Have you ever seen God? Some of you will answer by telling me how you see God working or how you see God in nature or people. Those things are not God Himself. I will venture to guess that you have never seen God. Yet, we believe He is. A vast majority of people on... Continue Reading →
Daily Devotional- Ephesians 6:10-24
Paul closes his letter by encouraging the saints to wear the full armor of God. Summed up, we seek truth, righteousness, peace, faithfulness, salvation, and to know God’s word. In fact, God’s word is the sword of the Spirit—the thing the Spirit uses to cut through our own hearts and the hearts of others. We... Continue Reading →
Melchizedek: Prophet, Priest, and King
Genesis, the story of beginnings, revolves around several key events leading up to the founding of Israel as a people with a national identity. Creation Fall Flood Babel Calling of Abraham (Abram) Births of Isaac and Jacob Inception of the Twelve Israelite Tribes Flight to Egypt Even though I have so far taken 19 parts... Continue Reading →
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,... Continue Reading →
Daily Devotional: Romans 5:1-11
Therefore, since justification is by grace alone through faith alone, we have peace with God through Christ. There seem to be many today, even of the household of faith, who believe God is interested in war against people. Through Christ, He has declared peace and is saving a people by grace through faith for Himself.... Continue Reading →
On Order and Chaos
Paul has been writing to the Corinthians church about unity through maturity. In this section of his letter, he addresses spiritual gifts, primarily those of prophecy and tongues. We have seen that, within the local church, spiritual gifts are given in order that we may edify one another, not seek attention or exalt ourselves. Out... Continue Reading →
The Foolishness of Our Faith
Paul is writing to the believers at Corinth to encourage unity through maturity in the faith (v. 10). He is writing with unity as his goal because there are divisions in the church (v. 11-17). Jesus made Paul an apostle and sent him to preach the Gospel, not in cleverness of speech so that the... Continue Reading →
Christian Unity
Paul has introduced his letter and revealed the faithfulness of God as the foundational doctrine behind his first letter to the church at Corinth. Today, we see the overall exhortation of his letter. The whole letter concerns Christian unity and agreement. Every verse that follows verse 10 is part of the exhortation that the church... Continue Reading →
Do You Have Peace With God?
After recording the genealogy of Jesus of Nazareth, Matthew tells the story of Jesus’ birth and childhood by expositing the Old Testament text. This section in our current study of Matthew’s Gospel begins in Matthew 1:18 and ends in Matthew 2:23. This section of the text includes the geographical prophecies of the Old Testament and... Continue Reading →
True Prosperity
In the last month, my wife and I were sitting in a Bible study for young adults and an illustration was made by the group leader. As part of his illustration, he asked if anyone ever knew anybody who naturally did well in school, getting A’s without even trying. Immediately my wife looked at me... Continue Reading →