SCRIPTURE: 1 Corinthians 15-16 “Christ died for our sins…, was buried, was raised…” (1 Corinthians 3-4) This good news cannot be understood apart from the Big Story of Creation. God creates the Universe and establishes the Kingdom under God-like Humans. God-like Humans are deceived, and introduce sin and death into God’s kingdom. The ‘Christ’ is the promised God-like Human…
The church is nothing without love!
SCRIPTURE: 1 Corinthians 11-14 Try to excel in (spiritual gifts) that build up the church. (1 Corinthians 14:12) There are tensions in Corinth: head coverings, Lord’s Supper, spiritual gifts, worship. People are more concerned about their opinions and desires, than others. Paul is urging people to not divide the body over secondary issues. This is why the love passage…
What killed Ananias and Sapphira?
SCRIPTURE: 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. The assumption is that God kills this couple, but the passage doesn’t say that. In the context, Satan has filled their hearts; could it be that Satan kills them?…
Now THAT’S a miracle!
SCRIPTURE: 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. What is raising the dead compared to making people give up their possessions and share with others? Making or raising a body is nothing to God,…
Safety… or boldness?
SCRIPTURE: 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? (Honestly, most Christian today would pray for safety, not boldness). I have prayed for more boldness when things were safe, and I was hesitant. But to pray for more…
Extraordinary!
SCRIPTURE: 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? Why caused these guys to change… “these men had been with Jesus!” (Acts 4:13) I finished a biography of another extraordinary man, a man of deep, sincere prayer. Not ‘prayer’ in…
Trusting God for results
SCRIPTURE: Psalm 127 Unless the Lord builds… the builders labor in vain… (Psalm 127:1) What is 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 not building with us?…
By grace transformed!
SCRIPTURE: 1 Corinthians 9-10 “For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.” (1 Corinthians 10:33) We serve a gracious God, Who seeks the good of many, that they may be saved. Paul was blessed by this grace, he knows he is loved, forgiven, accepted, restored. This amazing grace…
Concern for someone you love
SCRIPTURE: 1 Corinthians 6-8 “I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 7:35) Paul is not being bossy or demanding, like an autocratic leader. His words about lawsuits, sexual immorality, marriage, divorce, singleness, and food sacrificed to idols…
Guilty of extreme kindness!
SCRIPTURE: Acts 4:1-12 “Called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame…” (Acts 4:9) Their crime is an act of kindness. Oh that church today would be more guilty of this crime. What crimes are churches accused of today? We need to learn from the criminals of our day, we…