, whenever they want to say it. What they forget is that this privilege also comes with a responsibility to not say some things, to at times keep quiet. Just because we can say something, doesn’t […]
Though God Doesn’t Change, but the Way He Relates to Us Has We divide the Bible in two sections, the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament focuses on the relationship of Father God to his people and looks forward to the coming Savior. The New Testament centers on Jesus and the work […]
God Gives Us Special Abilities to Advance His Kingdom The topic of spiritual gifts confuses many people and perplexes others. It’s easy to understand a physical present, something we can put in a box, wrap, and put a bow on. Giving tangible objects as gifts is easy to comprehend—and to receive. The disconnect comes as […]