Tag: in Scripture
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Daily Devotional: Ephesians 4:17-24
God provides His Spirit and gifts each believer. Each believer is trained for ministry in the context of a local church. So, we no longer walk like the Gentiles, or like unbelievers. Unbelievers walk in the futility of their minds, being darkened in their understanding, and are excluded from the life of God because of…
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Daily Devotional: Ephesians 4:7-16
After describing who God is and, consequently, what we are—one body—he now turns to show us what makes us individually important in the body of Christ. Δε, the first word in verse 7, can be translated “but” or “now.” Now, to each one of us grace was given. Christ determines the measure of grace each…
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Daily Devotional: Ephesians 4:1-6
Therefore, because Paul wants the saints to comprehend God’s love, he implores them to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which they have been called. The way we live is in direct connection to our comprehension of God’s love. It is true that works are not required for salvation. They are, though,…
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The Pastor’s “Right” to a Paycheck
Paul is admonishing the church at Corinth toward unity through maturity. In the previous section, he encouraged the church toward Christian liberty to God’s glory—showing that abstinence from good things may be necessary for a time in order to exhort brothers and sisters in the faith so their consciences may be strengthened in the liberty…
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Inconvenient Compassion
Tonight, we transition from Matthew’s section about the place of the disciple to the Holy Week discourse. In the current section, we have discovered that the place of the disciple is the place of the lowly in this world, of servanthood, humility, and humble standing—not power, authority, or having much to gain. Even the section…
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What’s The Point? We All Die in the End…
I remember watching my Grandpa Helton die. His memory went. He eventually didn’t recognize even our family—referring to people by the names of the dogs he once owned. The whole process was painful for our entire family, but there was time to prepare. Sudden deaths are even more difficult. A schoolmate of mine died suddenly…
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When Jesus Went To Sin City
I was told by another pastor that the church I pastor is full of horrible people. This other pastor was not wrong. The Church at Sunsites is a local church full of unrighteous people whose only hope is to be clothed in Christ’s righteousness and be sanctified by His Holy Spirit. Really, I pity those…
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How Christians Fight The Man
I see outrage all around us. That’s my introduction. I hope you like it. 1 Samuel 24:16-22 When David had finished speaking these words to Saul, Saul said, “Is this your voice, my son David?” Then Saul lifted up his voice and wept. He said to David, “You are more righteous than I; for you…
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Buck Tradition
“We’ve always done it that way,” I heard a long-time member of a church I served a while back say when I mentioned that I wanted to evaluate the way we were doing ministry according to Scripture. Jesus taught about the place of traditional practices. When we hear Jesus’s teaching, something about His person and…
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Love Without Sound Doctrine
There are many local churches that defend sound doctrine without love. There are also many local churches and other groups that promote love without sound doctrine. Their priority is acceptance and unity; Their teaching is shallow and agreeable. That sounds kind of nice. I wonder how Jesus feels about that sort of focus—acceptance and unity…