You who are far off…
“Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”“ […]
Babel Reversed
“That is why it was called Babel—because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth.“ (Genesis 11:9, NIV) “When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language.“ (Acts […]
Greater Things?
“I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.“ (John 14:12, NIV) Let’s be honest – the Bible is often offensive. I’m offended when I’m told not to do certain things […]
Running to Tell
“So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples.“ (Matthew 28:8, NIV) At my house, it never fails. Whenever something exciting happens – making the team, getting an A on a test, getting a promotion – we can’t wait to tell each other! When we […]
A Reason to Celebrate!
“When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a ‘sinner.’ ”” (Luke 19:5-7, […]
Appreciation
“First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world.” (Romans 1:8, NIV) The Apostle Paul said this, or something similar, in every one of his New Testament letters. He appreciated the church. That Latin word, “appretiare” means to estimate the quality of […]
Offended!
This last year I noticed an interesting paradox in our society. First, our culture has a continuing love-affair with fame. It seems folks will do or say almost anything to be noticed by others. But in 2016, the pursuit of popularity ran headlong into another emerging trend in our society: we are offended easily and, […]
What’s in a Word?
“When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said in a rather scornful tone, “it means just what I choose it to mean – neither more nor less.” I love this quote. When I read it I think Lewis Carroll must have been a prophet, describing 21st century U.S. rather than 1865 England. Think about it. […]
I Will!
Ever wonder why Jesus always had a crowd surrounding him? People wanted to be near him. People wanted to listen to him. He called people to their best – but didn’t belittle them at their worst. His personal standard of living was holy, but not holier than thou. He was religious, but not part of […]
Being the Church
Jesus was known to upset an applecart or two in his day. In his most famous sermon, he went through a whole list of cultural norms and modified them. One in particular was love. It is natural for us to love our friends and hate our enemies. But God wants us to extend our boundaries […]
Jesus in a Pluralistic Society
To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen. (Jude 24-25, NIV) The Bible’s full of […]
Be the Church
But if an unbeliever or someone who does not understand comes in while everybody is prophesying, he will be convinced by all that he is a sinner and will be judged by all, and the secrets of his heart will be laid bare. So he will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, “God is really […]
