Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons.– 1 Timothy 4:1, ESV I am intrigued by the adverbial modifier ῥητῶς in this verse – “expressly.” It would have seemed sufficient to say, “The Sprit says …” but Paul…
Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.– Acts 8:4, NIV-1978 The scene above follows the infamous stoning of Stephen in Acts 7, the stoning which Saul/Paul seems to have given oversight, and certainly approval. Following the death of Stephen, “a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all…
Last week we looked at our passions – those things our “gut” (φρήν) longs after. This week we shift ever so slightly and look at the reason for that longing. It is found in the preceding verse that formed the baseline for last week’s blog posting. Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts…
It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes.– Psalm 119:71, ESV This is not an oft-heard sentiment. Rather, our response to any sort of affliction is typically intonings of depression, complaint, or simple whining. I don’t know that I have ever heard (outside of this psalm) an individual express gratitude for…
Social media is rife with eschatalogical speculation. Stong opinions surface in discussions of end-times events. Clashing viewpoints devolve into debates and arguments resulting in bruised emotions and broken relationships. While it is true that we are called to “keep watch”1 for the return of the Master, I find myself less interested in the making of charts…
We are told in 1 John that we should “walk in the light as he himself is in the light.”1 We walk in the light. God is the light, and he is in the light. The result of our walking in the light is that we have fellowship with others who also walk in the light. I read once that “darkness is…
Some conversations just stick with you. I recall a very brief conversation I had as a teenager, a conversation with a man who was probably in his late thirties. I asked the gentleman, in some way or other, how his day was going. To this day, I can hear his response, “Oh, you know ……
In a time and culture that finds the idea of shame shameful (i.e. “How dare you shame them in that way!”), it seems prudent to point out that shame is neither always nor universally a bad thing.
Far too frequently we are presented with a false dichotomy, pressed to choose between two ostensibly opposing concepts. We can choose God or we can choose science, but we cannot choose both because they are said to be at odds and, as such, cannot coexist. No folly could possibly be further from the truth. God…
I can conscientiously recite neither the Apostles Creed nor the Nicene Creed, both of which are frequently recited in unison at more liturgical assemblies of believers. It is a conviction I hold and one to which I will remain faithful until such time as I am persuaded to see it otherwise. I do not anticipate…
