Biblical Christianity from Peter DeHaan

About Jesus: The Bible Points Us to Jesus

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date October 8, 2019

Though the Gospels Focus on Jesus, We See Him throughout the Old and New Testaments

In reading the Bible, we see that God the Father is the star of the Old Testament. In parallel fashion, Jesus is the focus of the New Testament, especially in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

Each of these four writers presents us with their perspective of Jesus’s life and work, emphasizing different aspects and giving singular details.

Though having four biographies of Jesus in the Bible seems like overkill, each one provides us with unique glimpses into Jesus.

Yet Jesus appears in the Old Testament, too, which carries numerous predictions by a slew of prophets, perhaps most notably Isaiah, that all point to a future Savior.

Though these Old Testament predictions don’t mention Jesus by name, they do describe him, his life, and his mission.

In many ways the Old Testament anticipates Jesus. After all, Jesus says his purpose is to fulfill the Law of the Old Testament, not replace it, Matthew 5:17.

The disciple John writes that Jesus was present at creation and took part in it, perhaps even playing a lead role. Also consider Melchizedek in Genesis 14:18-20 and the teaching about him in Hebrews 5-7.

Or what about the fourth man who joins Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the blazing furnace in Daniel 3:25-29, the one who king Nebuchadnezzar says looks like “a son of the gods?”

And many consider the three visitors who come to see Abraham (Genesis 18:1-2) as a reference to the godhead: the Father, Jesus, and Holy Spirit. There are other such references, too.

John also writes about Jesus in his end time vision in Revelation.

Jesus is the reason for the rest of the New Testament, too, which focuses on the work of his followers in the book of Acts and the letters they write about him in the books of Romans through Jude.

The Bible points us to Jesus. The Old Testament anticipates him, the Gospels reveal him, and the remainder of the New Testament celebrate what he accomplished.

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is Matthew 5-7, and today’s post is on Matthew 5:17.]

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

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Tags Jesus

Personal Posts

Black and White in a Technicolor World

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date October 6, 2019

I dream in black and white. I’ve always assumed this was because I grew up watching black and white TV. Occasionally my black and white dream contains one item in color—a more recent cinematic effect that my dreaming has likely emulated.

A couple of times an entire dream scene is blasted with vibrant, blinding color. It comes as such a surprise that I instantly wake-up.

Since I dream in black and white and grew up watching television in black and white, it shouldn’t be surprising that I enjoy black and white movies.

(And for the record, I’m not a purest and I don’t object to the colorization of black and white films. A good movie is a good movie, regardless.)

In selecting older movies, I first consider those that are heralded as classics.

I also give consideration to the classic films that Netflix suggests, based on my ratings that I’ve given to other films.

A third reason why I will opt to partake in cinematic nostalgia is the people associated with a picture.

As far as directors, I opt for Alfred Hitchcock: North by Northwest, Vertigo, To Catch a Thief, and Rear Window are particular favorites.

Not surprisingly, the main actors in these films also capture my attention. For the males, it’s Jimmy Stewart and Carey Grant.

On the female side, it’s Grace Kelly, along with Myrna Loy, Barbara Stanwyck, and Audrey Hepburn. Often I gravitate to anything that includes one of these four ladies.

Several years ago, I was again watching “To Catch a Thief” (a triple bonus: directed by Hitchcock and starring Cary Grant and Grace Kelly).

There is a scene with Grace Kelly wearing a stunning white gown and adorned by a sparkling array of diamonds encircling her neck.

Just then, my son walked into the room. “What are you watching?” he asked. I provided more information about this classic tale than he wanted to hear.

I then gushed about Grace Kelly and concluded by saying, “Isn’t she incredible?”

He stood silently for several moments, shook his head, and said, “I just don’t get it.”

How could he get a black and white movie? He probably dreams in color.

Do you like this post? Want to read more? Check out Peter’s book, Bridging the Sacred-Secular Divide: Discovering the Spirituality of Every Day Life, available wherever books are sold.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Tags movies, Sacred-Secular Divide, television

Christian Living

Discover What the Bible Says about the Lord’s Supper

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date October 6, 2019

When We Take Communion It’s to Remember What Jesus Did for Us

The Lord’s Supper is another phrase found only in the New Testament. This isn’t surprising since Jesus instituted this practice when he taught it to his disciples at Passover.

Most Christian churches follow Jesus’s command to celebrate the Lord’s Supper (Luke 22:19), though they do so in a variety of ways. And many churches revere it as a sacrament.

Two common words for the Lord’s Supper are Communion (Holy Communion) and the Eucharist (the Holy Eucharist). Neither of these words, however, appear in the Bible.

In fact, Lord’s Supper only appears once in 1 Corinthians 11:20 (and two more times if you count the subheadings that translators added later: 1 Corinthians 10:14 and 1 Corinthians 11:17).

Jesus Institutes the Lord’s Supper

Three of the biographies of Jesus include the account of Jesus turning the Passover meal into the Communion. These occur in Matthew 26:17-30, Mark 14:12-26, and Luke 22:7-23.

In each of these passages, the added subheading is “The Last Supper,” reminding us that this is Jesus’s final meal before his arrest and execution. But the phrase The Last Supper doesn’t appear anywhere else in the biblical text.

Last, in his letter to the church in Corinth, Paul also talks about the Lord’s Supper, explaining the process and teaching the people the proper way to approach it. Apparently the church in Corinth struggled with doing Communion right (1 Corinthians 11:17-34).

Breaking Bread

Another interesting phrase that’s possibly related is breaking bread. Breaking bread occurs three times in the Bible (Acts 2:42, Acts 20:7, and 1 Corinthians 10:16).

Breaking bread could be a euphemism for Communion or simply sharing a meal with other believers.

It’s up to us to consider if every meal we eat with other Jesus followers is in fact a celebration of Communion. More to the point, should we treat every meal we eat with other followers of Jesus as Communion?

When we celebrate the Communion, we remember Jesus and what he did to restore us into right relationship with Papa.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

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Tags communion, Jesus, Passover

Visiting Churches

A Time of Pure Worship (Visiting Church #24)

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date October 3, 2019

The church we visited on Sunday is a mostly older congregation. The worship team, however, is comprised of teens. What a pleasant surprise. Three play guitars, with one on percussion.

Offstage is a pianist, the church’s worship leader and the only non-teen of the ensemble.

There are several vocalists, with two who sing and play. The church’s hymnals and the pipe organ go unused the entire service.

52 Churches: A Yearlong Journey Encountering God, His Church, and Our Common Faith

The teens lead us in modern worship songs and choruses; we sing as the words are displayed overhead. Accomplished, without being assuming, their sound is a safe contemporary and most conducive for worship.

I’m drawn to them and they point me to God. It’s a wondrous time. I stand there, in awe of the moment, so taken that I sometimes forget to sing.

Though this music is not my preferred choice, I find it compelling. They play and sing with joy; their worship is pure. They bring me into God’s presence.

This group is good at what they do, but if they’re aware of it, they don’t show it. They’re confident and poised, without calling attention to themselves. Praising God is their focus.

This is unexpected, an anomaly inserted into a more traditional order of worship. Afterwards we learn that most of these teens don’t attend this church, but were invited in for the day.

Ironically, it’s what I enjoyed most about the service.

[Read about Church #23 and Church #25, start at the beginning of our journey, or learn more about Church #24.]

My wife and I visited a different Christian Church every Sunday for a year. This is our story. Get your copy of 52 Churches today, available in ebook, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Tags 52 Churches, worship, youth

Bible Insights

The Last Words of King David

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date October 1, 2019

Discover the Fitting Capstone of King David’s Life

In the last recorded words of King David, we learn more about him and his relationship with God.

David’s words may come across as bragging, but remember that God said David was a man after his own heart (1 Samuel 13:14 and Acts 13:22).

Here’s what King David has to say:

First, David asserts that God, who anointed him, inspired the things he said and the words he wrote. David’s psalms come at God’s inspiration.

Next, even more pointedly, David states that God spoke through him, that God’s words came from his mouth.

This moves us beyond inspiration to make David a supernatural mouthpiece for God, his prophet. Indeed, today’s passage records words that God said directly to David.

These words are about ruling in righteousness and in the fear of God.

Third we see the ramifications of David’s relationship with God.

David says that if he and his house were not right with God, there would be no reason for God to make an everlasting promise to David that his descendants would rule forever (2 Samuel 7:16 and 1 Kings 9:5).

For the next twenty generations, this is exactly what happened: David’s descendants ruled the nation of Judah. But for the eternal part of God’s covenant with David, we must look at this promise figuratively and not in a literal sense.

Jesus, a direct descendent of King David (Matthew 1:6-16), is this forever ruler that God promised. Jesus, whose earthly ancestor is David, will be our forever king.

Hail Jesus! You’re my King!

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is 2 Samuel 22-24, and today’s post is on 2 Samuel 23:1-7.]

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

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Tags God speaks, King David, righteousness, supernatural

Reviews of Books & Movies

Book Review: NIV Quest Bible Study

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date September 30, 2019

As the title suggests, the NIV Quest Bible Study is based on the popular New International Version (NIV) of the Bible. It’s billed as “the only Q&A Bible study” with “answers to thousands of questions about the Bible.”

Have you ever read a passage in the Bible and had a question about it? I have. And I’m sure you have too. In the NIV Quest Bible Study it’s quite possible that they already addressed your question in the accessible Q&A sidebar found on every page.

Presenting additional information in a clever Q&A format provides additional insight that sheds more light on the biblical text.

This allows readers to come away with an expanded understanding of what the text means and how it might apply to our life today.

In addition to the sidebar questions and answers found in every page are the top 100 most asked questions about the Bible. These provide honest clarity into issues that perplex many Christians and readers of the Bible.

The NIV Quest Bible Study also provides many other valuable resources. Most notable is the combined dictionary-concordance, which defines key biblical terms and then lists verses that contain those words.

Other items include:

Three practical Bible reading plans
An introduction to each book in the Bible
Lots of maps and timelines
Index of the subjects covered in the NIV Quest Bible Study, along with the verses that address those themes
Fourteen full-color maps in the back matter give geographic insight into various time periods covered in the Bible

The NIV Quest Bible Study is more than the NIV Bible, it’s a complete Bible study guide.

[Legal stuff: I received this Bible for free as a member of the Bible Gateway Blogger Grid, #BibleGatewayPartner.]

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Tags read the Bible

Visiting Churches

A Time of Transition (Visiting Church #23)

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date September 26, 2019

We attend a contemporary service at a Presbyterian church. Their interim minister gives a message on “Listening to God”; today is his first official day on the job.

Their former minister of twelve years left a few weeks ago and they are in a time of transition.

This interim cleric is their “in between pastor” and not a candidate to become their regular one.

His message from Matthew 13:1-17 (the parable of the sower) provides encouragement for this season in their church. He says this is not a time to coast until a replacement arrives. It must be “business as usual.”

While most “congregations are too pastor dependent,” this one is an exception, with their former leader training them to not rely on him or need him to function.

They are well prepared to make this transition. “The new pastor should find us fully engaged” when he arrives. “In the interim, we will listen to God.”

At the end of the service, they hold a brief congregational meeting to confirm the pastoral selection committee. Nonmembers may stay and observe. A team of ten, a nice cross-section of the congregation, is presented for approval.

Afterwards is a time of fellowship. We spend much of it talking with two longtime members. They confirm their former minister equipped them well for this time. They have great respect for him, as well as for their interim pastor.

They expect to be just fine.

As we make our way to the door, we meet more people, who confirm what we’ve just learned: this congregation is ready to navigate their time between ministers.

I heartily agree and pray for God’s blessing on them.

[Read about Church #22 and Church #24, start at the beginning of our journey, or learn more about Church #23.]

My wife and I visited a different Christian Church every Sunday for a year. This is our story. Get your copy of 52 Churches today, available in ebook, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Tags 52 Churches, church services, fellowship

Personal Posts

Fall Weather is Seemingly Upon Us

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date September 24, 2019

Fall means that I won’t likely be watering the lawn anymore for the rest of the season and that mowing will occur much less often. So you think that I would look forward to fall because it means a lot less yard work.

While this is true, there is one thing that I dislike about fall—the knowledge that winter will soon follow it.

Spring is my favorite season. To me, spring means new life, fresh beginnings, and personal rejuvenation. Summer is a close second, with the warm days and a break from the normal schedule.

Then comes fall, which weather-wise is an okay time of the year. But winter is a time that I view as something to endure.

I know, I need to develop a more positive attitude about the season of cold and snow, but it’s hard for me to do—and seemingly gets harder every year.

I used to think that my dislike for the winter months centered around the lesser number of daylight hours, but it turns out that is more of an incidental issue, with the cold temps and blowing snow as the central cause of my angst.

By working at home, I can largely avoid those twin threats, but by mid-winter, I start to get cabin fever, which is about as bad.

But right now, I need to not dwell on it—and enjoy fall while it lasts.

Do you like this post? Want to read more? Check out Peter’s book, Bridging the Sacred-Secular Divide: Discovering the Spirituality of Every Day Life, available wherever books are sold.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Tags Sacred-Secular Divide, weather

Bible Insights

Tell the Truth

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date September 24, 2019

Lying to Achieve a Better Outcome May Backfire

Mortally wounded in battle, King Saul commits suicide. A young man, an Amalekite, later happens upon the scene and concocts a plan that he’s sure will bring him a reward.

His strategy, however, isn’t to tell the truth about what he saw.

Instead he fabricates a story that he thinks will benefit him. He tells a calculated lie.

A Fatal Lie

Coming to David, who later succeeds Saul as king, the young man says that King Saul called out to him during the battle, asking the Amalekite to kill him.

This was because Saul was dying a painful death. And the young man claims to have done exactly that.

Knowing that Saul would not live, the Amalekite walked up to him and killed him. Then he shows David King Saul’s crown and armband to corroborate his story.

But instead of receiving David’s gratitude, earning a reward, or enjoying a celebration for bringing about the death of David’s enemy, David condemns the Amalekite for killing God’s anointed king.

David’s judgment is swift. He orders the young man executed for the actions he claims to have committed. David’s men strike down the Amalekite, and he dies.

David doesn’t bother to verify the young man’s story. And maybe it doesn’t matter if it’s true or not. Even if he didn’t kill King Saul, he takes credit for the king’s death. That’s damning enough.

The Amalekite’s testimony was all David needed to hear. The young man told a lie because he felt it was expedient, and it cost him his life. How much better for him to tell the truth.

Tell the Truth

One of the Ten Commandments tells us not to lie (Leviticus 19:11).

Aside from obeying God because it’s the right thing to do, this story provides a life-and-death example of why we should always tell the truth.

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is 2 Samuel 1-3, and today’s post is on 2 Samuel 1:6-15.]

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

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Tags King David, King Saul

Visiting Churches

Experiencing True Community (Visiting Church #22)

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date September 19, 2019

We arrive at the church to a bustle of activity. Only a few people are sitting; most mill about, socializing. Many make a point of introducing themselves, genuinely interested in meeting us.

Names are important to them. They repeat ours, deliberate and intentional.

When they share theirs, they pause, allowing time for us to truly hear.

The minister’s losing his voice and almost had to find a replacement; I’m glad he didn’t. Today’s message is on loving the world. He establishes the foundation for this.

Then, to save his voice, he invites the congregation to complete the sermon by sharing examples of what others have done for them by showing love and providing care.

What each person relates is appropriate and relevant, heartfelt and often poignant, sometimes with halting voices and occasionally, tears. Acts of kindness, often done in obscurity are now proclaimed.

They do this with sincere humility, lacking self-aggrandizement or calling undo attention to the person mentioned.

This congregation is a true community. They prove it in the quiet ways they help one another. Caring for each other is their witness.

The engaging community, present before the service and confirmed during it, continues afterwards. The pastor chats with us briefly and then excuses himself. Perhaps it’s because he doesn’t feel well, but more likely because he doesn’t need to be present.

The congregation envelops us into their community.

[Read about Church #21 and Church #23, start at the beginning of our journey, or learn more about Church #22.]

My wife and I visited a different Christian Church every Sunday for a year. This is our story. Get your copy of 52 Churches today, available in ebook, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Tags 52 Churches, community, witness