Gnosis is a foreign word that means “knowledge.” The “Gn” part of the word is pronounced like “gnat.” Gnosticism is a loosely connected set of ideas held by groups of people who believe that there is “hidden knowledge” that is only accessible to the “enlightened” or “invited.” Kabballah, Freemasonry, Shriners, Buddhists, Hindus, alchemy, and a hundred forms of witchcraft argue about […]
Some of my evangelical mentors (Navigators, Campus Crusade, Intervarsity Press) instructed me to believe that when I turned to Jesus in faith I had my sin paid for. In Scriptural terms, they called that being “justified.” The next step of my process from death to life is an on-going one: “sanctification.” In this part of God’s plan, I am having […]
Men like to make things out of materials that are uniform and straight and fit together without much trouble. God likes to make things that are alive be built together into something that seems misshapen and asymmetrical and poorly attached to each other from our carnal perspectives. Peter wrote: “Coming to Him, a living stone—rejected by men but chosen and […]
When a story passes through enough peoples’ lips, it is no longer the story it was when it was first told. Words that have been abused long enough become something new. Part of Archie Bunker’s fame came from his misuse of words and stories. He was poorly educated, but strongly opinionated. His vocabulary increased by hearing other people use words, […]
A proverb I try to use to motivate people to prayer is, “You get what you pray for. If nothing is what you’re praying for, you get that quickly.” Asking the Spirit how to pray or what to pray for is wise. Then praying as He leads is powerful. We frequently need answers to questions that we don’t feel are […]
You are truly awesome! You are the son or daughter of the God Who imagined and then spoke into being everything that exists! But… You’re in that stupid flesh. The likelihood of any of us getting anything right in the circumstances in which we live is pitifully low. Even on the days when we have a sober look at our […]
We have the mind of Christ when you add your part of the picture to my part. We have it. He has revealed by His Spirit things that He has prepared for us. However, among the mature we do speak a wisdom, but not a wisdom of this age, or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to […]
Socialists, both the political types and the scientific types, have problems deciding how to balance their toleration of intolerant people. The problems come from every direction; if you are intolerant, it usually means that at some point you become intolerable. If I don’t tolerate you being intolerant, who wins that argument? If I, in hopes of being right and nice, […]
Jesus replied, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and the greatest commandment. The second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:36-40 “For the entire Law is […]
“Follow Me.” (Matthew 9:9) “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.” (Matthew 8:22) “You still lack one thing: sell all that you have and distribute it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.” (Luke 18:22) “If I want him to remain until I come,” Jesus answered, “what is that to […]