Teachable
Apollos was a Jew born in Alexandria, Egypt, a major cultural and intellectual center of the ancient world, second only to Rome. It was one of the five major centers of early Christianity. Apollos was an eloquent preacher with a large following of Christians who wanted to be identified with him. He defended the
A Comprehensive Salvation
We often attempt to narrow our salvation and the atonement to the cross and resurrection. What we must understand is that everything that Christ was in His person and everything that He did was to accomplish our full rescue. His incarnation, the life He lived, the teachings he gave us to follow, the temptations
Constantly Changing
Your skin, muscles, bones and brain are constantly changing. This process of maintenance and rejuvenation requires physical exercise and nutritious foods if the change is going to be healthy. Spiritually, we are constantly changing. That change can be positive and progressive, if we are being nourished by Spirit and Truth. We become what nourishes
I Picked Me
The forbidden fruit: Was it an apple? A pear? I heard of one man who speculated that it was a watermelon. He said that it must have once grown on trees, but was cursed as was the serpent to crawl on his belly, hence it was a watermelon. Of course, he was not serious.
The Workings Of Grace
I heard Dr. A. B. Mackey, President of Trevecca Nazarene College, say, “Some people are sweeter by nature than others are by grace.” We all laughed, because it was a true-to-life kind of statement. We had seen non-professing Christians outside the church who were sweeter than some inside the church. However, what we have
A Good Life
Want to have a good life? “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8, NIV). Doing justice, loving mercy and walking humbly with God is the key to a
Live From Christ
To live from Christ is to allow the life of His Spirit in you to be expressed through you. It is to live from the teachings of Christ that are laid out for us in the gospels. It is to live out our lives from where Christ sits on the throne of our heart.
The Dead Oak
The majestic oak was over 100 years old; now it was lying in a state of decay. The forest ignored it as an eyesore. Some said that its day was over for this old matriarch of trees. Look further. Within a mile of mamma oak, there were hundreds of descendants, children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren,
Mortality And Immortality
Every time we stand at an open grave, we are reminded of our own mortality. Death wants us to think that it has the final word, but it does not. Christ has shown us by His own resurrection that He will see to it that Life has the final word. What is mortal of
Rising Dust
We were made out of dust to praise the Creator. Can those who go back to dust ever rise in joy to praise? Isaiah and Daniel saw the day. “Your dead shall live, their corpses shall rise. O dwellers in the dust, awake and sing for joy! For your dew is a radiant dew,
Dying and Rising
Built into creation is dying and rising. We see it in Winter and Spring. We see it in germinating seeds. We see it in dormant flowers that spring to new life. The Word came to live among us. We did not expect Him to be so gruesomely murdered, but He was. We mourned at
A Borrowed Tomb
Jesus rode a borrowed donkey. He borrowed an upper room for His disciples to eat the Passover. At last, He was buried in a borrowed tomb. Joseph of Arimathea freely gave his own burial place, expecting nothing in return, not knowing that he was merely lending it. Jesus did not need it as a
Tomb Waiting Time
He was our Messiah King, even on the cross. He was our Messiah King when He was raised by His Father. But He was still our Messiah King while in the grave. He was down. He was dead. He appeared defeated. Pause here. Since we are His, when we are down, we are not
The Smitten Crowd
When Jesus’ sordid crucifixion was over, even many in the crowds “returned home, beating their breasts.” This action not only showed extreme horror, but also the understanding that something had gone terribly wrong. When the great empire can crush its most innocent citizen, when ruthless power can kill the weak to make a statement,
Five Pieces of Cloth
Clothing had value. Four soldiers wanted it. Each took one piece, and they gambled for the fifth (John 19:23-24). At the end of the day, they took their booty with them. What happened to those five pieces of cloth? Were they kept and worn? Were they sold at a profit? Did their value change
Rolling The Dice
Hanging on the cross Jesus was engaging the powers of death, evil and darkness. In the words of N.T. Wright, this was “The Day The Revolution Began.” While these earth shaking matters were going on above them, along with all of its pain and suffering, soldiers gambled for the garments of Jesus. Each had
Forgiveness And Peacemaking
“Father, forgive them, they do not know what they are doing.” This word from Jesus is an amazing word. By it, He is making peace with all humanity through forgiveness. Forgiveness is the key component of peacemaking. Without this, we cannot be reconciled to each other. Giving forgiveness is one way we are like
The Humility of God
Jesus Christ reveals the humility of God; the One who has all power comes to us incognito. He patiently waits for us to invite Him, even while He is drawing us with His grace. He waits for our love while extravagantly pouring out His. He submits to our choices, even if that choice is
Wrath To Donkey Riders
The empire is out to teach donkey riders a lesson. All it takes is the bigger weaponry of chariots and horses. But the God who hates war rode a donkey anyway. Jesus came to “take away the war-horses from Jerusalem,” i.e., city of Shalom. The world says, “You see where it got Him —
Riding A Donkey
Chariots were the war tanks of the ancient world. Every army coveted them. They had a great advantage over the foot soldier. Egypt had them in abundance, but they proved to be no advantage in God’s great rescue. Solomon accumulated horses and chariots, trusted in them and destroyed Israel. When God’s true King came,
Press On
Sometimes we just don’t feel like it. Getting up. Going to work. Going to church. Doing some service, or ministry. We cannot serve out of a feeling with the rewards it might bring us. We do what needs to be done, because that it is right and good. Surprise of surprises, some of the
The Unanswered “Why”
Insisting on knowing “why” this or that happened can be a frustrating and peace-destroying cycle. It is okay to ask the question and it is also okay not to get an answer. The question of “why” is often asked of God. Yet, there are other people’s choices that play hugely into the things that
Real Confession
Confession is knowing myself, and having taken a hard look, telling the truth about myself. Few ever look deeply into their own heart with its ill motives and skewed intent. They have been taught by themselves, or others, that it is a denial of holiness to talk about one’s own shortcomings, mistakes, and yes,
Shallow Confession
There is nothing so worthless as a glib confession of sin. It uses “I am a sinner” with no more meaning than “I am a human”. These shallow confessions are often laced with a false humility; they can even be a cloak for self-righteousness. This kind of confession has no desire to get on
Repenting of Emptiness
So much of that with which we fill our minds leaves us more empty than when we started. We nibble at the cotton candy of social media, while neglecting richer stores of knowledge that are all around us. Never forget that the Great Commandment, according to Jesus, is to also love God with our