The Real, The Right, And The Wrong

The twelfth chapter of Romans makes for some inspirational reading. It begins with a challenge for disciples to “offer your bodies as a living sacrifice” and concludes by telling us “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” In between, it is brimming with practical instructions for daily living. In verse 9,Continue reading “The Real, The Right, And The Wrong”

The Flagship Nation And Oneness In Christ

The leading ship in a fleet is known as the flagship. It is typically the largest, most well-armed ship in the fleet. It is called a flagship because it flies a flag indicating the presence of the fleet commander on board. For 1500 years God had a definite two-track arrangement among the nations. There wasContinue reading “The Flagship Nation And Oneness In Christ”

Justice In The Church (2)

By providing financial assistance to widows who were really in need, the church was fulfilling a vital part of its mission. The church as the body of Christ is to practice justice, mercy, and faithfulness (see Matthew 23:23). If the church is the expression of God’s kingdom’s coming, then our Father’s will should be doneContinue reading “Justice In The Church (2)”

Justice In The Church (1)

I suppose it’s easy to dismiss 1 Timothy 5:3-16 as the first century church at Ephesus dealing with some in-house matters we don’t fully understand and therefore it has little or nothing to say to us today. But if you’ve made it very far down the biblical road, there’s probably something stirring around the backContinue reading “Justice In The Church (1)”

Living The Gospel

One of Paul’s conclusions to his discussion in Romans 9-11 is that “God has bound everyone over to disobedience so that He may have mercy on them all” (v. 32). If you’ve been reading through Romans you’re not surprised by this statement because the letter is saturated with grace, mercy and forgiveness. Neither is itContinue reading “Living The Gospel”

Life Assurance

Checked your telomeres recently? Telomeres are the end caps of chromosomes. They protect them and have been likened to the plastic tips on shoelaces. When telomeres shorten, become frayed or thin out, it adversely effects cell development and accelerates the aging process. Therefore, the longer your telomeres are, the lower your biological age is—regardless ofContinue reading “Life Assurance”

“I’ve Never Seen That Before!”

I hope it hasn’t been too long since you said or thought these words. Part of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus is to live with our eyes wide open. Life isn’t boring. We don’t need to be dependent upon others to entertain us. There is wonder all around us if weContinue reading ““I’ve Never Seen That Before!””

Israel, The Torah, And The Flesh

Whatever else that might be said about it, the Torah was a covenant of the flesh. Those under the covenant were the fleshly descendants of Abraham through Jacob. The males received circumcision which was spoken of by God as “My covenant in your flesh” (Genesis 17:13). If a male wasn’t circumcised he would be cutContinue reading “Israel, The Torah, And The Flesh”

I Fought The Law And Sin Won

Romans 7 is as difficult to grasp as Romans 6 is easy to understand. It would have been fine with me if Paul had gone straight from chapter 6 to chapter 8. But of course had he done that the first four verses of chapter 8 wouldn’t mean nearly as much as they do. It’sContinue reading “I Fought The Law And Sin Won”