There are a number of New Testament passages that associate the concepts of the new age of the Spirit, believer unity, covenant membership, and indwelling of the Holy Spirit with the symbols of the temple, Christ’s body, the Eucharist, table...
Included in the story of Jesus’s birth is the detail that after he was born, Mary “wrapped him in cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn” (Luke 2:7). Why does Luke include this detail about his birth? This...
The Bible is adamant that we not make idols (images or representations of God). The holiness of God is what’s behind the Bible’s strong prohibition against making idols.[1] God is so completely other than (i.e., “holy”) the creation that...
All Saints Day is quickly approaching (Nov 1)! This is a Christian Holiday celebrated primarily within the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions (it’s less celebrated in Protestant tradition, as is often the case with events in the...
So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. — Colossians 1:28 One of the major trademarks of evangelical Christianity is that it takes seriously Jesus’s command to make disciples and...
Too often I beat myself up over not being spiritual enough. I constantly tell myself that I don’t pray enough, I don’t fast enough, I don’t read my Bible enough, I don’t worship enough, don’t practice solitude enough, don’t take communion enough—the...
Have you ever noticed that Israel has to go through the wilderness before they can inherit the Promised Land? As the story goes, Israel was delivered from slavery in Egypt, and the way out of Egypt was through the desert. The final destination was...
I’m a stress eater. When things in life and ministry are crazy, when I feel like I’m losing control at work or at home, I eat. It makes me feel better. I makes me feel better because when I can’t exercise control in other...
It’s really hard to be courteous to everyone always. Actually, it seems impossible. Not long ago I wrote a Saturday Sermon about a text in the New Testament that commands Christians to be courteous to all people (Titus 3:2). I wrote...