The Good News of Reconciliation – Defining Our Terms. “Therefore, anyone who is united with the Messiah is a new creature; anyone who is in Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone, a new life has begun, and that person is part of the new creation. The old things have gone …
Hopeful Lament in a Gospel Song – “I Want Jesus to Walk with Me”. “May God, the source of hope, fill you completely with joy and peace as you continue trusting, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may have overflowing hope, a hope that bubbles over.” (Romans 5:13). Hope Defined. The biblical words for hope point to …
Working While We Wait – A Parable of Jesus. (Please read Luke 19: 11-27). THE CONTEXT. Jesus taught this parable because the disciples assumed the New Kingdom was to appear very soon. They are just coming from Jericho, where Jesus announced to Zaccheus that salvation had come to his house. Surely, the disciples thought on the …
On Creator God as Working-Class Heroes. “From eternity past, I (Lady Wisdom) was established, well before the world began. Yahweh possessed me before earth got its start. When He staked out earth’s foundation and set in place its pillars, I was right there with him, anointed from the beginning, making sure everything fit. Day after …
Working for The Gracious Employer – A Parable of Jesus. THE CONTEXT. In this story from the Great Storyteller (Matthew 20:1-16), Jesus is here addressing questions about the character of God and the nature of salvation, about the last being first and the first being last. The parable is an illustration of what that idea …
The 3rd Beatitude in Revelation. “The revelation of Jesus Christ…” (Rev. 1:1). John the Divine left no doubt about the purpose of his Book of Revelation. His very first words in his prologue were that his vision was an unveiling of Jesus. His baffling and otherworldly writings in this book were not primarily about future events, …
Revelation: The Church in Sardis. “Rouse yourself and keep awake, strengthen and invigorate what remains and is on the point of dying… Call to mind the lessons you received and heard; continually lay them to heart and obey them.” (Revelation 3:2-3; the full passage is Rev. 3:1-6). Sardis: Fortified city. Impregnable, seemingly impossible to attack …
Revelation: The Church in Pergamum. “I know where you live, a place where Satan sits enthroned. And yet you are clinging to and holding fast My name and you did not deny My faith… But repent! Or else I will come to you quickly and fight against them with the sword of My mouth!” (Revelation …
The Sevenfold Holy Spirit in Revelation. “The revelation of Jesus Christ…” (Rev. 1:1). John the Divine left no doubt about the purpose of his Book of Revelation. His very first words in his prologue were that his vision was an unveiling of Jesus. His baffling and otherworldly writings in this book were not primarily about future …
A Title of Christ in Revelation: The Hidden Manna. “The revelation of Jesus Christ…” (Rev. 1:1). John the Divine left no doubt about the purpose of his Book of Revelation. His very first words in his prologue were that his vision was an unveiling of Jesus. His baffling and otherworldly writings in this book were not …
Revelation: The Vision of the Glorified Christ. “The revelation of Jesus Christ…” (Rev. 1:1). John the Divine left no doubt about the purpose of his Book of Revelation. His very first words in his prologue were that his vision was an unveiling of Jesus. His baffling and otherworldly writings in this book were not primarily …
The Least of These: The Homeless. “For I was hungry and you gave Me food, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you made Me your guest, I needed clothes and you covered Me, I was sick and you took care of Me, I was in prison and …