All posts tagged: Jesus

The Bible is a book of Alignment

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The Bible is a book of alignment – you either align or you malign. Titus 2:3-5 speak out the things that make for solid doctrine…so that no one will malign the Word of God Your job is to speak out on the things that make for solid doctrine. Guide older men into lives of temperance, dignity, and wisdom, into healthy faith, love, and endurance. Guide older women into lives of reverence so they end up as neither gossips nor drunks, but models of goodness. By looking at them, the younger women will know how to love their husbands and children, be virtuous and pure, keep a good house, be good wives. We don’t want anyone to malign God’s Message because of their behavior. Also, guide the young men to live disciplined lives. The idea behind this phrase – Things which are proper for sound doctrine – has to do with right living, not just right thinking. The Living Bible translates this “Speak up for the right living that goes along with true Christianity.” The New …

10 Sacred Reminders Before You Step Into The Pulpit

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1. It is foolish to think the gospel message you are about to preach will not offend your audience. 2. It is foolish to presume that after you’ve preached, everyone will like you, friend you on Facebook or follow you on twitter 3. It is foolish to think that everyone in you audience is on the same level of spiritual maturity..therefore will understand what you are saying 4. It is foolish to believe that anything of eternal significance can happen through the flesh 5. It is foolish to act like you are indispensable or anything better than an ass…excuse me…I meant donkey…because God can speak through them too… 6. It is foolish to approve the guy taking notes as super spiritual or a great student of the word 7. it is foolish to act like your personal style of communication, is the only way to preach or teach…the only way God can save or bless others 8. It is foolish to lead one-self into believing that what you are about to preach is only for your audience and not for …

Abba, My Father

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For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs-heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. Romans 8:15-17 There are seasons and times in our lives when fear, uncertainty and doubts suffocate the assurance of knowing God as not only King, Savior or master, but Father. Sometimes we get squeezed into a mindset that equates him as no different from our earthly fathers. In fact, sometimes it is easy for us to see Jesus relating to the Father with this joyful confidence, but we may see ourselves as disqualified for it. In any event, it is quite liberating to have those doubts and fears lifted and our confidence reinforced by the Spirit that He is far different from our earthly …

Hungry

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Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation-if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. 1 Peter 2:2 One of the first questions a doctor may ask you upon your visit is, “how is your appetite?” Before he can make a diagnosis of what you are going through, he questions you about your appetite, because if you don’t have an appetite, you may need some medicine. When a Christian takes pleasure in all the latest gossip columns, and the latest entertainment magazines but has no appetite for the Word of God, that is a sign of a dangerous spiritual illness. But a strong appetite is one of the greatest spiritual gifts one could ever have. It drives one to read, to meditate and to study. It keeps him coming back for more and more and more. It helps one place a certain kind of value on the word; a certain kind of love for the word; a certain kind of devotion to the …

Who do you say I am?

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And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.” Mark 8:29 Over the past two thousand years people have shown much curiosity about Jesus. From the experience his disciples had with him, leaving them with this question – “who is this man” to the speculations of his enemies trying to paint him as an imposter, a homosexual and a weirdo. But the question Jesus himself asked in our title couldn’t be more pertinent or well placed. I don’t think anyone other than those who walked, talked, touched, and had their lives completely transformed by this Jesus could best answer the question. Here are a few things they’ve said about him that truly explains who He is: Advocate – 1 John 2:1 Apostle of our profession – Hebrews 3:1 Atoning sacrifice for our sins – 1 John 2:2 Author of Life – Acts 3:15 Author of salvation – Hebrews 2:10 Bread of life – John 6:35 Chief Cornerstone – Ephesians 2:20 Chief Shepherd – 1 Peter …

An album you can argue with

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By Joe Thorn: Propaganda is one of the hip hop artists on the Humble Beast label. You may have seen his spoken word piece, G.O.S.P.E.L. You may have heard his earlier album, or even seen him perform live. But you probably haven’t heard his newest album yet. Excellent is dropping on September 25th, , and I’ll be honest-some of you aren’t ready for it. It’s too different, too much—too hard. And I don’t mean hard like it will blow your hair back. I mean this album is hard in its content, confrontation, and cause. It’s an album that will stir you and challenge you. If you try to just kick back and easily enjoy it you just might find yourself unprepared to wrestle with Propaganda’s grave, yet gracious words. You have to listen to Excellent like you’re supposed to listen to a person, not like one might mindlessly listen to your average pop album. You need to listen to this album to understand, not just enjoy. If you do the former, you’ll get the latter. …

The Gospel of Jesus’ Wife: How a Fake Gospel-Fragment Was Composed

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 Francis Watson of the University of Durham has provided a six-page analysis (PDF) of the Coptic fragment which seems to say Jesus was married. This is the most in-depth examination I have seen yet. Professor Watson concludes that The text has been constructed out of small pieces – words or phrases – culled mostly from the Coptic Gospel of Thomas (GTh), Sayings 101 and 114, and set in new contexts. This is most probably the compositional procedure of a modern author who is not a native speaker of Coptic. Among other scholars weighing in, see Gary Manning Jr., Darrell Bock, Christian Askeland, Michael Kruger, Peter Williams and Simon Gathercole, Dirk Jongkind, Daniel Wallace. HT: Scot McKnight Article Source: Justin Taylor Related articles Harvard refuses to publish Jesus-wife manuscript fragment (winteryknight.wordpress.com) “Jesus’s wife” fragment judged fake, Harvard rejects (zionistoutrage.com) Expert: “Wife of Jesus” fragment looks like a modern forgery… (patheos.com) Daniel B. Wallace responds to the “Jesus has a wife” media sensationalism (winteryknight.wordpress.com) Durham University professor calls the “Jesus had a wife” manuscript fragment a forgery (winteryknight.wordpress.com)

Kellogg’s Corn Flakes: taste them again for the first time

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Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation. If indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. 1 Peter 2:2, 3 A few years ago when the cereal giant Kellogg began to see the Corn Flakes drop in sales, they came up with a brilliant idea – an add that went like this: Kellogg’s Corn Flakes: Taste them again for the first time. Sometimes life can become a bowl of soggy corn flakes – but you need to taste it again in order to fall in love with it (life) again. Maybe it’s your marriage, ministry, work, hobby, Christian life, church, evangelism, prayer life, Bible reading, hospitality, small group, girls night out, family bike ride – that thing you once enjoyed doing, but now have become lifeless, meaningless and even boring. You need to taste it again for the first time – you might rediscover your first-love – Revelation 2:4 In Picture – my boy SB

Fit to Sit: Partakers of Endless Glory

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Part 2: A Commentary on Psalm 15 Verse 3 – Nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour. The word cherpah, which we here translate a reproach, comes from charaph, to strip, or make bare, to deprive one of his garments; hence choreph, the winter, because it strips the fields of their clothing, and the trees of their foliage. By this, nature appears to be dishonoured and disgraced. The application is easy: a man, for instance, of a good character is reported to have done something wrong the tale is spread, and the slanderers and backbiters carry it about; and thus the man is stripped of his fair character, of his clothing of righteousness, truth, and honesty. All may be false; or the man, in an hour of the power of darkness, may have been tempted and overcome; may have been wounded in the cloudy and dark day, and deeply mourns his fall before God. Who that has not the heart of a devil would not strive rather to cover than make bare the fault? …

Fit to Sit: Partakers of Endless Glory

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Part 1 Commentary on Psalm 15 The questions therefore are, Who can be considered a fit member of the Church of Christ here below? and, Who shall be made partakers of an endless glory? In answer to these questions, the character of what we may term a true Israelite, or a good Christian, is given in the following particulars:- Verse 2. He that walketh uprightly a. He walks perfectly. Who sets God before his eyes, takes his word for the rule of his conduct, considers himself a sojourner on earth, and is continually walking to the kingdom of God. He acts according to the perfections of God’s law; he has respect to all its parts, and feels the weight and importance of all its injunctions. As he is the creature of GOD, he has duties to perform to him. He owes God his heart: May son, give me thy heart; and should love him with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength. This is giving GOD his due. As a member of civil society, he …