One of my heroes, E. Stanley Jones, shared a story about some villagers in India who were going to be baptized. A visiting bishop, who was present to oversee the baptisms, was very pompous. He asked some of the villagers, “What is it to be a Christian?” He was expecting the correct theological answer. The answer he received was, “To […]
And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba, Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God. (Galatians 4:6-7 from Holman Christian Standard Bible ©®) Anyone who is still captive to the laws Yahweh gave Israel, or the natural, […]
In 1 Peter 3:18-22, Peter wrote about Noah’s experience in the ark he built, calling it an “antitype” of baptism. Many things we see or experience in the life we have in Christ are types or anti-types. Learning about some dynamic of the Kingdom of God is frequently a preview of an experience the next week, in which we do […]
My father did some grafting in his garden when I was young. Grafting is either taking part of one organism and making it grow in another place on the same organism, or taking part of one organism and making it grow as part of another organism. Some real examples are: skin from part of your body so no one would […]
Bonsai means “tray planting.” It is a form of art and/or entertainment that can make plants seem miniature or cause them to be shaped artistically. Using string and clippers, you can control the shape of a tree and create an artistic expression in an organic medium. You have not changed the nature of the tree, though – just the shape. […]
He is the Lamb, in the throne with His Father (Revelation 3:21 He is the King, and He is seated in His throne, with us beside Him (Ephesians 2:6 He is in our midst when we gather in His name (Matthew 18:20 He never forsook His disciples by leaving them, He has not left you (Deuteronomy 31:6; Hebrews 13:5 He […]
Most congregations of the church are more like orphanages than families. A small number of surrogate parents are employed to do the work of caring for too many children. God wants to set people in families (Psalm 68:5-6). Elisha did twice as many mighty works as Elijah. This was majorly because Elisha was taken in as a son by Elijah. […]
Therefore, God’s chosen ones, holy and loved, put on heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, accepting one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a complaint against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so also you must forgive. Above all, put on love—the perfect bond of unity. And let the peace of the Messiah, to which […]
Then Herod, with his soldiers, treated Him with contempt, mocked Him, dressed Him in a brilliant robe, and sent Him back to Pilate. That very day Herod and Pilate became friends. Previously, they had been hostile toward each other. Pilate called together the chief priests, the leaders, and the people, and said to them, “You have brought me this man as […]
Jesus replied to them, “Have faith in God. I assure you: If anyone says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore, I tell you, all the things you pray and ask for—believe that you […]