Relationship Words in the Word: Knowledge. “My will, my desire, is that you show mercy and you grow in knowledge of Me” (Hosea 6:6). Knowledge: The Hebraic-Christian understanding of “know” is not at all limited to an intellectual or mental knowledge. To know someone in the Biblical sense is to experience that person in a deeply …
Relationship Words in the Word: Marriage. “Haven’t you read the Scriptures about creation? The Creator made us male and female from the very beginning, and for this reason a man will leave his father and mother and cling to his wife, sticking to her like glue. He will be literally joined with his wife, and …
Relationship Words in the Word: Paraclete. “There is a Friend that sticks closer than a brother.” (Proverbs 18:24). The Holy Spirit is our true Companion and dear Friend, and desires to have a relationship with us by coming alongside us in our walk with God. The Holy Spirit is the very Spirit of our brother Jesus. …
Relationship Words in the Word: Community. “All who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need… The full number of believers, every one of them, were united in heart and soul. Not one of them claimed …
Relationship Words in the Word: Harmony. “Behold! Look, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers and sisters to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, running down on the edge of his garments. It is like the dew of …
Relationship Words in the Word: Koinonia. Koinonia may be the closest Greek word in the ancient world to the modern term “relationship,” and it is biblically described as meaning: fellowship; personal communion; held in common; shared partnership; close companionship; in community; active participation; partakers; deeply united; intimately bonded; dwell or abide within. The following “koinonia” …
Relationship Words in the Word: With! “Behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, Son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit; she will bear a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, …
Relationship Words in the Word: Trinity. “Truly the fellowship that we have is with the Father and the Son.” (1 John 1:3). Before the divine invention of time, before the foundation of the world, the triune God existed in a profoundly intimate community of three Persons. Because God is love, they created the world so they could …
Relationship Words in the Word. “For God so loved the world that He gave us His only Son, that whoever believes into Him will not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16). The word “relationship” is a relatively new word, first used in 1744, that tries to sum up many old ideas. This very modern …
Learning to Become a New Ezra. Ezra is an oft unsung hero whose story needs to be resurrected in our difficult era. He was an adventuresome priest, a prayerful scholar of the Word, and an innovative teacher of Scripture who led the Israelite settlers into spiritual renewal after being captive in Babylon for seventy years. …
Learning in the School of Ezra: Convinced of God’s Mercy. “When the builders laid the foundation of the Temple of the Lord, the priests in their robes and carrying trumpets, the Levites with cymbals, took their places to praise the Lord, as David king of Israel had instructed. They sang responsively, praising and giving thanks …
Learning in the School of Ezra through Public Confession. “Each day of the Feast, from the first day to the last one, Ezra read from Torah, God’s Book of Instructions The Israelites celebrated the Feast of Shelters for seven days; on the eighth day, as instructed in the Book, they held a solemn assembly. The …