They committed themselves to the Apostle’s teaching. When I think of this I think of Romans when Paul wrote, “Faith comes by hearing, hearing by the word of God”. We as believers are to, “Live by faith” as it says in Hebrews. However, the concept of faith can be misleading. Most people, when you talk … Read more
You might know the song Autobahn from the band Kraftwerk. It’s a quick little 23 -minute (!) toe-tapper in which they sing in German, “We’re driving, driving, driving on the Autobahn” over and over again to a wash of electronic music. It’s a krautrock classic. To my American ear, it always sounded like they’re singing, … Read more
As we read 1 Cor 11:23-26 we notice what our Lord said, “Do this in remembrance of Me.” What is it we are to remember? Could it be the incarnation? That God took upon flesh? That He inhabited a body like ours, frail weak and destined for the grave? Or could it be that He … Read more
It’s impossible to ‘sanitize’ what God asked Abraham to do that day. “He said, ‘Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you’” (Genesis 22:5). Abraham knew what … Read more
God can speak to us in many different ways. He may ping our hearts with conviction as we listen to a sermon, or as we read the Bible. Or He may speak a word through a brother or sister during a time of fellowship. Or perhaps the Holy Spirit might whisper to us in a … Read more
OK, OK. I know ‘convince-tion’ isn’t really a ‘word,’ so to speak, but all words at one time weren’t words, right? When you get to the age where a bit of snow begins to gather on the roof, you may find it a challenge to keep up with all the new words and phrases that … Read more
I think it’s always instructive to look back to the life and teachings of the early church – to draw inspiration from them and, perhaps, to see whether or not we’ve wandered from some of the values that were important to the first Christians. Obedience to God was very important to believers of the first … Read more
Most warnings are pretty important to take seriously. They alert us to the potential danger of following a certain course of action. ‘Icy road ahead.’ ‘Do not climb ladder with wet feet and hands full.’ ‘Do not breathe in asbestos.’ ‘Do not eat moth balls!’ I’ve never tasted mothballs, but they do look pretty tempting. … Read more
“Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it” (John 14:13-14). In all our praying, however, it is important that we keep in mind that God will not alter His eternal purposes at … Read more
“I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy. Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live” (Psalm 116:1-2). I think that some of the greatest prayer is prayer where you don’t say one single word or ask for … Read more