A Taste of Grace with Bruce Green

Fear, Faith, And Focus

When I was growing up, we had a white Siamese cat named Charlie. I don’t know how much breeding goes into a white Siamese, but I know this—Charlie was thoroughly domesticated. He was a household cat with a capital “H.” Yet every once in a while, Charlie got the itch to see what was onContinue reading “Fear, Faith, And Focus”

“Excuse me, could you help me with this?”

The man from Ethiopia (present day Sudan) needed help to understand the Scripture! That much is clear. Some say it was because there was no New Testament to aid him in interpreting the Old Testament text (Isaiah 52:13-53:12) he was reading. It is suggested that if he would have had the complete Bible he couldContinue reading ““Excuse me, could you help me with this?””

Everywhere They Looked

Wouldn’t you love to know exactly what the apostles were saying that morning of Pentecost when they were “declaring the wonders of God” (Acts 2:11)? Were they speaking of the extraordinary reversal of events God had brought about by raising Jesus from the dead? Was their topic the ascension of Christ they had recently witnessed? DidContinue reading “Everywhere They Looked”

Disciples And Hardships

I think it was Bobby Knight, the mercurial coach of Indiana men’s basketball for many years, who spoke about the player who shows up on game day saying, “I’ll do whatever it takes to win the game today.” He said that was good but who he really wanted was the player who shows up forContinue reading “Disciples And Hardships”

Bringing The World Together Through Jesus

One of the seven wonders of the ancient world was the Colossus of Rhodes. The statue stood in the city’s harbor and at over 150 in height (including the pedestal) it towered over the incoming ships. This is where our word colossal comes from. Luke’s account of the conversion of Cornelius and his household in Acts 10Continue reading “Bringing The World Together Through Jesus”

Acts

Speed Trap (1) Everywhere They Looked (2) The New Creation Of God (2) Fresh Faith (1) (2:42) Fresh Faith (2) (2:42) An Empty Tomb and a Risen Lord (4) Living The Generous Life (4,9,11,15) Integrity Vs. Image (5) No One Gets To Stay Where They Are (8) Everything Else Is Just Hype (8:4-24) For TheContinue reading “Acts”

Managing Your Children Well

Someone has asked about the guidelines for deacons (1 Timothy 3:8ff). Specifically. he is inquiring about the practice in some places of making someone a deacon as soon as they have a child. He writes, “It strikes me as difficult to determine how well a man manages his children when the child in question isContinue reading “Managing Your Children Well”

Why Pray For Forgiveness?

If in Christ sins aren’t charged to our account (Romans 4:6-8,15,5:13), then why are disciples to ask for forgiveness? It was Christ in the model prayer who told us to seek God’s forgiveness (Matthew 6:12), so it won’t do to say that this isn’t something we need to do. Yet at the same time, there isContinue reading “Why Pray For Forgiveness?”

The Principle Of First Mention

Kevin has a question about the principle of first mention. Here is quote he sent that summarizes this approach to Scripture. The post I took it from can be found here. “The law of first mention” is another most important principle involved in the Scriptures. What is meant by it is that the first mentionContinue reading “The Principle Of First Mention”

Spirit And Fire

Brandon wants to know, “What is the baptism of the Holy Spirit and fire?” John baptized in water but he tells his audience that the Messiah will baptize with Spirit and fire (Matthew 3; Mark 1; Luke 3, John 1). What does this mean? Answering this question involves digging into quite a few passages of Scripture so I encourage youContinue reading “Spirit And Fire”