Ephesians 5:21-27; Paul transitions from instruction on personal christian conduct to the church and home. Repeatedly Paul emphasizes the powerful term “submit” to describe how believers and family members must yield to the God-given authority above them.
Ephesians 5:15-20; Following his forceful instruction about Christian behavior in the areas of speech and sexual conduct, Paul issues a series of cautions about living foolishly….or wisely. Only by preparing ourselves to “make the most of every opportunity”, as well as living exemplary lives in regards to personal choices and substance control, will a believer […]
Select gospel passages: Mother’s Day is a commemoration of the sacrifice and care our mothers selflessly invested to raise us as Christ following adults. Our focus today is an overview of the bibilical references of Mary, the special lady that God chose to bear His Son.
Ephesians 5:1-14; Paul begins his third set of directives on appropriate Christian living with an exhortation to “Follow God’s example….and walk in the way of love”. The Apostle abruptly shifts tone by addressing sexual immorality, impurity, greed, obscenity, foolish talk and coarse joking as behaviors which are completely unbecoming of a believer in Christ. These […]
John 20:17-31: John continues his characteristic focus upon people who interacted with Jesus through the end of his gospel account. Mary Magdalene’s devotion to Christ allowed her to be the first withness of the Resurrection, then she is sent to inform the fearful disciples hiding in Jerusalem. Jesus appears through locked doors to commisson the […]
Passages from John 11-20; John’s gospel is uniquely personal and focused on the actions of people encountered by Jesus. We start with the Pharisees just prior to the Triumphal Entry at the beginning of Passion Week and trace the interactions of key individuals on the way to the cross…..the burial….and empty tomb.
Mark 11:1-7; John 12:12-19: The arrival of Jesus in Jerusalem just prior to Passover during the third year of His ministry was very special. Rather than walk into Israel’s capital city as another religious pilgrim celebrating the festival, He rode into town to the cries of “Hosana! Blessed is he who comes in the name […]
Ephesians 4:25-32; Paul clearly defines the difference between living “your former way of life“, which he identifies as the “old self“. and putting on the “new self“, which is “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness“. The apostle lays out several behaviors that do not align with a spirit indwelled believer in […]
Ephesians 4:17-24; After diverging a bit from his focus on Christian living in 4:1, Paul returns to his instruction by stating, “you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking”. He continues by precisely defining those negative behaviors, which he calls the “old self”, and contrast that with the […]
Ephesians 4:11-16; Paul elaborates on the “grace” of Christ that is given to the church by defininng a group of gifted individuals that form the foundations of the Church. He notes that Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers are given to “equip his people for works of service”. Paul then defines the prominent difference between […]