There’s a well known quote that says, “Preach the gospel at all times. If necessary use words.” While I understand the meaning and intended sentiment – be so radically loving, humble, and kind that people know there is something different about you- I can’t help but think this stops far short of what Jesus commands …
Tag Archives: god
Opportunity
Question: Does prosperity cause you to look more and more like Jesus, or less? I am reminded of the account of the “rich young ruler,” who asked Jesus how he could inherit eternal life. From digging deeper into the text in Luke 18, and the Greek meaning of the words, we know that the man …
WHERE THE RIVER FLOWS
I have been in church all my life, and until I listened to a message recently by a young pastor named Tyler Staton, I had never heard anyone tie the threads together that I will discuss in this post. I subsequently ordered his new book, “The Familiar Stranger,” which invites the reader to a deeper …
PUT IT ON
“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians …
YOU FEED THEM
Whenever people gather, you always have to think about food. It was no different in Jesus’ day. Wherever he went, crowds would come to hear his life changing words, often for days at a time. Luke recounts how Jesus had previously given the twelve authority and power over demons and disease, and sent them out to …
THE ROCK THAT WILL NOT FAIL
Have you have ever stood at edge of the ocean, and noticed how quickly the ground underneath you shifts? You may feel steady for a moment, but soon you are mired in the sand, and the longer you stay there, the more unbalanced you become. Jesus told a parable of a man who built his …
How We Build
How We Build As this year comes to a close, I am thinking about building. In 1 Corinthians 3, the Apostle Paul says he has laid a foundation, which is Christ. He says, “Let each one take care how he builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is …
A New Way
Tom Holland’s book, “Dominion,” is a deep and gritty depiction of the Roman occupied world into which Jesus came. It was a world where pride, human achievement, and status were prized, and humility would have been viewed with disdain. In this world the Romans, in order to maintain a firm grip on any uprisings against them and …
Covenant
“I will put my laws in their hearts and write them on their minds.” Hebrews 10:16 Covenantal agreements were a part of Jewish life. These formal agreements could be agreements between God and people, or between people themselves. But one important feature of a covenant was that it had a relational aspect. In Hebrews 10, …
All the Promises
“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” John 1:14. The Word. He is the Word incarnate, the Logos, and his name, the name of Jesus, is above every other name. In the beginning, God spoke the Word, and everything came to be. “In the Beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, …
Life By The Way 