Kingdom (has) Come

But some of them said, “He drives out demons by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons!” And others, as a test, were demanding of Him a sign from heaven. Knowing their thoughts, He told them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is headed for destruction, and a house divided against itself falls. If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say I drive out demons […]

Discipling Our Nation

And the eleven disciples went into Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus assigned them. And having seen Him they worshiped; but some doubted. And having come to them, Jesus spoke to them, saying, “All authority in heaven and on the earth has been given to Me. Therefore having gone, disciple all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, […]

A New Way of Life

Or are you unaware that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in a new way of life. For if we have been joined with Him in the likeness of His […]

Raising our Children or Trusting Others To

In the decades of 1940 through 1960, the culture of the United States was so influenced by followers of Jesus that sending children to institutions of public education meant subjecting them to prayer and teachings that included moral values and behaviors. Because the church in the United States was infiltrated by leaders who taught their followers that church people had no place in politics and other public leadership, and the […]

Renewed Persistence

He also said to them: “Suppose one of you has a friend and goes to him at midnight and says to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I don’t have anything to offer him.’ Then he will answer from inside and say, ‘Don’t bother me! The door is already locked, and my children and I […]

Pain and Action

I was speechless and quiet;I kept silent, even from speaking good,and my pain intensified.My heart grew hot within me;as I mused, a fire burned.I spoke with my tongue: “Lord, reveal to me the end of my lifeand the number of my days.Let me know how transitory I am.”(Psalm 39:2-4 HCSB ©®) One reason Nehemiah was appointed to leadership by Yahweh is because he allowed himself to be driven to passion […]

Now and Then

Arguably, only “now” matters. You don’t really have anything else in your hand. Thus far, your life has simply been a long parade of “nows” from one perspective. I can’t focus only on the nows and get the next now right, though. Some nows are preparing me for tomorrows. Nows that included lions and bears prepared David for the now that included Goliath. Nows in the desert being hunted by […]

Come and See

John who baptized and preached repentance in preparation for the Kingdom one day told John the son of Zebedee and Andrew the brother of Peter that Jesus is the Lamb of God. John and Andrew therefore followed Jesus when He passed by them. Jesus turned to them and asked what they were looking for. Their response was they wanted to know where He was staying. He invited them to “Come […]

Kingdom Investments

What are you investing in the Kingdom of Heaven? What dividends are you receiving? We each have some money. Each of us has some time. We have understanding and information. The amount of each we invest in what is decided by answering questions each day. Some of the questions are in the form of demands; we have beggars on one side and our King on the other. Yet, on days, […]

Resolutions

Modern Roman mythology states that new converts to Jesus should all be baptized on easter sunday. Paul baptized people in the middle of the night if they became believers after sunset (Acts 16:25-34). Making changes in your life as resolutions on January 1 is a bit like once-a-year baptisms, I think. Today is the day of salvation, I read. What do you need to start? What do you need to […]