The Conflict in the Heavenlies Spiritual warfare – spiritual attack – is not only real, but it’s also not rare. Every evil thing that besets the Earth – sin, injury, illness, depression, heartbreak, poverty, disparity, injustice, war, weather disaster, death – is a result of the Fall, the great work of the devil (Diabolos=“slanderer”) andContinue reading “Spiritual Warfare”
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The Lord’s Prayer
“The Lord’s Prayer” is perhaps the best known passage of scripture to Christians at large. It is most likely the first thing – if not the only thing – many Christians memorize from Scripture. In fact, it is so familiar that we can rattle it off without giving much thought to what we are saying.Continue reading “The Lord’s Prayer”
Kingdom of Heaven
“And (Jesus) charged them that they should not make Him known, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah, the prophet, saying, ‘Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved in whom my soul is well pleased; I will put my Spirit upon Him, and He shall show justice to the Gentiles.Continue reading “Kingdom of Heaven”
The Day the Church Faced Down Babylon
The book of Revelation warns us of Babylon. Revelation is usually considered to represent future events, but Babylon is upon us now, and indeed has been with us since – well, since Babylon. It is the signature of the times of the gentiles (Lk. 21:24), the imposition of power of every kind as opposed toContinue reading “The Day the Church Faced Down Babylon”
Job in Four Lessons
1 – The problem of suffering The book of Job has a number of themes, but certainly the most prominent is the problem of suffering. This matter is especially problematic because of Job’s devotion to God – why do bad things happen to godly people? It is a vexing question. The book is thought toContinue reading “Job in Four Lessons”
The Church in the Book of Esther
The book of Esther has been an enigma over the centuries, largely because it is the one book of scripture without any mention of God. Also, it concerns faithful Jews who remained in gentile lands after the captivity, a sojourn that was not compelled by God. The time period is probably during Xerxes’ rule asContinue reading “The Church in the Book of Esther”
The Trinity in the Old Testament
There is well-established Christian teaching that the Old Testament is full of types and foreshadowings of Christ. One has only to read the New Testament to learn many of these, as the gospel and letter writers make frequent use of Old Testament prophecy. But the teaching of the Triune God has largely been left toContinue reading “The Trinity in the Old Testament”
Christ Crucified Before the Foundation of the World
• God’s eternal plan “In the beginning God created the heavens and the Earth. … And God saw that it was good. … Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.’ … So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male andContinue reading “Christ Crucified Before the Foundation of the World”
Should Protestants Pursue Classic Christian Mysticism?
The idea of mysticism is not something our rational Western minds readily embrace here in the post-Enlightenment era. Our comfort zone is applying the scientific method to everything that our brains encounter – to dissect everything down into terms we can understand – so we are not comfortable with the idea of mystery as theContinue reading “Should Protestants Pursue Classic Christian Mysticism?”
Good Friday Homilies
“Father, Forgive Them, They Know Not What They Do” “Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.” There was one righteous man on the hill of Calvary that one Friday, one man who believed the Father completely, and He was hung like a criminal between two thieves. All around Him milled aContinue reading “Good Friday Homilies”