-
Calling One; Calling All
Luke 3:7–16; 2 Peter 1:3–15 What is calling? For pastors, their calling is…being a pastor. Even how “being a pastor” changes depending on character, passions, and context. However, due to the influence of the Roman Catholic church (statement not fault-finding), most Protestant traditions (there are some exceptions) use the word “calling” for only one “calling”…being
-
Using Ways
Luke 16:1–9 This is one of those interesting parables. I knew a small business owner who taught a Sunday School lesson on this passage. He was quite honest that he hated it. As a small business owner, he could not understand the apparent praise for a person who reduced what was owed. This is understandable.
-
Summary Path
Malachi 4:5–6; Matthew 17:10–13; John 1:19–28 Jesus said that John was Elijah. John said he wasn’t Elijah. Who was right? The question is, who is Elijah? The other question is, who’s asking? First of all, let’s talk about Malachi’s words. Malachi prophesied that Elijah would come back to Judah heralding a massive change. Malachi spoke
-
Drink or Eat
Judges 6:25–32; Hebrews 5:11–6:3 Supposedly, the Israelites were the People of God. Their lives after their entrance into the Promised Land was certainly not a testimony to that. The worthless gods and idols of the land became the focus of their lives. God became a second thought, if that. Weak Gideon (his own thoughts of
-
House Building
Psalm 127; Matthew 24:1–2; 1 Corinthians 3:1–11 Unless the Lord is in it, it will fail. This is a common adage heard in the church, and it is based on Psalm 127:1. Yet, the interpretation often is, if it is successful, God is in it. This spiritualizes (or over-spiritualizes) far too many things. The sun
-
…Who’s There?
Matthew 7:7–12; Luke 13:22–30; Revelation 3:14–22 “Knock, Knock” jokes rank up there with “dad” jokes. Most of the time they are a play on words, and almost all the time they’re only cute (or funny) when a kid says them. These passages with knocking in them are probably quite familiar to you. If not, hang
-
Self of Nothing
Judges 4:1–24; 2 Samuel 6:12–22; Psalm 18:20–29 Many have often condemned Barak as a coward who hides behind a woman’s skirt (so to speak). What if there is something else at play? If you read the Book of Joshua and 1 & 2 Samuel, the Ark of the Covenant was part of the army’s formation.
-
For and/or In and/or Of
Matthew 13:44–52 Translating the Scriptures is hard work. Whether it be the 1611 King James Bible, The Amplified, the New International Version, the Christian Standard Bible, the nuances of multiple languages (Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic) along with cultural overlays, makes it incredibly difficult. Then you have the literal translations, the “thought” translations, the “concept” translations,
-
Whatcha Doing?
Psalm 46; Luke 10:38–42 It’s a crazy world. There is so much going on. If you live in the United States, you know the next election is just around the corner. Although, it seems all of 2020 has been an election year. If you are on social media, your “stream” may be flooded with this
-
Washing Branches
John 13:1–11; John 15:1–10 Just in case you didn’t catch it before, John 13–17 is all during the Last Supper. It certainly does beat Moses’ Book of Deuteronomy in length. These chapters do, however, give us a deep insight into Jesus as his final hours are approaching (The Jewish day started at Sunset, so the