In Pastor Hal’s message on Sunday, I loved the discussion about “another Jesus” in 2 Corinthians 11:4. He made the point that this not about a different name but about a different identity, mission, and message being attached to the name Jesus. He said, “Can I preach Jesus out of the Bible and preach a... Continue Reading →
1Co 11:23 For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: 1Co 11:24 And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of... 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 →
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 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 →
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 →
One of the many ways in which God manifests His power is in saving the lost. We all were far from God and living by the flesh, walking according to the course of this world. At that time, Satan had the central place in our lives, yet God, in His great love and mercy, offered... Continue Reading →
Before we were justified, saved from the penalty of sin, we had a dire need, deserved wrath, and were considered to be ‘the Lost:’ “That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in this world.”... 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 →
Php 3:1 Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe. Php 3:2 Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision. Php 3:3 For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and... Continue Reading →
And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God. - Galatians 6:16 The word "Israel" is found 2,576 times in the King James Bible. Of the 2,576 times mentioned, all 2,576 times it refers to physical Israel, or the literal person named Israel,... Continue Reading →
Eph 3:6 That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel. This is an amazing verse. When we think of the grace message, we think of - what? The gospel of grace. Identification. All spiritual blessings. Already seated in Heavenly places in Christ.... Continue Reading →
As I’m sure many know, Dr. James Dobson passed away last this week. He was 89. Millions knew him as the host of Focus on the Family. He was the child psychologist who “answered hundreds of thousands of parenting questions and urged Christians to fight in America’s ‘civil war of values.’” Hmm. “A civil war... Continue Reading →
Eph 2:14 For he is our peace… Paul begins with the word “For.” In a grammatical and exegetical sense, when a verse begins with “For,” this signals that Paul is about to give us a reason or an explanation for the preceding statement, which in this case is how we are made nigh by the... Continue Reading →
Mat 19:2 And great multitudes followed him; and he healed them there. Mat 19:3 The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? If you've been following along in our series on the Gospels in chronological order (all... Continue Reading →
Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. Notice how Paul begins with the word “For.” This word connects this verse to what came before it in verses 8-9. Vs. 8 also begins with For, which connects it... Continue Reading →
Learning to see someone’s heart and soul, rather than focusing on their flesh is beneficial as we minister. I call it having ‘love eyes’ for others. Godly love is unconditional love and kindness, yet we are to remember: “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men.” (Col. 3:23)... Continue Reading →
How should a believer pray for a tragedy like the horrible flash flooding in Texas? Of course, we know that natural disasters are not judgments from God today. How do we know this? 2 Cor 5:19 tells us “that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them...” He... Continue Reading →
SUPPLY OF GRACE 