Paul is in prison as he writes the church at Philippi. He might be in Rome (as traditionally thought), Caesarea, or even Ephesus (N.T. Wright). But wherever he is, he wishes the disciples at Philippi to know that “what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel” (1:12). The word for advance (prokope)Continue reading “Paul’s Exit Strategy”
Tag Archives: Bible study
Land, Man, and Glory
One of the things we should notice in Genesis (and the whole of Scripture), is the importance of land. Man has a unique relationship with the earth. He alone is said to come from it (2:7). That being true, we shouldn’t be surprised that land often symbolizes man’s relationship with his Creator. When man isContinue reading “Land, Man, and Glory”
Two Markers to Remember
There are a couple of boundary markers we need to keep in our line of sight as we make our way through the Scripture and it makes its way through us. The first is that we can come within understanding distance of Scripture. Whether it’s John 5 or Jeremiah 25, we need to approach theContinue reading “Two Markers to Remember”
Great Expectations
Imagine two Jewish disciples meeting on the road to Rome around AD 55. They’re both traveling with their families. It’s been over five years since they were forced to leave the city after Claudius issued an edict expelling all Jewish people (Acts 18:1-3). But Claudius has died, so Jewish people are headed back to Rome.Continue reading “Great Expectations”
Touching Home
I had been asked to speak in our church’s summer series. The topic I had was, What more is there to life? The theme of the series was, Questions That Shape Belief, and some of the other topics/questions were, Who is Jesus and Why did He die? and Why and How do I pray? As you can see, my question wasContinue reading “Touching Home”
C-ing Your Way Through the Bible (1)
One of the bigger challenges in getting some traction in the Scripture and its story has to do with understanding its chronology. The books in the Bible are arranged only in a general way according to the history they contain. This means that if you started in Genesis and read all the way through to Revelation, you wouldContinue reading “C-ing Your Way Through the Bible (1)”
C-ing Your Way Through the Bible (2)
1. Creation (Genesis 1-5) Genesis means “origin” or “beginning”—so that’s what we find in these chapters: the beginning of the universe, humanity, sin and rebellion, and redemption. God speaks the universe into existence—but it is human beings that He makes in His image and gives dominion to (Genesis 1:26-28). Other Scriptures inform us that before the creation of theContinue reading “C-ing Your Way Through the Bible (2)”
C-ing Your Way Through the Bible (3)
7. Crown (Judges-1 Kings 11/1 Chronicles 1-2 Chronicles 9; Psalms, Proverbs, Song of Solomon) Joshua dies and the nation lapses into a loose confederation of tribes characterized by infighting and the failure to come to the aid of each other when one of the tribes is under attack (see the book of Judges). This continues until theContinue reading “C-ing Your Way Through the Bible (3)”
A Call to Intimacy and Urgency
I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of God. That’s what Jesus said to a group of first-century disciples at Sardis (Revelation 3:2). It’s not the best news in the world, but it’s not the worst. It’s kind of a good news/bad news scenario. It says, You were headed in the right direction but youContinue reading “A Call to Intimacy and Urgency”
Getting Started in 2 Thessalonians
Paul’s second letter to the Thessalonians was written not long after his first one. It’s brief (47 verses) but has at least three objectives. The one that usually gets the most attention has to do with his desire to correct the mistaken view some had formed regarding the return of Jesus (2:1ff). Paul’s subsequent discussionContinue reading “Getting Started in 2 Thessalonians”
A Taste of Grace with Bruce Green 