Are You the Criminal on the Cross Next to Jesus? When Jesus is executed, two criminals are executed with him, one on either side. While we don’t know what these two men did to deserve the death penalty, we can assume it must have been something...
Does Jesus Offend You? Though many people like an easy Jesus, not everyone accepts what he says Jesus normally teaches the masses in parables. Though most don’t really understand what he means, they like his stories because they’re so...
Jesus Comes to Lead a Spiritual Rebellion The First Reformation Happened 2000 Years Ago As the time for Jesus’s sacrificial death approaches, his enemies come to arrest him. They’re armed. This might be as a show of force or maybe because they...
I Want to Learn More (Visiting Church #28) Sunday we visit another small church. I expect a traditional, liturgical service. The sanctuary is simple, filled with color and symbolism. Several lit candles mesmerize as incense fills the air. A...
How Many Disciples Did Jesus Have? We all know that Jesus had twelve disciples, right? This number occurs repeatedly in all four gospels. And the first three list them by name. Unfortunately, the lists don’t match. Matthew and Mark list Simon...
Do You Believe God’s Message? Faith Comes from Hearing God’s Message About Jesus and Believing in Him In the book of Isaiah, the prophet asks, “Who has believed God’s message?” He then goes on to prophetically proclaim what Jesus will do. He will...
Discern the Difference Between Biblical Commands and Biblical Narrative In the Bible We Must Distinguish Between Prescriptive Text and Descriptive Text The Bible contains a lot of versus that tell us what to do and what not to do. These verses...
More Youthful Worship (Visiting Church #27) We arrive at church about ten minutes early, and after milling about for a while, we sit down. A mostly youthful praise team assembles on the stage to worship God, which is a mere eight inches high; the...
Doctor Luke: A Quiet Man with a Lasting Influence Doctor Luke was another companion of Paul. He wrote the Gospel of Luke and The Acts of the Apostles. Despite having penned two major books in the Bible—comprising about 25 percent of the content...
Isaiah Reveals Three Things About God: He Is Gracious, Compassionate, and Just We Should Wait for God Because He Longs for Us After Isaiah records the stinging words of God against his people, Isaiah adds a passage of comfort and reassurance. It...
