Reading the Gospels

I’m guessing that you have read Matthew, Mark, Luke,  and John at least once by now. The next time you read them, if you manage to convince yourself that when Jesus said anything there about the Kingdom (which He did – A LOT), He wasn’t talking about the church, the difference in what you extract from the words He spoke […]

The Glowing Face

Why, when Moses spent time in the presence of Yahweh, did his face glow in the dark? (Exodus 34) Why, when Jesus spent time speaking to His Father, did his face not shine? He was in all ways a man, just like us. We are the place now where His glory dwells. Through us, it is not just a glow, […]

Working or Bargaining

A merchant is not a builder, but a bargainer. She/he uses the power of trade to obtain a desired object or payment, not the power of labor. When the merchant in Matthew 13:45-46 found a pearl of astonishing value, he desired it. He could not get it by the means Jacob got his two wives and many flocks, though (Genesis […]

Singing Thanks

   Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; play the lyre to our God,  who covers the sky with clouds, prepares rain for the earth, and causes grass to grow on the hills.    He provides the animals with their food, and the young ravens, what they cry for.    He is not impressed by the strength of a horse; He […]

Womb or Tomb

I have been annoyed for a long time when I hear people having “revival meetings.” Part of my bad attitude stems from the number of meetings that came and went and nothing changed in or among anyone. Another part of the pain of listening to people longing for revival is the meaning of the word “revive.” It refers to something […]

Blessing on Purpose

Matthew described in chapter 10 of his testimony a Kingdom mission that Jesus sent him on with the rest of the apostles. Included was a bit of information about blessing or condemning people along the way. Jesus sent out these 12 after giving them instructions: “Don’t take the road leading to other nations, and don’t enter any Samaritan town. Instead, […]

Simple Gospel

I expect to soon be called on to pray with a 5 year old child regarding some trauma its family has subjected it to. While praying about what to pray, I started to also wonder how to include the child in the prayer. How can I communicate to the child that we are going to talk to Yahweh? How to […]

Going to Heaven

I feel as though I am about 40 years late doing the things that I believe I am in the earth to accomplish. Among other reasons, this sense that I have not really entered into my destiny here yet makes me pretty annoyed when the church around me is singing songs like “Precious Lord” – asking for permission to leave […]

A Social Gospel

Some believers, probably with the gift of evangelism, are very upset over something they call the “Social Gospel.” It upsets them because it is not focused on evangelism. Of course… Some believers, probably with gifts of teacher or pastor, are upset that the church is seeming to be irrelevant to the culture it encounters in our towns and cities and […]

There is a Prophet

Naaman, commander of the army for the king of Aram, was a great man in his master’s sight and highly regarded because through him, the Lord had given victory to Aram. The man was a brave warrior, but he had a skin disease. Aram had gone on raids and brought back from the land of Israel a young girl who […]