Epaphras Wrestles in Prayer The letter to Philemon ends with a list of supporting players who send their greetings and implicitly endorse Paul’s missive of reconciliation. First up is Epaphras, who by being singled out, stands alone in...
Pouring Out a Drink Offering to God During a time of war, there is a curious story of King David. He mentions that he is thirsty for water from a specific well. Three of his mighty warriors break through enemy lines, draw water from that well...
Do You Know What Your Mission Is? How closely do you do the things God tells you to do? Paul travels to Ephesus to tell people about Jesus. As a Jew it seems logical that he would go to his own people first to share this good news. He does. He...
How to Deal with Religious Opposition Paul and Barnabas respond to hostile nonbelievers with boldness and perseverance In the Old Testament, the Israelites, God’s chosen people, are a set apart nation. They are to keep separate from the other...
Who Wrote the Book of Hebrews? When We Don’t Get Credit for What We Do As a child someone told me that Paul wrote the book of Hebrews. This has stuck with me, and I still consider Paul as the book’s most likely author. But as I look for...
Are You a Person of Integrity? Righteousness is Another Word for Integrity Someone once surprised me, catching me off guard by calling me a “man of integrity.” Though honored by their perception, I shook my head. Yes, I aspire to be a person of...
Onesimus, the Useful One The focus of Paul’s letter to Philemon is Onesimus, the runaway slave. Ironically, Onesimus means “useful.” After Onesimus flees, he encounters Jesus through Paul. Paul mentors the escaped slave and the...
Who is Jude? In the Bible, there is only one mention of a man named Jude. That lone reference occurs in the opening greeting of the letter that he wrote. However, Jude is a variation of Judas. Apparently, Judas was a common name two thousand...
Philemon and His Friends The short, often overlooked book of Philemon is tucked towards the end of the New Testament, nestled between letters to Titus and to the Hebrews. Philemon and Onesimus Philemon is a letter written by Paul to his friend...
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...
