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 …
Learning in the School of Ezra: Celebrating the Feast of Shelters. “On the next day, the heads of families and the priests gathered around Ezra again to study more of the words of the Torah. They discovered that the people of God were to live in temporary shelters at that time. So in obedience to …
Learning in the school of Ezra through Physical Worship. “When they saw Ezra open the Book, the people all stood up, immediately rising to their feet. Then Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people chanted, ‘Amen! Amen!’ or ‘Truly! Truly!’ as they lifted their hands. Then they bowed their heads low …
Learning In the School of Ezra: Preach it! “Ezra stood on a high wooden platform built just for this occasion. He read the Torah aloud, the Book of the Teachings of the Lord, teaching the Book from sunrise to noon. All the people could see him because he was standing above them in full view …
Learning in the School of Ezra: God’s Hand-Picked Leader. “Ezra had devoted himself to investigating Scripture, he had set his heart to studying and practicing the Torah instructions of the Lord, and to teaching Israel its statutes and laws.” (Ezra 7:10). Ezra is probably the most famous Bible scholar in the history of the Judeo-Christian …