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Our Powerful Gospel
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16)
“it is the power of God” (1Corinthans 1:18).
Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. (1 Corinthians 1:24).
“And what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might” (Ephesians 1:19).
“And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Hebrews 1:9).
1 Corinthians 15:1-6: The Gospel:
1) “Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, 2) by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. 3) “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures…”
First importance! The summing up of God’s purpose: the redemption of His own, the culmination of the power and theme of the entire Bible—the Gospel, starting with Genesis!
read moreBiblical Wisdom
Biblical wisdom is more than intelligence or accumulated knowledge; it is the God-given ability to rightly apply truth in a way that honors Him. While general definitions describe wisdom as discernment, sound judgement, and skillful living, Scripture presents wisdom as being rooted in who God is and how we respond to Him.
The Bible refers to wisdom hundreds of times, particularly in the Old Testament. The Hebrew word chokmah emphasizes skillful and practical living, while the New Testament word sophia highlights divine insight. Together, they reveal wisdom as both understanding and practice rather than abstract knowledge alone.
Proverbs 1:7 states, “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
True wisdom begins with humility, submission to God, and recognition of His sovereignty. Biblical wisdom is inseparable from obedience and stands in contrast to pride and self-reliance (see Colossians 1:9-10).
read moreClear Thinking
It goes without saying that we are in a battle for our minds. A quick scroll through our phones or a short drive down the road evidences the fact that we live in a world that is fighting to gain the attention of our thoughts. Not only that, but so many things control or affect our thinking – our experience, our culture, where we live, how we were raised, what seems fair to us.
Proverbs 23:7 tells us that “as a man thinks, so is he,” and so we know that our thinking has a lot to do with how we perceive the world and how we live our lives. How do we as believers resolve to use clear thinking to live with an eternal focus in a temporal world? Fortunately, the Bible has much to say about this topic.
read moreTolerating Sin (by Walt Henrichsen)
“To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus” I Corinthians 5:5
It is difficult to determine which of the biblical commands Christians most frequently neglect, but certainly disciplining believers who willfully violate the commands of God rates close to the top. This especially true in an environment where tolerance is considered the queen of virtues.
read moreConspiracy Theories
For thus the LORD spoke to me with mighty power and instructed me not to walk in the way of this people, saying, “You are not to say, ‘It is a conspiracy!’ In regard to all that this people call a conspiracy, And you are not to fear what they fear or be in dread of it. It is the LORD of hosts whom you should regard as holy. And He shall be your fear, And He shall be your dread.” Isaiah 8:11-13
I find it is increasingly common for men that I interact with to be taken with conspiracy theories. It is an interesting byproduct of the increase in access to information that we have all seen play out in our lifetimes. Every one of us is just a few clicks away from exponentially more information than even the most learned men of previous generations had access to. In theory this would lead us to be less prone to conspiracy theories. But there’s just one small problem: with all this information available at our fingertips, how much of it is reliable? How much of it is true?
Not only that, but the quest for attention in the social media and podcasting sphere incentivizes controversial ideas much more than straightforward facts. Outrageous opinions and outright lies lead to reposts, follows, and subscribers. Clear-headed rationality? Not so much.
read moreWeeping and Strength
The Bible frequently unites opposing concepts in counterintuitive ways. Want freedom? Be a slave. Want to live? Die. Want to be first? Be last. Want to be saved by grace? Work out your salvation with fear and trembling. Want rest? Take Christ’s yoke.
How does this principle of opposites-in-unity apply to strength and weakness? I have been pondering this question because I cry easily, which sure feels like weakness. Sometimes I cry for serious things. Sometimes for seemingly trivial things. It’s awkward. It makes others (and me) uncomfortable. I’d prefer to feel strong.
But weeping is also confusing because people say it’s a gift. After all, Jesus wept. Jeremiah was the weeping prophet. Life is hard. Pain is real. We are born crying. Weeping seems unavoidable. And certainly, God uses our pain and tears for our good, to break us and teach us compassion. In some sense, weeping is surely a good thing in our walk with Christ.
Nonetheless, weeping is disruptive. It ends conversations. It prevents me from saying what I think I should say. Am I emotionally imbalanced? Yes, for sure. But what’s the solution? How does the Bible address the tension between the good and bad aspects of weeping?
read morePrecious Words
If you have studied using the methods outlined in the book, Studying, Interpreting and Applying the Bible, you know the authors emphasize he importance of words. They implore the reader to dive deep into their meanings and the relationship to the thoughts and concepts behind them. The serious student of the Bible is encouraged to pursue the author’s intent, implications, and unique nuances of the choice of specific words.
Words represent ideas. Words are the medium by which we communicate ideas and thoughts. The greater and more specific a man’s vocabulary, the greater his ability to develop and communicate his thinking.
This is particularly true when considering the infinite and indescribable character of God. Words matter in the pursuit of knowing and understanding Him. Without a correct understanding of the words, we risk misunderstanding His character and promises. This is critical to a growing and deepening relationship with Him—an expanding vocabulary!
read moreUnbelief
“Yet the Lord warned Israel and Judah through all His prophets and every seer, saying, ‘Turn back from your evil ways and keep My commandments and My statutes in accordance with all the Law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you through My servants the prophets.’ However, they did not listen, but stiffened their neck like their fathers, who did not believe in the Lord their God. They rejected His statutes and His covenant which He made with their fathers, and His warnings which He gave them. And they followed idols and became empty, and followed the nations that surrounded them, about which the Lord had commanded them not to do as they did” (II Kings 17:13-15).
The bible is full of instruction, examples and parables about unbelief…why you ask? Quite simply, because unbelief is the opposite of faith and trusting God. The writer of II Kings explains very well in this passage. The people did not listen, rejected His statutes, followed idols, and followed people around them. Notice this progression of unbelief!
read moreTHE WORD BECAME FLESH
I go through dry periods in my walk with Christ. The Lord seems remote and I miss Him more than I can say. I don’t know all the reasons for this awful fact. Maybe it is a growing sense of demonic evil in the church and in the world or of a similarly growing awareness of my own depravity. Whatever the reasons, I have been thinking about that walk, which is increasingly more precious and fragile to me.
Look again at the title of this letter from John 1. In four words the infinite divine became a finite man. Having accomplished His redemptive work on earth, Christ sent the Holy Spirit to indwell His followers and to inspire the New Testament canon. The quickening and revealing Spirit within then discloses the Logos to us. We come to know the Bible and Christ.
But the Logos , Divine reason, has become flesh. He is a Person. Knowing a book of conceptual truths like the Bible is different from knowing a person. A book is not a person. Yet we believe that we have a personal, not a conceptual relationship with Christ. How does knowledge of conceptual truth become a personal relationship?
read moreBe Consecrated!
“Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you” (Joshua 3:5).
To be consecrated is to be declared sacred and set apart, dedicated and devoted for sacred use, to be used for the service and worship of God.
God is using Joshua to call His people to a new level of purity and a bold walk of faith.
After coming to this verse, I decided to claim it as my own. The thought occurred to me on the importance of preparing and protecting our hearts when and while we live a life of faith.
While we are in this world we must expect and prepare for unusual events, to be subjected to ways we have not seen before.
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