On walking the Way

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now i...

Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him ; for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments an...

There is a story in the gospel of John where Jesus said some things that thoroughly confused and disturbed his disciples. Many disciples left Jesus because they just could not understand what he was saying, those that remained said in their exasperation, “where else would we go? you have the words of life”. Let’s pick this story up just after many followers gave up and left. After this many of his...

Be imitators of me, brothers and sisters , and watch carefully those who are living this way, just as you have us as an example. For many live, about whom I have often told you, and now, with tears, I tell you that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is the belly, they exult in their shame, and they think about earthly things. But our citizenship is in...

I have been trained in multiple techniques of evangelism over the years and although I am not a gifted evangelist, I try. It has become clear to me over the years that my work and gifts function better in the second wave than the first. I am most effective when I follow evangelists and teach the new, the young, and the immature what the bible says and how to properly interpret it. My goal is to te...

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,    (Ephesians 1:3 ESV) The church in Ephesus was surrounded by various religions and magical practices. As we see reported in Acts these practices were a part of the believers former life as well. Paul’s letter to them begins with this bold statement. He made i...

I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.   (John 15:1 ESV) Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from...

And when Jesus entered Peter’s house, he saw his mother-in-law lying sick with a fever. He touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she rose and began to serve him. (Matthew 8:14-15) And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singi...

Easter is a time to reflect on the significance of the resurrection. The resurrection of Jesus is not a philosophical or theological point to be argued, nor is it a simply a symbol. But rather, it stands as the single fact on which all Christian belief depends. And when I say fact I do not mean a firmly held opinion, I am referring to a historical fact, a thing which actually happened. If the resu...

It is passion week, the week in the life of Jesus where we see humanities failure and Christ’s triumph most clearly. It begins with crowds of people cheering him as king, and ends with those same crowds screaming for his execution. And through it all we see Jesus resolute and unmoved from his love of humanity or his mission to save us. So this week I want to look at the way of the cross, what it m...

A Walmart gift card is an interesting gift. It is just a piece of plastic that has no value at all. So, what do Walmart gift cards have to do with faith? Grace is a gift The grace of God is a gift, pure and simple. We don’t earn it, and we don’t deserve it. It is given to us much like a Walmart gift card. Its value is not always immediately apparent. In fact, until we respond to the gift, it does...

...Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved...

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. (John 1:1-4 ESV) Jesus said to him, “I am the way , and the truth , and the life . No one comes to the Father except through me. For this purpose...

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil ". (Matt 6:9-13 ESV) At first glance this petition seems so easy, but as I have pondered this a bit, this simple request is a bit m...

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil". (Matt 6:9-13 ESV) This phrase more than any other in this prayer challenges me. It challenges me on a daily basis. And I believe...

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil". (Matt 6:9-13 ESV) Deb and I have been missionaries for over 30 years now, we are technically self employed volunteers. This means...

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil". (Matt 6:9-13 ESV) Often when this prayer is recited the phrases, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heav...

“And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts,...

When he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.” And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.” But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I s...

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matt 5:10-12 ESV) Finally, the one who would follow the way of J...

And when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. And many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And he was preaching the word to them. And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an open...

With the new year comes a new hope, a hope for something better. Often, this is a time of reflection and self-assessment, which is a wonderful tradition. We resolve to break long-standing habits and make new habits. But more often than not, we fail to break these habits. Why do we keep going back to habits and mistakes that we hate? The answer, unfortunately, is not something that we want to hear....

Up to this point I have been focused on the first coming of the King of Kings. But Advent is much more than that, it is a time when we also focus on and anticipate His second coming. Jesus has come, Jesus has conquered, and Jesus is coming again to reign. These three simple facts make up the core of Christian thought, and it is the core of the message of good news that we have been commissioned by...

And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to...

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David . And the virgin’s name was Mary . And he came to her and said, “ Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you! ” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel...