Legalism Kills the Fruit of the Spirit
If you think you can work your way to salvation there is no need for the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-26). When I was younger I really believed that if I got it all right that I was in the right camp and therefore, God would save me. On the flip side I believe […]
Unity & Division: Two Sides of the Same Coin
The apostle Paul gives us instruction on the true meaning of unity and what it takes to maintain it in Ephesians 4. First, he says unity is created by God and maintained by God’s people (4:3). God creates unity through the work of Jesus and the Holy Spirit. We maintain the unity God created. The […]
What is the Goal of the Human Life? The Answer May Surprise You
One might think the goal of the human life is to die and go to heaven. To go and get our eternal reward! The goal of the human life is not to die and go to heaven. The goal of the human life is to be like Jesus. One cannot be like Jesus without the […]
Is Our Focus on Paul Related to a Lack of Focus on Discipleship?
Here is where the word “disciple” occurs in the New Testament (NIV) Matthew – 78Mark – 59Luke – 50John – 81Acts – 26 Here is where the word “church” occurs in the New Testament (NIV) Matthew – 2Acts – 19Romans – 51 Cor – 222 Cor – 9Gal – 3Eph – 9Phil – 2Col – […]
Jesus’ Teaching on Divorce in Mark 10
I have been working through Mark 10 this week. The chapter starts with the Pharisees testing Jesus on his view of the legality of divorce. It is possible given Mark 10:1 that Jesus just crossed over into Herod Antipas’ territory. Herod had divorced his wife to marry his half-brother’s ex-wife. So marriage, divorce and re-marriage […]
Prayer in the Early Church – What Were They Praying for and What Can We Learn from Them?
What can we learn from how the early church prayed? We can learn so much! As I have gone back through Acts and the Epistles I have looked for some common threads and themes that come up over and over again. Here is what I found. The early church prayed together regularly. We see it […]
Faith or Fault?
Mark 2 is full of people who found faith and people who found fault. Read all four stories in the chapter and you will see it in each one. We get to choose which one we are going to be. If you choose to live in fear you choose to be the critic. If you […]
They Wanted to be Near Jesus, Not for the Same Reason
Read Mark 2 when you have 2 minutes and look at all the people who wanted to be with Jesus. The crowds filled the house to hear him teach the word. The friends lower their paralyzed buddy. Levi goes with him. Jesus has a meal with tax collectors and sinners “for there were many who […]
Enmeshment, Anxiety and Discipleship
There were several instances where the disciples show signs of enmeshment with each other and with others. These are times when their value gets wrapped up in the value of others. We see this in their arguments over who is the greatest in Luke 22. We see this in John 21 when Peter’s death is […]
Discipleship and Our Enemies
In Luke, Jesus gives a sermon very similar to the Sermon on the Mount that we call the Sermon on the Plain (Luke 6:17-49). One of the main points of this sermon is how we treat our enemies. We are to: 1 – Love them2 – Bless them3 – Pray for them4 – Be generous […]