THE STORY OF JESUS: Psalm 128 “Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to him.” (Psalm 128:1) God is the center of all life, all reality. God made us free to choose, to partner with Him in ruling the world. But our choices need to be wise, to line up with the way…
Author: Norm
Motivated by the good news!
THE STORY OF JESUS: 1 Corinthians 14-16 “Christ died for our sins…, was buried, was raised…” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4) This good news cannot be understood apart from the Big Story of Creation. God creates everything and places His Kingdom under God-like Humans. God-like Humans are deceived, and bring sin and death into God’s kingdom. Jesus is the promised God-like…
Applying the way of love!
THE STORY OF JESUS: 1 Corinthians 11-13 “When you come together as a church, there are divisions…” (1 Corinthians 11:18) Paul is dealing with issues causing division in the Corinthian church. They are divided on how women should dress in the church. They are divided in how they celebrate the Lord’s Supper. They are divided in how they think…
What killed Ananias and Sapphira?
THE STORY OF JESUS: Acts 5:1-11 “Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.” (Acts 5:11) This story is scary… I would experience great fear too. At first it seems God kills this couple, but the passage doesn’t say this. In the context, Satan fills their hearts; maybe Satan kills them too?…
Now THAT’S a miracle!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Acts 4:32-37 “No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had.” (Acts 4:32) This is one of the greatest miracles of Jesus. Healing the blind or raising the dead is child’s play compared to this. People giving up their possessions to share with others? Making…
Praying with fire… for fire!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Acts 4:23-31 “Enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.” (Acts 4:29) What would we pray for when we are threatened because of our faith? (I suspect many Christian’s today would pray for safety, not boldness). I’ve prayed for more boldness when things were safe and I was hesitant. But to…
Extraordinary!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Acts 4:13-22 “They were unschooled, ordinary men…” (Acts 4:13) Jesus delights in making the ordinary extraordinary! Are these the same men that denied Jesus a weeks earlier? Notice what changed them – “These men had been with Jesus!” (Acts 4:13) I just read a biography of an extraordinary man of deep, sincere prayer. A…
Partners with God!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Psalm 127 “Unless the Lord builds… the builders labor in vain… (Psalm 127:1) What if my house or city falls, if I don’t have kids, or can’t sleep? Does this mean God is not for me, God is not blessing me? Or if my church is not growing, is it because God is…
Under Christ’s Law!
THE STORY OF JESUS: 1 Corinthians 9-10 “I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law.” (1 Corinthians 9:21) Paul uses the law of Moses for guidance, but He submits to Christ’s law. We are not under the law of Moses, we are under the law of Christ. That law can be summarized as ‘love God…
How does Jesus shape our response to issues?
THE STORY OF JESUS: 1 Corinthians 6-8 “When you sin against them… you sin against Christ.” (1 Corinthians 8:12) Paul is writing to new Jesus followers in Corinth who asked for advice. God inspires Paul to give them Jesus-shaped advice. Jesus is the measuring stick for what they should do. Paul is doing here what we need to do…