September 18, 2016. Ramifications of the reformation. It is an understatement to say that there is a lot of division in the church today. Though it seems that people have been divisive from the beginning (see I Corinthians 1-3), today the amount of separation in the entirety of Christendom is both disheartening and damaging to…
Tag: humility
Followship.
September 11, 2016. This weekend I had the opportunity to plan a men’s retreat with a couple of my good friends from church. We decided on the theme of “Service” or being a servant, and there was a particular lesson that I wanted to teach about serving one another in the church. I will admit…
Ready to die, but not on a cross.
August 14, 2016. “And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” (Mark 8:34) This past week at a bible study that the guys do on Thursday morning, my friend Jacob said something…
Paul’s thorn.
August 7, 2016. “So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited.” (II Corinthians 12:7) Paul’s thorn in the flesh was mentioned, somewhat in passing, in a lesson…
Psalm 129-131: Looking to the Lord.
December 2, 2015. Daily Reading: Psalm 129-131. Background: Psalm 126-128. Concepts and Connections. Chapter 129 Enduring affliction: Another psalm in the series of the songs of ascents (see psalm 120), this psalm recounts affliction that the people of Israel had endured from the people who oppressed them even from the beginning. As Israel was becoming a nation…
I Peter 4-5: Suffering and transformation.
November 22, 2015. Daily Reading: I Peter 4-5. Background: I Peter 1-3. Concepts and Connections. Chapter 4 1. Being transformed: As Peter gave the example of Christ’s suffering for righteousness sake in the previous chapter, he builds off the symbolism of the rebirth of baptism to show how we as Christians are to be dead…
John 13-15: Discussions with the disciples.
October 3, 2015. Daily Reading: John 13-15. Background: John 9-12. Concepts and Connections. Chapter 13 Jesus’ passover meal with the disciples: As Jesus’ time before the cross is quickly coming to an end, John records one of the last suppers that He and His disciples would experience together before He was delivered over to the…
Numbers 9-12: The congregation in the wilderness.
September 21, 2015. Daily Reading: Numbers 9-12. Background: Numbers 5-8. Concepts and Connections. Chapter 9 1. Lessons from keeping the passover: At the beginning of this chapter, we find ourselves in the first month of the second year that the Lord had brought the children of Israel from the land of Egypt, and as it…
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…
Colossians 3-4: A new life.
July 5, 2015. Daily Reading: Colossians 3-4. Background: Colossians 1-2. Concepts and Connections. Chapter 3 1. The new self: Continuing on from the discussion in the previous chapter about dying to our old selves, being buried with Christ in baptism and raising anew just as He did on the third day, Paul expounds on the…
Luke 13-14: Jesus and the people.
June 27, 2015. Daily Reading: Luke 13-14. Background: Luke 11-12. Concepts and Connections. Chapter 13 1. Repentance and bearing fruit: Continuing His ministry, some of the people who were with Jesus told him about some Galileans who had apparently been killed by Pilate, in what seems to be a question of how “bad” their sins…
Philippians 1-2: To live is Christ.
June 16, 2015. Daily Reading: Philippians 1-2. Background: This letter is a letter of Paul written to the church at Philippi, which was one of the earliest churches in Europe. Paul, along with Timothy and Silas, had visited Philippi on his second missionary journey after being called to the region in a vision at night,…
Twenty Eight Eighteen 