July 12, 2015. Daily Reading: I Thessalonians 1-3. Background: The first letter that Paul wrote to the Thessalonians is believed to be one of his earliest letters, probably written before 52 AD, and as such, it is one of the first books in the New Testament. The church in Thessalonica was founded in Acts 17:1-19 on…
Tag: Faith
Luke 17-18: Jesus and the people.
July 11, 2015. Daily Reading: Luke 17-18. Background: Luke 15-16. Concepts and Connections. Chapter 17 1. Forgiveness, faith and humility: At the opening of this chapter, Jesus teaches thee core concepts in our relationship with Him and with others around us. First, He warns that temptations to sin are sure to come, but condemns out…
Ephesians 1-3: Jews and Gentiles.
May 31, 2015. Daily Reading: Ephesians 1-3. Background: The book of Ephesians is a letter written by Paul to a church that was probably founded by his first journey there recorded in Acts 18, where he has a short visit; the work seems to be carried on by Priscilla and Aquila. At the time of his letter,…
Mark 11-12: The Christ.
April 25, 2015. Daily Reading: Mark 11-12. Background: Mark 9-10. Concepts and Connections. Chapter 11 1. The triumphal entry: To prepare for the triumphal entry, which had been prophesied about in the days of old (see Zechariah 9:9), Jesus sent two of His disciples to go get a young donkey on which no one had ridden…
I Corinthians 12-13: A better way.
March 29, 2015. Daily Reading: I Corinthians 12-13. Background: I Corinthians 11. Concepts and Connections. Chapter 12 1. Spiritual gifts: The Corinthian church was a church that was literally full of the Holy Spirit. Many of the members in Corinth had been given the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and were workers of supernatural miracles such…
Mark 3-4: The social Christ.
March 28, 2015. Daily Reading: Mark 3-4. Background: Mark 1-2. Concepts and Connections. Chapter 3 1. Antagonists to Christ: We see a couple of different antagonists to Christ in this chapter, one that is expected and another that might not be as obvious. The first is the opposition of the Pharisees, who were just waiting for…
I Samuel 1-6: In the days of Samuel.
March 17, 2015. Daily Reading: I Samuel 1-6. Background: The book of Samuel begins in the latter times of the Judges and quickly develops into the monarchy of Israel, with Saul being anointed the first king in chapter nine. Concepts and Connections. Chapter 1 A mother’s faith: Similar to other stories such as Abraham and Sarah…
Matthew 20-22: Wisdom of Jesus.
February 28, 2015. Daily Reading: Matthew 20-22. Background: Matthew 17-19. Concepts and Connections. Chapter 20 1. The first shall be last, and the last first: Two of the main stories in this passage carry with them the same message at the end: the last shall be first and the first shall be last. Each story pertains…
Matthew 17-19: The transfiguration and practical teachings.
February 21, 2015. Daily Reading: Matthew 17-19. Background: Matthew 14-16. Concepts and Connections. Chapter 17 1. The transfiguration: The account told here of the transfiguration of Christ is a well known story that displays the glory and majesty of Jesus as the Son of God. Jesus takes His inner core, so to speak, of Peter,…
Matthew 14-16: Jesus’ ministry.
February 14, 2015. Daily Reading: Matthew 14-16. Background: Matthew 11-13. Concepts and Connections. Chapter 14 1. Belief without faith: At the beginning of this chapter we gain an interesting perspective into the mind of Herod the tetrarch and can glean an important lesson about a characteristic of man that we might sometimes overlook in our own lives….
Genesis 20-23: Abraham’s example.
February 9, 2015. Daily Reading: Genesis 20-23. Background: Genesis 15-19. Concepts and Connections. Chapter 20 1. A sin in ignorance is still a sin: As Abraham traveled in the land of Canaan, an interesting story is recorded about his interaction with Abimelech king of Gerar. Out of fear, Abraham does the same thing that he did in…
Genesis 6-8: The flood.
January 19, 2014. Daily Reading: Genesis 6-8. Concepts and Connections. Chapter 6 1. Nephilim: There is an interesting concept at the beginning of this chapter on the topic of the Nephilim, who were giants in the land. Angels are often referred to as “the sons of God” in the Old Testament, thus the Nephilim were…
Twenty Eight Eighteen 