Gathering simply around the Lord is still the prime basis of unity among the people of God. The first nine chapters of 1 Chronicles contain the genealogies leading from Adam through Shem to Abram, and Abram’s line through Isaac and Israel to Judah. Chapter 10 recounts the ill-fated end of the rejected Saul and the fair beginnings […]
“You became followers of us and of the Lord…so that you became examples to all in Macedonia and Achaia who believe” (1 Thess 1:5-7). Disciple making is the Lord’s design. We will convince no one that we are NT believers if we are not engaged in this vital work. Why? 1. Because it is the […]
“He must increase, but I must decrease” (Jn 3:30). This isn’t exactly a petition, but it could easily become one. Lord, let me daily decrease so that You might increase in me! Our New Testament speaks of increased faith (Lk 17:5), increased blessing in the gospel (1 Cor 3:6-7), increasing fruits of righteousness (2 Cor […]
God couldn’t have a king who went from seeking divine wisdom to seeking dinner with a witch! Although it may not seem so to us, we’ve come to a very sensitive place in the book, especially for its first readers. As the returned expatriates sought to reestablish themselves in the land, the monarchy had to […]
Alfred Wiener, a Jew born in Frankfurt, Germany, became familiar with “St. Matthew’s Passion” by Bach and Handel’s “Messiah” through his love of good music. When Hitler came to power, Weiner ended up in Buchenwald. He grew deathly sick. As he lay in the darkness, not knowing whether he was delirious or dreaming, an abyss […]
A questioner asked a street preacher, “If God is our Father, who is our mother?” Jerusalem (Gal 4:26)! In the original subdividing of the land, Jerusalem was allotted to Benjamin. But that area remained under the Jebusites. Saul reigned from his hometown of Gibeah, a few miles north, but, after David’s 7.5-year rulership in Hebron, […]
Want to help advance the gospel? Evaluate needs: see your area as a mission field; map population centers; identify people groups. Assess opportunities: pray for “open doors” (Acts 14:27; 1 Cor. 16:9; 2 Cor. 2:12; Col. 4:3); observe where people gather; look for vulnerabilities (Lk. 4:18) as entry-ways to the good news; observe and develop […]
Have you ever touched a live wire before? Quite shocking, isn’t it? Did you know, Christian, that there’s a live wire within you? Find out what it is… […]