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The Pharisee in Me
Luke 5-6 has some encounters that typify what Jesus is trying to get across early in his ministry. It’s simple: Get on the Kingdom’s agenda! Those who see that message and come to him get a response. The leper came and ASKED, “Lord, if you are willing…” Levi heard the call of Jesus and immediately left his work to follow Jesus. They got…
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Eat this scroll — the importance of spiritual feasting
Ezekiel was commanded to eat the scroll full of judgments and doom. Just eating something like a scroll doesn’t seem too pleasant, but to eat words of doom and gloom… I would think there would be an expectation of bitterness. But Ezekiel found the scroll sweet as honey. We need to feast on the words of God. All of them.…
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Do I irritate the enemy?
We are good at irritating each other. Liberals irritating conservatives, both Christian and political… and the return fire is done with equal zest. But how about the REAL enemy? He doesn’t mind if we think he doesn’t exist and we want to go with the mantra, “Evil is the absence of someone doing good.” As a great professor of mine…
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Deeper in the Word in 2014
As we aim toward a New Year, we always have that daunting task of “resolutions.” One of the great goals we should always have in mind is how we can deepen our walk with God. For me, the question is always centered around prayer and the Scriptures. How can I best center my life in those two areas? Those two…
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Daring to pray differently
I woke up this morning with text from Isaiah 2 on my heart and this challenge from the Lord: “Will you dare to pray differently?” This is what Isaiah saw. With the doom and gloom of Isaiah 1, he still saw something different (2:1). The Lord has challenged me over the past few months to ask HIM for my prayers. I have tried…
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I had not planned on raising the dead today
What level of obedience ARE we willing to go to with Jesus? 7 He called for the Twelve and sent them out in pairs. He gave them authority over unclean spirits. 8 He instructed them to take nothing for the journey except a walking stick—no bread, no bags, and no money in their belts. 9 He told them to wear sandals but not to put…
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The Great Invitation of the King
While I haven’t paid as much attention to the liturgical calendar for preaching, I have kept our congregation on track with our readings every Sunday. Along with that it is the realization that this is the last Sunday of the liturgical year and it is Christ the King Sunday. Not being raised in the liturgical tradition, and still on the…
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The terrible inefficiency of the Kingdom of God
Americans do NOT like to admit this, especially really smooth running churches, but here is the truth: The Kingdom of God is terribly inefficient. It’s messy. It just, quite honestly, doesn’t make sense. But, doggone it, we’re AMERICANS and we WILL make sense of it! We WILL make it efficient… God bless America! Exhibit A: The Parable of the Sower.…
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Clueless Christianity
The verse is 1 Cor. 2:10 — “The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.” Then later in v. 16 — “But we have the mind of Christ.” I wrote in the margin of my Bible: “I have no clue as to how deep I can go!” There are days… and as it relates to my spiritual life:…
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The Bible and Inerrancy
Happening now: a panel discussion at the meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society on the differing views of inerrancy. I didn’t get this email until late last night, so you might miss the discussion. FOLLOW HERE.
Category: Bible Study
