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Key Verse: 1 Corinthians 3:3 “For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?” That key verse begins (in the NIV), with, “You are still worldly” (carnal). And, if it were up to some of us to complete the verse we might say, “For where […]

Key Verse: 1 Corinthians 2;9 “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” “Pie in the sky when you die by and by.” That’s how the Christian hope is cynically described by those who have a low […]

Alms, Prayer, & Fasting 6:1-18 Our Father in Heaven v.9 Right off the top the pronoun puts things in perspective. There is no “I, me, or mine” . Rather it’s “we, us, and ours”. God is the Father of all, not a household deity. “Our” reminds us that we have no inside track to God […]

Key Verse: Romans 16:22 “I, Tertius, who wrote this epistle, greet you in the Lord.” Tertius? Who’s he? And Lucius, Jason, Sosipater, Gaius, Erastus, Quartus? Who are these people? Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater were relatives of Paul. Erastus was head of Rome’s public work department. Gaius was a local church member with the gift of […]

Key Verse: Romans 15:4 “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. ” Do you enjoy reading the Bible?” someone asked me recently. “Sometimes, yes. Other times, no.” I answered. “Why the fluctuation?” he questioned. ” Because the Bible […]

Key Verse: Romans 14:10 “But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgement seat of Christ.” Paul begins this chapter with, “Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters” (v.1). He’s face to face here with […]

Key Verse: Romans 13:14 “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.” He was an over-eater. He came into my office grossly overweight and self-disgusted. As he told me his story, I received an education in the devastating bondage of “gradualism”. What’s that you ask? […]

Key Verse: Romans 12:1 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.” Chapter 11 concludes with a beautiful doxology praising God’s wisdom, knowledge, judgments, and paths. He is sovereign and does what He wants to do. […]

Alms, Prayer, & Fasting 6:1-18 The Lord’s Prayer vv. 9-13 There are so many excellent works on The Lord’s Prayer that anything I write may seem redundant. But, here in the twenty-first century it doesn’t hurt to take another look. Our “internet culture” has its own lens. First of all, a general analysis sees seven […]

Key Verse: Romans 11:32 “For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all.” The problem is exclusivism. I should know — I’m not only a Gentile but I also pastored a church in Jerusalem for seven years. Many Jews think they have the inside track to Heaven, and many […]

Key Verse: Romans 9:15 “… I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.” Chapters 9, 10, and 11 are some of the most controversial in all of Scripture. Controversial because there is explosive potential in interpreting some of what Paul says rather […]

The “Golden Rule” is under duress these days. A casual summary of Covid protocols from a governmental medical authority was recently posted, “Stay away from other people”. Blunt, succinct, and counter-intuitive, if not biblically dissonant. Indeed, culturally dissonant too. The core value of reaching out to those in need, let alone achieving social harmony via […]