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 […]
The People Shout for Joy and Worship God The book of Leviticus contains God’s explicit instructions on how they should worship him. In chapter 8 the Lord explains the precise way Aaron and his sons will be consecrated for the priesthood and ordained as priests. Moses and Aaron In chapter 9, after Moses follows God’s […]
Moses Commands a Lasting Ordinance In addition to an exciting narrative of escape from Egypt followed by the people’s struggles, the book of Exodus also contains specific instructions to God’s chosen people. It’s difficult for most of us today to connect with some of this teaching. Such is the case with today’s passage. Let’s consider, […]
Discover How We Can Best Show the Almighty How Much We Love Him The word worship occurs hundreds of times in the Bible. We know we’re supposed to worship God, but what does this mean? How can we best worship our Almighty Lord? Here are some considerations: Worship Service Many churches call their Sunday morning […]
The Magi Visit Jesus Matthew 2:1–2 “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?” (Matthew 2:2) Now let’s focus on the Magi who come to visit Jesus. Matthew is the only writer in Scripture who mentions them. First, we must dispel some common misconceptions that come to us from the classic […]
The Service Members Want Isn’t What the Unchurched Needs Over the years I’ve wanted to invite friends to church. Too often I don’t. This isn’t due to a lack of courage on my part but a fear that the church service would drive them from Jesus instead of drawing them closer. For those times I […]
Locked Out We head for a church that meets in an office complex, using space provided by an adoption agency. A former coworker of Candy’s is the teaching elder there. Another of her friends recently started attending this nonconventional church. The thought of knowing someone at church is a powerful pull. Lacking a website, they […]
Another exploration of visiting churches has wrapped up, producing memories and insights. These can serve to move us forward in our spiritual journey, better prepared to worship God, serve others, and experience community. Where do we go from here? What are the next steps? Consider these three discussion questions about the next steps. 1. Church […]
We Should Fall on Our Faces in the Presence of God’s Glory A man brings Ezekiel to the temple. The glory of the Lord fills the place. Overwhelmed, Ezekiel falls facedown, worshiping the Almighty. How often do we encounter the glory of the Lord? How often do we fall facedown in reverent worship of our […]
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 […]