For we too were once foolish, disobedient, deceived, captives of various passions and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, detesting one another. But when the goodness and love for man appeared from God our Savior, He saved us—not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to His mercy, through the washing of regeneration and renewal by […]
Five times in his letter to the congregations in Ephesus, Paul used a word that has been translated into English as “heavenly places” (NKJV), “heavenly” (HCSB), or “heaven” (CJB). The word could be translated very literally as “above the sky.” In Ephesians 1:20, our Father exalted Jesus from the dead to seat Him at His right hand in the heavens. […]
By far, most of the people employed by American congregations in positions called “The Pastor” do not have the spiritual gift of pastor. The ones who do suffer frequent insults and complaints about how boring their sermons are, because having the spiritual gift of pastor means by default they do not have the gift of teacher. No congregation described in […]
I have been asking the Spirit why so many people I know who have been declaring their faith in His power to heal for decades are currently sick. I believe that part of His answer was that the body of Jesus has been willing to settle for people praying for each other as needs arise, rather than praying for every […]
Origen was a leader among believers a couple of centuries after the birth of Jesus. As a portion of a treatise he titled, “Against Celsus,” (Origen Book III, 29-30) he wrote what I have quoted below. It is a contrast between the ekklesias that were local representations of the governments of men and the local ekklesias that represented the Kingdom […]
Some of the opportunities (“good things”) that we encounter are not good. Righteousness is doing what the Spirit of the King says to do, even if it doesn’t seem best or most effective. Asking the Spirit what to do won’t always result in righteous actions, because we don’t always hear what He says or always realize it is Him saying […]
I heard a believer recently complaining about a denomination that allowed women in the pulpit. Several faulty practices came to my mind that seemed more important, that both his denomination and the one he was challenging consider to be good. Practices like: having a pulpit, in a temple, where one person, who may or may not have the spiritual gift […]
As soon as Jesus becomes the Center of our doctrine, our hope, our discussion, our study, our life, our joy, our love, believers will be united and will begin to bring His authority into every aspect of life in the world. As long as we each have our discussions and doctrines and love and study and hope or anything else […]
Lord, there is no one like You.You are great;Your name is great in power.Who should not fear You,King of the nations?It is what You deserve.For among all the wise people of the nationsand among all their kingdoms,there is no one like You.They are both senseless and foolish,instructed by worthless idolsmade of wood!Beaten silver is brought from Tarshish,and gold from Uphazfrom […]
He presented another parable to them: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It’s the smallest of all the seeds, but when grown, it’s taller than the vegetables and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the sky come and nest in its branches.”He told them another parable: […]