Hard times demand hard Prayer (Acts 4:23) Why don’t people believe in prayer and take it seriously? Only 63% of Christians say that Prayer is essential. James 4:3 People don’t believe in prayer because they have not received what they asked for. Because they asked for the wrong things and asked with wrong motives. Acts...
Persistence in Prayer Part II (Luke 18:1-8) Luke 18:1-8 This is the second time in Luke Jesus has taught on this. So, it must be important. This parable uses a rabbinic style of lesser to greater argument. “If this women’s persistence resulted in justice from an evil judge, then how much more will our...
Persistence and Boldness in Prayer 2024 (Luke 11:5-13) Jesus’s disciples ask him to teach them how to pray. So, he teaches them what we call the Lord’s prayer. Jesus follows this up by telling them a parable about bold prayer. The Lord’s prayer is more of a method or outline, that you can follow....
You Worship What? Exodus 23:25-26 Exodus 23:25 These two verses are full of promise. There is a command at the beginning of the verse that we better pay attention to. “Worship the Lord your God,” There are two words used here in the Hebrew for God. We see “Lord” and “God” in English. In Hebrew it...
House of Prayer “If we call upon the Lord, He has promised in His word to answer, to bring the unsaved to Himself, to pour out His Spirit among us. If we don’t call on the Lord, He has promised nothing- nothing at all. It’s as simple as that.” ~ Jim Cymbala Mark 11:11 Jesus...
What Spirit is that? (1 Cor 12:10) Why do we need this gift? 2 Cor 11:14; 1 John 4:1; 1 Timothy 4:1; Matt 13:25 We can see that the enemy likes to work in secret and in hidden ways So, we need to be able to distinguish what the enemy is doing. The Greek word...
Make the Gospel Known to the Demons (Eph 3:10) Paul starts by saying that “Now through the church.” So this is a word for our day. Today Sept 8th This is not a word for a bygone era. The word translated here as “manifold” in the Greek is an adjective. And is related to the...
Jesus as Psalm 23 Psalm 23:1 The Shepherd’s job was to protect the sheep. To deal with any enemies that came to attack the sheep. Jesus is of course the shepherd, our shepherd. And He has laid down His life for us, the sheep. To save us from the attacks of the enemy the devil....
To the Nations and the Neighbors (2024) After Jesus finished His work on earth, right before he departed, He gave His disciples the Great Commission. A command to take this Gospel message to the whole world. We see this basic command in all three synoptic Gospels Matt, Mark, & Luke Matt 28:18,; Mark 16:15 ;...
The Mercy of Justice 2024 (Micah 6:8 and John 8) Micah 6:8 The Israelites always tried to make it more difficult and complicated than it needed to. Starting here in verse 8 God is boiling down to what is required in real simple terms for the people. This word from the Lord through Micah is...
For the Love of Weeds (Matt 13:24-30; 37-39) Verse 24 The kingdom of heaven is the kingdom of God. Jesus tends to use these terms interchangeably. The man or farmer here is representing Jesus, verse 37 With the term “good seed” Jesus is referring to wheat but in parable form it represents us. The good...
Guest speaker Alana Becker speaks to us about identity in Jesus. She does this by looking at the story of where Peter ties to walk on water in Matt 14.
At the 8:50 mark in this message the audio becomes very faint because of a dead battery. we apologize for the poor audio. Tell Them of My Love Verse 3 Jesus can tell that Nicodemus isn’t understanding the real message behind the miracles. Nicodemus wanted to try and see everything through a physical lens. But...
Holiness or rules and Laws. (Colossians 2 & 3) Colossians 2:12 This refers to Christian baptism. When you go under the water you are dying to everything, your old life, your sins, etc. Verse 13 Paul is speaking to Christian’s believers here. He is making a sharp contrast between their pre-Christian past and their present...
Leading Courageously (Father’s Day 2024) Ephesians 5:25 I think this one verse gives all of us a good place to start. It says that we are to love our wives just as Christ loved the church. So, we must start by figuring out what that means. How did Christ love the church? What did...
A Life Worth Following (1 Cor 11:1) 1 Cor 4:16 This is a great statement, but do we really want to follow just a man, even if it is Paul? 1 Cor 11:1 As we think about this statement from Paul it seems to spark a lot more questions. First, what makes Paul’s life compelling...
Are you Upside Down? N (Luke 6:17-26) Verse 17 There are three people groups shown here, Apostles (them), a crowd of disciples, and a great number of people. While the people have come from all over these are still Jews and not Gentiles yet. Verse 18 People were coming to Jesus for healing and help...
What Are we Known For (Rev 3:14-22) Revelation 3:14-22 This is part of the revelation and vision that Jesus gave the apostle John concerning the 7 churches. Verse 14 The implication throughout this passage is that there is no difference between those in the church and the average Laodicean citizen who was not in the...
Clothed with Power (Pentecost Sunday 2024) The Promise Luke 24:37 This is after Jesus’ death and resurrection/ when He appears to His disciples. Verse 45 Jesus opens their minds to understand the scriptures. Verse 47 The basics of the Gospel message, repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached. This message will also go to...
The fruit of wisdom (proverbs) Proverbs 31:10: This passage is often lifted up as the ideal for Christian women. This passage has for many come with a lot of shame and pressure. To understand proverbs 31, we have to go back to the beginning of proverbs. The first 9 chapters of proverbs are this volley...
Joy Complete (2024) (John 15:9-13) John 15:9 The context of this passage is right after Jesus teaches on the vine. How we are all branches on a vine and we must stay connected to the vine to remain alive. Jesus then transitions into talking about love and joy. So there is a connection between Joy...
Living Sacrifice (Romans 12:1-2) Verse 1 Most bible scholars believe that based on the structure of the Greek Grammar in this passage, the second verse is the answer to the first verse. Before we can understand what, it means to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice, we must first understand verse 2 Verse 2...
Easter and The Holy Spirit (2024) In the OT: In the Old Testament and old covenant era the HS was only situationally available or present. He would come on a prophet and give the prophet words to speak on behalf of God. But he wasn’t always and continually present within the followers of God. The...
Assurance of Forgiveness 2024 (1 John 1:8-9) Verse 8 This verse sound very similar to Romans 3:23. The real problem for many, is that they think that we are the only ones who have sin. Or they think I am the only ones who struggles with this particular sin. This verse from 1 John...
Easter 2024: You Are Not Condemned: Don’t Live Like You Are John 3:16 The context here is that Jesus is talking to Nicodemus about Spiritual things. John 3:1 Nicodemus become confused by Jesus’ statement that you must be born again. John 3:14 Jesus is also preparing them for His death and resurrection. This passage...
Palm Sunday: His Relentless Pursuit (Luke 19:28-42) Verses 28-29 There is a strong contrast in this section between the rejoicing of the crowd over Jesus’ entry and the lamenting and weeping of Jesus over the coming rejection of the people and the destruction of Jerusalem. Verse 30 Jesus’ confidence about the animal’s availability, location, and...
What Seeds are you sowing? (2024) Matt 13:24-278 It says that the man panted good seed. And from that Good seed a crop of wheat came up. Then an enemy planted weed seeds and weeds came up. Here is the first part of the basic of the principle I want to show you. If you...
The Mission of God: Going Where others will Not (John 4:1-39) Verse 3-4 John lays out Jesus’s travel plans to get away from the Pharisees. The Jews and the Samaritans hated each other. That’s the whole point behind Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan. A good Jew would tried to avoid traveling through Samaria. Verse...
On Mission with God: Being Sent Ones (Luke 10:1 and Acts 2) Matt 28:18 This passages remined us that Jesus has all authority in even and on earth. His mission cannot fail. Then by implication Jesus gives us that authority and tells us to Go! This wasn’t a casual suggestion. This was a command. This...
On Mission with God Discovering the primary purpose of the Church Matt 28:18-19 The first passage from Matt is known as the Great Commission and is related to the mission of God I want to talk about today. John 4:35-36 This second passages show us the urgency of the timing. The Time is Now! The...
Entertaining the Presence (Ezekiel 47 and John 7:37) Verse 1 Throughout the book of Ezekiel he has this tour guide simply identified as “the man.” This man is leading Ezekiel through a long and complex vision. Much of the last part of the book is related to the restoration of the temple and the land....
People of Presence (2024) (Exodus 33 and 1 Kings 8) The people of God entertaining the presence of God verses the church entertaining the people. This is biblical church: The people of God entertaining the presence of God verses the church entertaining the people. Exodus 33:15 Moses understood how important it was to have the...
Theology of Tithe Historical context: We first see the idea of an offering or a tithe in Gen 4:3-7 Cain brought fruit from his crops and Able brought fat portions from his flocks. First born and first fruits. Acknowledging that it was God who gave them the crops and animals. We first see the tithe...
Servanthood 2024 Part 2 John 13:1-17 We normally only look at this passage on Good Friday. Verse 3 This verse is so important because it shows Jesus knew His identity. What He was about to do was a very menial task, something the lowest of the slaves or servants would do. But Jesus had no...
Servanthood (Acts 6:1 and John 13:12-17) Acts 6:1 The Greek word translated here as “increasing” should really be Multiplying. This was fast growth. In fact, the NLT translation has, “But as the believers rapidly multiplied,” There is also the accusation of favoritism. This first verse explains what some of the activity of the early church...
James 4:3 Acts 4: 23-31 The Apostles Peter and John have been going about the work and mission of God, making Jesus known. And for their efforts they get arrested. Verse 23 By going back to where all the others were, this puts them all in danger. Verse 24 After their release, as soon as...
God of restoration (2024) From Genesis to revelation, we see that God is a god of restoration. Gen 41:39–43 How do you go from a prisoner to the second in command of an entire country that fast? God loves to restore and restore quickly. Gen 45:6-8 Joseph is even restored to his family. God’s heart...
The Christmas Story Love is Born: Christmas Eve (Luke 2:1-20) Verse 1 The expression “in those days” ties this passage to the previous one about Zechariah and Mary The decree for a census was for the purposes of assessing taxes, at least as far as the Jews were concerned, since they were not obligated for...
The Christmas Story: Love is Born Part 2 2023 Luke 1:26-38 Verse 26 There are nine parallels between this story and the one that we just looked at with Zechariah. The region is probably also mentioned because the town of Nazareth was so small some might have not known where it was. Verse 27 We...
The Christmas Story: Love is Born Verse 5 Herod received his commission to rule from Mark Anthony and the Roman Senate in 40BC but did not actually return to rule until 37BC. He was considered King over Judea which included Judea, Galilee, much of Perea, and much of Syria. Herod was an Edomite though and...
Authority in Practice Matt 10:1 Jesus gives His disciples authority and told them to use that authority to drive out impure spirits. And to heal diseases and sickness. Luke 9:1 Here Jesus gives them authority to drive out ALL demons. And to cure diseases. Mark 6:7 Here Mark only mentions impure spirits or demons....
Thanksgiving (Luke 17:11-19) Luke 17 Within the context of Luke Jesus has been traveling for some time to make his way back to Jerusalem. He is now between Samaria and Galilee. Verse 12 The Greek word used here is for various diseases affecting the skin–not necessarily just leprosy. Because of social ostracism and religious laws,...
Obedient disciple making Mark 3:13-15 Mark included that we have authority over demons. While being sent out to make disciples. Luke 6:12-16 Verse 12 This scene starts Jesus’ process of making disciples. It starts with Jesus praying. He prayed all night. Step One in the disciple making process is to pray. Verse 13 This verse...
Authority and Obedience An important part of the Kingdom advancing on earth is by using kingdom authority. Genesis 1:28 After God created man, Adam, he told Adam to subdue the earth and everything in it. The main meaning behind the Hebrew word translated as subdue is to have dominion. The Webster dictionary defines dominion as...
Oh for the Love of Weeds (Matt 13:24-30; 37-39) Verse 24 The kingdom of heaven is the kingdom of God. Jesus tends to use these terms interchangeably. The man or farmer here is representing Jesus, verse 37 With the term “good seed” Jesus is referring to wheat but in parable form it represents us. The...
Who is this Jesus? To walk in the invitation to pray big and to be able to share our faith boldly, we have to be confident in who Jesus is. So, let’s look at who Is Jesus. Evil Spirits (Mark 1:21-28). Here we see Jesus exercise rule and authority over evil spirits. Verse 24 shows...
Gospel Confident Acts 4:12 If you want to make the claim that all religions are the same. No other religion makes this claim. No other religion as a certain claim of salvation. Now how can this verse Acts 4:12 make such a claim. Well let’s look at the context. Acts 4:8–12 Peter is filled with...
Prayer: Don’t Pray Safe, Pray Big John 14:12-14; John 15:7-8 John 15:16 16; John 16:23-24 John14:12 12 The context here is Jesus has been telling Phillip that He and the Father are one. Then Jesus goes on to basically say that we will be one in Him and the Father through faith. Jesus makes an...
Communion & Psalm 23 (2023) Verse 1 The Shepherd’s job was to protect the sheep. To deal with any enemies that came to attack the sheep. Jesus is of course the shepherd, our shepherd, And He has laid down His life for us, the sheep. To save us from the attacks of the enemy the...
Jesus sees our Pain (Luke 8:40-48) Starting in Luke 8:40 we see two miracles; The two characters in these stories are also unlikely characters. Luke 8:40 The crowd’s reaction here is in contrast to the fear of the crowd Jesus just left on the other side of the lake after he healed the man...
What About Him? The sin of comparison (John 21:15-23) Today let’s focus in on two questions in this passage. Jesus’s questions to Peter, and Peter’s question to Jesus. Jesus asks the first question, “Do you truly love me?” (NIV) Many translations render it “Do you love me more than these?” In the Greek the word...
To the Nations and the Neighbors (2023) After Jesus finished His work on earth, right before he departed, He gave His disciples the Great Commission. A command to take this Gospel message to the whole world. We see this basic command in all three synoptic Gospels Matt, Mark, & Luke Matt 28:18,; Mark 16:15 ;...
Tell Them of My Love Verse 2 Nicodemus comes under the cover of night, he doesn’t want to be seen with Jesus. Verse 3 Jesus can tell that Nicodemus isn’t understanding the real message behind the miracles. Nicodemus wanted to try and see everything through a physical lens. But Jesus says you must see everything...
All in for the Gospel (1 Cor 9:19) 1 Cor 9:19 In the previous context here in chapter 9 Paul has been defending his apostleship. Verse 19 He seems to be using language that would suggest that he had been accused of trying to please the masses. At the same time, he seems to be...
Be Not Unaware of his Schemes In 2 Cor 2-11 Paul makes this statement, “in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.” This is our starting point Daniel 10:1-15 Notice it says that from the first day that Daniel began to pray and seek the Lord...
The Heart of Worship Pt 3: The cost (2 Samuel 24; Romans 12) 2 Samuel 24 The context here in this passage is that David disobeyed God and took a census of the men able to fight. David gave in to his fear and stopped trusting the Lord. Verse 10 The first thing David does...
The Heart of Worship Pt 2 (John 3 & 4) John 3 A Pharisee named Nicodemus come to Jesus and asks to know more about the Kingdom. Jesus says, in order to know God and understand the Kingdom of God, you must be born again. John 3:5-6 There are two parts to Jesus’ answer to...
The Heart of Worship (more than song) In Matt 14 after Jesus clams the storm, it says “they worshipped Him.” The word ‘worshipped’ here means: to fall down, to kneel, to bow down, fall at the feet of another, to prostrate oneself. It can even mean to kiss the hand of. The essence of the...
How Christ Loved (Father’s Day 2023) Ephesians 5:25 I think this one verse gives all of us a good place to start. It says that we are to love our wives just as Christ loved the church. So, we must start by figuring out what that means. How did Christ love the church? What...
Mighty Warrior (With Right Understanding) This is taking place during the time period of Judges, before Israel had cried out for a king. Chap 6:1 The Israelites have again done evil in the eyes of the Lord. Verse 6 After seven years of this, they finally cry to God for help. Verse 8-10 A Prophet...
Overcoming Temptations (1 Cor 10:13, Col 2:12) Remember every sin we commit starts with a thought, every temptation starts in our mind. 1 Cor 10:13 All of our temptations and struggles are common to being human. Why is this important? Because the enemy can use this against us if we don’t understand it. “No...
The war in our mind Pt II 2023 (2 Cor 10 & Psalm 23) Cor 10:1-5 Paul recognized this as spiritual warfare and not just a disagreement. First, we must use the right kind of weapons. In order to fight spiritual battles, we need spiritual weapons. Second, these lies or thoughts have been lifted...
The War in our Mind. (2 Cor 10:1-5) Verses 1-2 In this section Paul is dealing with some people in the Corinthian church who were questioning his authority and his methods. Verse 3 Paul realizes that this is spiritual warfare. This is a spiritual issue, not a worldly one. They don’t have just cause for...
The Good News of Bad Government (Romans 13:1-3) In order to understand this passage, we have to develop Theology for it. The first rule is developing Theology is to make sure the whole of scripture agrees with it. Let’s look at 1 Peter 2:13-15. Peter and Paul seem to be in agreement here. They both...
In this message guest speaker Paulsen Kitimbo talks about the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
In this message Tim continues to look at the idea of living under the Favor of God by looking at Malachi 3.
Living Under God’s Favor Why is this important? To live under the favor of God. When we live under the favor of God, God protects and breathes life into our finances. When we live under God’s favor, he protects our health. When we live under the favor of God, He protects our possessions. Duet 29:5;...
The Difference Easter Makes Living in the Spirit (Jer 31:31, John 14:15) In the OT era the presence of God was confined largely to a geographic location. When the Hebrews wandered in the wilderness for 40 years his presence was confined to the When they finally reached the promised land God’s presence was...
Easter 2023 Resurrection Power Luke 24:1 The first day of the week is of course Sunday. The structure in the Greek suggests this was at first light, as soon as they could see. Verse 2 The tomb would have had a large round stone that looked like a wheel or disk covering the opening. The...
Palm Sunday 2023: His Relentless Pursuit (Luke 19:28-42) Verses 28-29 There is a strong contrast in this section between the rejoicing of the crowd over Jesus’ entry and the lamenting and weeping of Jesus over the coming rejection of the people and the destruction of Jerusalem. Verse 30 Jesus’ confidence about the animal’s availability, location,...
Responding to What? Evil Spirits (Mark 1:21-28) Here we see Jesus exercise rule and authority over evil spirits. Verse 24 shows that the evil spirit immediately recognized Jesus for who he was. Notice also that Jesus did not have to scream, shout or get worked up to get rid of the demon. He simply...
Right Response (Matt 11:16-19) Verse 11 Many of Jesus’ parables start with something like. What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? Jesus was always trying to find a way to help the people understand what the Kingdom of God is like. Here he tries to explain the people rather...
This message is by special guest speaker Paulsen Kitimbo. THE BREATH OF GOD The Hebrew word for breath is RUACH which means In Greek word for breath is PNEUMA which translates Spirit. It was the breath of GOD that hovered overed over the lifeless void, the breath that animated the dark waters with a...
Wrong signs (Matt 12:38 and John 14:11) Matt 12:38 In the parallel story in Luke, He points out that the crowds were getting bigger. The verse here in Matt ends with a demand from the Pharisees and teachers of the law. The Greek word used here means distinguishing mark (1), miracle (2), sign(s) They were...
Binding and losing done right (Matt16:19-20) Verse 13 This verse sets the context for this lesson. This is about 20 miles north of Galilee. This was a very Gentile region and perhaps the perfect back drop for what Jesus wanted to do. In the parallel story of Luke and Mark Jesus asks, “who do people...
Reconciliation done right (Matt 5:21-24) The context here in this passage is part of Jesus’ sermon on the Mount. The sermon on the Mount really sets the stage for the rest of Jesus’ ministry. In the sermon on the Mount Jesus takes the law and the Commandments and elevates them to heart issues. The law...
Doing Love Right (2023) (John 13:34) John 13: 34 Jesus is nearing the end of this life on earth, and He is giving His disciples instructions on how to live and how to spread the Gospel after His death. So, Jesus starts by giving a “New Command First, it is a command straight from the...
Doing Church Right (Ephesians 4:11-13) Verse 11 The verse begins with a list of the various offices in the church. These are not elected offices, but ones given by God. These leaders are a gift from God to the church. These five types of leaders are in some circles referred to as the “five-fold ministry.”...
Completed Work (Philippians 1:6) Phil 1:6 Context: Paul wrote this letter in 62 AD near the end of his first Roman imprisonment. So, he is writing this letter from prison. Paul may have known the people in the Philippian church were feeling discouraged with their spiritual growth. We often think of that word “work”...
What is Good? (Isaiah 5:20) Verse 20 is broken into three phrases. They all mean the same basic thing. This is just the typical Hebrew poetry style of writing common in the OT. They say something, and then they say it again, using different words, to add emphasis. The repeating and subtle word choices would...
Lot’s Wife Philippians 3:3-4 Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Luke 17: 32-33 Remember Lot’s wife! Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life...
God of restoration (2023) From Genesis to revelation, we see that God is a god of restoration. Gen 41:39–43 How do you go from a prisoner to the second in command of an entire country that fast? But God loves to restore and restore quickly. And in the next chapter of Genesis Joseph is...
In this message Pastor Tim recaps and summarizes the last several weeks of messages from the Christmas story in the book of Luke and makes a few comments along the way.
The Christmas Story: Love is Born Part III (2022) (1:39-56) Verse 39 This journey from Nazareth to the hill country of Judea would have been over 80 miles and taken 3-4 days. No mention is made of a traveling companion but a young “single” woman would not have traveled alone. Verse 40-41 The baby...
The Christmas Story: Love is Born Part II (Luke 1:26-38) Verse 26 The story now shifts from Zechariah to Mary. From the public setting of the Temple in Jerusalem to a private scene in a small town. There are nine parallels between this story and the one that we just looked at with Zechariah. The...
The Christmas Story: Love is Born (Luke 1:5-25) Verse 5 Luke sets the dates of these events for us in the history of Palestine. Luke references Herod the Great who reigned over the Jewish people for Rome. Herod received his commission to rule from Mark Anthony and the Roman Senate in 40BC but did not...
Thanksgiving 2022 (Luke 17:11-19) Luke 17 Within the context of Luke Jesus has been traveling for some time to make his way back to Jerusalem. He is now between Samaria and galilee. Verse 12 The Greek word used here is for various diseases affecting the skin–not necessarily just leprosy. Because of social ostracism and religious...
Assurance of Forgiveness (2022) (1 John 1:8-9) Verse 8 This verse tells us all that we have sinned. We have loss the standard of measure, God’s perfect Holiness. People today want to compare themselves to their own understanding, or to others they perceive to be worse than themselves. Holiness and sin and have become subjective...
Gospel of the kingdom (2022) The Pew research group did a study with this headline. “47% of American church goers no longer believe that Jesus is the Only way.” In other words, half of the America church attenders no longer believe in Jesus. According to this study, most believe that just being a good...
Opportune Prayer (Eph 6:18) Eph 6: 18 in the NLT and the YLT It says to pray at all times in the first phrase. Which sounds like I am supposed to prayer every second of the day. But how would that be possible? To understand this verse, we need to start by looking at the...
Judges, Justice, & Prayer (2022) (Luke 18) Luke 18:1-8 This is the second time Jesus has taught on persistent prayer. So, it must be vital that we understand this. This parable uses a rabbinic style of lesser to greater argument. In both passages on bold persistent prayer Jesus has set the stage with times of...
In Luke 11 Jesus’ disciples ask Him how to pray and Jesus teaches them the Lord’s prayer. Then right after that Jesus teaches them about praying boldly and persistently using a parable about a visitor in the night. This parable is often misunderstood. In This message pastor Tim explain this parable, what it really means...
House of Prayer (Mark 11:11-17) Mark 11:11 This scene comes during the Palm Sunday entry into Jerusalem. After Jesus comes riding into the city with everyone cheering and singing praises. Verses:12-14 He curses the fig tree and a few verses later we see that the tree has died. First, There is a metaphor between the...
In this message guest speaker Alana Becker talks about the familiar passage in Jeremiah 29:11 (For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.) and shows us it might not mean what we always though...
To the Nations and the Neighbors (2022) Matt 28:18; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:46 These passages are generally referred to as the Great Commission. Jesus’ clear and emphatic call to His Disciples to take the mission of God to the nations and to our neighbors. Around the world and across the street. Acts 2:5 God saw...
Do Not Worry: Seek First…. Part II (Matt 6:25-29) Verse 30 This is a continuation of Jesus’ command not to worry about what to wear. Not so much what outfit to wear, but that we would have something to wear. Jesus continues His analogy but switches from, “wild flowers” to “grass of the field.” His...
Do Not Worry: Consider Closely (Matt 6:25-34) Verse 25 In the previous section Jesus tells three very short parables of sorts. First, do not store up treasures on earth Second, guard the condition of our soul Third, you can’t serve two masters, both God and money. It is into that context that Jesus begins...
The beauty of stripping (Hebrews 12:1) The whole point of this verse is to encourage his readers to run the race and to finish well. The context here is of course is the Christian life. The race marked out for us is the Christian Life. The writer gives us this exhortation to run the...
Tylenol Prayers (Mark 9:14-29) Verse 29 After the Disciples failed to get the demon out, they ask Jesus why they couldn’t get the demon out. Jesus gives an answer about prayer. Some translation includes the word fasting. But the word fasting is not in the most original Greek texts. It is simply the Greek word...
