Eph 4:8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. For most of my Christian life, I was bothered by this phrase, “led captivity captive.” What does this mean? Most of Christianity and even a few in grace circles would teach that this means the... Continue Reading →
“But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.” (Eph 4:7) Let’s try to exegete this passage expression-by-expression. “But unto every one of us.” I’d say this is a contrast to the “seven ones” that preceded it. We shift from one body, one Spirit, one hope,... Continue Reading →
Paul uses the word hope more than any other writer in the so-called “New Testament.” I thought this would be a great opportunity to put together a panoramic overview of the Pauline doctrine of hope. So here is a list of seven major points Paul makes about hope. 1 - Hope saves us. Paul said... Continue Reading →
We find in Eph. 4:4-6 what is famously called the “Sevenfold Unity of the Spirit.” This is a list of seven ways in which God already established unity for all of us believers. There is One Body. One Spirit. One hope. One Lord. One faith. One baptism. One God and Father. One of the major... Continue Reading →
I can’t resist sharing this interesting tidbit. When I was prepping for my Last Supper message, I encountered a theory I hadn’t heard before – some scholars believe the “Last Supper” took place in John Mark’s house. I thought, “Really? Where would you even begin to make that case?" It was interesting. First, we know... Continue Reading →
Happy New Year, you glorious MAD BAD saints! I, my wife, and everyone from our church in Orlando send big joy, loud cheers, and a whole lot of grace your way for the new year! I took a two week hiatus and rested some. While I was gone, I did a Christmas sermon like every... Continue Reading →
Recently, our brother, Pastor Sadler, who is the President of the Berean Bible Society, published an article called Who Returns with Christ at His Second Coming? He writes, “Scripture makes clear that angels also return with Christ (Matt. 25:31; 2 Thes. 1:7). However, members of the Church, the Body of Christ, are not of the... Continue Reading →
I’m going to begin with a shocking claim. 1 John is – shocking - a Hebrew epistle written to the twelve tribes scattered abroad (Gal. 2:9). This is not our mail. This was not written to the Body of Christ, although there are many timeless principles here, especially all the verses about the love of... Continue Reading →
“I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called” (Eph. 4:1) Here’s a monumental point to be made about this verse: A worthy walk is fundamentally one that embodies the values found in the Gospel that called you to salvation. Paul's arguing that the... Continue Reading →
Hello, saints! 3 different musings today. Grace & Bass As many of you know, Laurie and I have been diving head-first into the world of AI-assisted music to create new grace-filled songs. And listen—I totally get the reservations. Nothing will ever replace real musicians with real talent, and we’d never pretend otherwise. They deserve preference... Continue Reading →
On yesterday’s podcast, Pastor Hal and I had a conversation about the Christian news articles that came out recently proclaiming the death of Mariology in the Catholic Church. CBN said, Pope Leo Declares Jesus Alone Saved the World, Rejects Title of Mary as 'Co-Redeemer'. One Christian writer asked, Is the Vatican Discouraging Marian Devotion? Evangelical... Continue Reading →
“…that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God” (Eph. 3:19) I’d suggest the perfect cross-reference and the perfect example of being filled with all the fulness of God is Christ Himself in Col. 2:9 - “For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.” Does this mean that all of... Continue Reading →
On yesterday’s podcast, Mike and I were discussing this bizarre “Destiny Weekend” conference in which people spend thousands of dollars for this self-proclaimed NAR prophet to tell you what’s really in your heart and give you a divine recalibration. I can do that for you RIGHT NOW! Plus, I’ll do it for free!! Your life... Continue Reading →
Ephesians 1:15-23 vs 3:14-21 When I prep for our Sunday series on Ephesians, I regularly visit this old Ephesians commentary by Walter Leon Tucker, who was a big influence on J.C. O’Hair. He pointed out that the first prayer request in Ephesians 1 is characterized by the word WHAT but this prayer request in chapter... Continue Reading →
How did Paul handle those times of life that were full of suffering and tribulation? I thought we’d approach this topic from two perspectives: 1) what Paul understood before he went through suffering and 2) how Paul handled suffering. Let’s look at the first perspective: What Paul Understood Going into Suffering He knew sufferings were... Continue Reading →
Here is something the Lord told the disciples at the beginning of His Olivet Discourse: “Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one... Continue Reading →
Last Sunday, we were exegeting Eph. 3:12 - “In whom (in Christ) we have boldness and access (to the Father) with confidence by the faith of him (by the faith of Christ). In Christ, our new state of being is boldness, continual access and contact with God the Father, which produces confidence that is sustained... Continue Reading →
In Matthew 23, it’s probably Tuesday of Passion Week. The Lord has had an epic public showdown with the chief priests, elders, Sadducees, Pharisees, Herodians, lawyers, and scribes (Matt. 21:23-23:39), and the Lord whipped them all. Then the Lord levels 8 stinging woes upon the scribes and the Pharisees, which are absolutely jaw-dropping. Before He... Continue Reading →
Here’s something interesting to consider from our sermon Sunday. Compare and contrast how Paul treated believers before and after his conversion. Paul’s Treatment of Believers Before His Conversion: Persecuted the Church of God - He said in Phil. 3:6, “Concerning zeal, persecuting the church…” In Gal. 1:13, he said, “…beyond measure I persecuted the church... Continue Reading →
On yesterday’s podcast, Pastor Hal and I ruminated on how we, as believers, can combat hatred with grace, and there was one point I loved too much: Hate is weak. Grace is strong. This is a great thing to meditate upon. I loved this. Hate may look like strength, but in truth it’s weakness acting... Continue Reading →
SUPPLY OF GRACE 