Early in the morning, as He was returning to the city, He was hungry. Seeing a lone fig tree by the road, He went up to it and found nothing on it except leaves. And He said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” At once the fig tree withered. When the disciples saw it, they were amazed and said, “How did the fig tree wither so […]
Monthly Archives: February 2018
Knowing or Knowing About
When Jesus influenced the woman at the Samaritan well, she went to town and influenced her neighbors. Her influence was only information, though. In order to convert people to the Family of God and to the Kingdom of God, we need to be involved in what the Samaritans experienced after they heard the woman’s testimony: Now many Samaritans from that town believed in Him because of what the woman said […]
Chatty Demons
Why did the unclean spirit in the fortune teller Luke mentioned in Acts 16:16-24 keep making so much noise that seemed to endorse the work being done by Paul and Silas? It is interesting to me also that when the Holy Spirit drove Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by satan that one of satan’s talks with Jesus (Luke 4:9-11) included quoting Psalm 91:11-12 . The next verse of […]
The Scent of Brokenness
Knowing Jesus in the “fellowship of His sufferings” (Philippians 3:7-11) was a goal that Paul had in his heart at one point in his life. A lime has a much greater impact on the aroma in a room if you scrape its skin or cut it open. Being bruised by serving Jesus causes us to have the power to change the atmosphere around us if we wear it with humility […]
Outside the Camp
The laws that Yahweh gave Israel through Moses included many activities that had to happen outside of their camp. Anyone who became unclean had to spend time outside the camp. Activities that were unclean had to be conducted outside the camp, from disposing of trash and excrement to stoning someone to death. Being dismissed even temporarily to life outside of the fellowship was something that held a stigma – it […]
Being Tired
Being tired is required for a car. If you are frequently tired, it may indicate that you are bored or mismatched with your ministry. A pastor who has been hired as the only minister in a congregation is likely to be tired for many reasons. Having to present 1 to 4 inspirational talks and/or Bible expositions each week would be enough, being a pastor instead of a teacher. Putting an […]
Storing Oil
Suppose that in some way in your life, you are like the virgins Jesus mentioned in Matthew 25:1-13. Maybe in the future, if not now… What is the oil that you are storing? What are you preparing for? Some people are storing food for the apocalypse. Some people are storing money for retirement. Some are just collecting punches on their loyalty cards to get a free cup of coffee. What […]
Empty Words
Fear of rejection or condemnation causes many believers to keep a pocket full of cliche’s available for pacifying biters in their fellowships. If you don’t have the right answers handy, you may be accused of not being spiritual, or maybe even not saved yet. They can also feel protective when you have no idea what the right answer is, but a cliche’ seems to notate a doctrine that implies that […]
Where do You Stare?
“Don’t collect for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But collect for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eye is good, your whole body will be full […]
Inviting or Invading
The two extremes of trying to bring the Kingdom of Heaven to the earth that the Church has proven don’t work are hiding behind stained glass and inviting people to meetings, and attempting to rule the earth from our pulpits. This ranges from rantings against “Washington” by Texas preachers on TV, which no one in “Washington” is listening to, to the “Holy Roman Empire,” which was as guilty of persecuting […]