“The Church exists for nothing else but to draw men into Christ, to make them little Christs. If they are not doing that, all the cathedrals, clergy, missions, sermons, even the Bible itself, are simply a waste of time. God became Man for no other purpose. It is even doubtful, you know, whether the whole…
Author: Norm
Would I recognize Jesus?
THE STORY OF JESUS: Acts 13:26-31 “The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus…” (Acts 13:27) This ought to shock us, how could God’s people not recognize the messiah? The one that they had been waiting centuries for, waiting desperately. Their whole history was moving towards this great moment, and they didn’t see it….
The echo of His love!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Psalm 136 “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever.” (Psalm 136:1) Repeat after me, ‘His love endures forever’. If the message doesn’t sink in the first time, how about 26 times? How does He love us, let us count the ways: 1,2,3… If we really understood how…
Taking down the walls!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Philemon 1 “No longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother…” (Philemon 1:16) Jesus changes the way we relate to each other. Our world likes to divide people into categories and statuses. Everyone has their place in the caste system (even if we deny there is one). You…
A passion for being and doing good!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Titus 1-3 “To purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.” (Titus 2:14) We are not only saved FROM sin, we are saved FOR goodness. Paul is stressing to Titus that Jesus’s disciples are to be eager to do good. He is concerned about those…
Not the Saviour!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Acts 13:13-25 “I am not the one you are looking for.” (Acts 13:25) Paul is quoting John the Baptist, stressing that he is not the Messiah. He is preaching Jesus, he is not preaching himself. This is something that we all need to remember. Our job is to speak well about Jesus, to…
Use me, Lord!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Acts 13:4-12 “Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said…” (Acts 13:9) I have never experienced the Spirit’s leading like this. As Jesus-followers, we all have the Spirit of Jesus. (Matthew 10:19-20). The Spirit is not a power we control when, where and how we please. We surrender control to…
To seek the Lord with intensity
THE STORY OF JESUS: Acts 12:25-13:3 “While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said…” (Acts 13:2) I can’t recall ever worshiping and fasting as a church like this. Fasting has not been a part of our church tradition (I’ve fasted personally). I like how it’s not about fasting, but about worshiping and praying,…
A life worth spreading!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Acts 12:19-24 “But the word of God continued to spread and flourish.” (Acts 12:24) This story presents a contrast between the way of Herod, and the way of Jesus. The message of Herod (his public address, v.21) ends in his death. The message of Jesus ends in death too, but like seed it…
Praise THIS Lord!!!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Psalm 135 “Our Lord is greater than all gods.” (Psalm 135:5) There is only one God, but there are many pictures of God. These pictures (‘gods’) are projections from our minds, ways that we see God. God warns people against making pictures (idols) because they always fall short. When this psalm speaks about…