The Bride Church

Jesus was changing paradigms when he started his ministry. John’s disciples were questioning the changes. Jesus says we need new wineskins to go along with the new wine. New wineskins allow us to make changes and be flexible and open to the Holy Spirit’s leading. Our old affections and traditions can limit us. God cannot be limited but we can certainly be resistant. We are called to be ambassadors...

Adam was a type of Christ: through one man’s disobedience, all have sinned; through one man’s obedience, many have been made righteous. Our new birth includes being baptized with Jesus in his death, his burial, and his resurrection. In Christ, our old self has been crucified and we are resurrected in our new self. Self is another word for our nature. Our new nature is no longer bound to sin but bo...

In Scripture, there are types and shadows in the Old Covenant that come to life in the New Covenant. The New Covenant was prophesied in the Old Covenant. Hebrews 8 references Jerimiah 31:31-34. Jesus was the better sacrifice that gives us full access to God in a new and living way. His sacrifice is better as it relates to the full assurance of forgiveness and atonement. Jesus has rested from His f...

There are lingering effects to spending so much time isolated from one another. It’s ok to not be ok. Saying “I’m fine” when we aren’t really fine is not healthy. There is power in praise and worship. Lament is meant to be a part of our worship. Praising God is not for God’s benefit or our own. We praise God because of who He is and who we are. Sometimes we just have to praise, even if we don’t fe...

Paul went from someone who persecuted the Church to someone willing to be persecuted for the Church. Paul closes his letter with a hint of his Roman guards’ conversions. Paul boldly asks us to imitate him as he follows Christ. Paul has four new passions: God’s saving grace, the Gospel, the Church, & the lost.

It is helpful to remember that the letter to the Philippian church was in response to their giving: a “Thank You” letter from Paul. Giving is an act of grace that first occurs in us by God’s gift of forgiveness. Giving becomes a natural outflow of the believer that has received God’s grace. Our giving is always first unto the Lord and then unto others. Giving breaks off entitlement and becomes an...

Until we accept by faith the blood that was shed by Jesus for our sins, we are at war with God. Jesus grants us peace with God. Jesus gives us peace with God, then gives us the Peace that comes from God This peace can be partially interrupted by uncertainty, untruths, unforgiveness, unrighteous living, and unconfessed sin. Paul exhorts us to bring our anxious thoughts to prayer and meditate on spe...

God calls us out of the world, then places us back in it to be salt and light. As we hold onto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith, He transforms our minds and changes us. We lose our pride and selfishness. We outdo one another with honor. We bless and love our enemies. We give to the needs of each other. None of this is possible without keeping our gaze upon Jesus.

Paul warns us not to attach ourselves too closely to earthly things. Notice who Paul weeps over… the lost. Jesus saves us from the kingdoms of earth and gives us a new citizenship in heaven through our new birth. Jesus saves us from the world and then sends us back into to it to be salt and light. This perspective of eternity helps us to stay focused on our mission and calling.

Paul speaks to Christian maturity in these scriptures. The high calling is to move forward in Christ without looking back when times are difficult. Accept all circumstances and, by any means necessary, become like Christ. Longing for the good old days may cause us to miss what God is doing now. Looking back briefly to see what God has done or learn from mistakes is healthy. Hard times or dry times...

Paul gives us a pathway to maturity: to count everything as loss compared to knowing Christ as Lord and His resurrection power. All is not wasted, but it’s all loss compared to the value of knowing Christ. To count as a loss, one must let go of fleshly securities and cling to Christ. Our worth comes from knowing Jesus, not from what we’ve accomplished or where we have failed. Knowing His resurrect...

People always hope but so much of what we hope for does not materialize, leading to disappointment and despair. Biblical hope is anchored in a promise made by the ultimate Promise Keeper, the God of Hope, and is better defined as a certainty, just not yet fully realized. The God of Hope wants His people to be abounding in hope (hope on steroids), having been filled with His Spirit. God allows less...

Turn to God first and pray. Believe His promises. Trust Him with your situation. The battle is not yours but God’s. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord. God is much bigger than the situation you are facing. Praise and worship God in the middle of your circumstances.

The backdrop behind the prophecies of Isaiah and Micah are destruction and darkness and/or loneliness. The backdrop of the birth of Jesus was similar to when the birth was announced. Emmanuel (God Is With Us) brings forth the glory of God and the light of Christ. There is always light to be discovered, even in dark times. Hope is a confident expectation and a certain realization that God is with u...

Paul was relieved that Epaphroditus was spared, saving Paul from grief. Understanding the nature of grief can help us better cope with loss. Grief is a natural, healthy process that enables us to recover from loss. We need to remember that it is ok to not be ok when experiencing grief. Grief is the medicine to process the loss. God promises to comfort those who mourn Unresolved grief can be crippl...

Paul calls us to obedience and to apply humility, unity, and witness. We are to work out what God works in. We are to work out our own Salvation, not others. Grumbling can be an outward expression of selfish desires. Grumbling in light of the sovereignty of God is like stating, “God, You’re not being good to me.” We are lights of the World! Lights are used to make things evident or clear. Sometime...

Jesus did not empty Himself of his divinity but added to Himself humanity. Humility can be a pathway to relational peace. "Accept the hurt without complaint and without fail, He will bring you through to victory and to peace." - Ray Steadman Jesus humbled himself even unto death on a cross. “The lower he stoops to save us, the higher we ought to lift him in our adoring reverence. Blessed be his na...

The Fall story of our original parents is lived out over and over in each of us. Not all new possibilities are temptations; but all temptations are new possibilities. Often our sin is not considered immorally evil but looks to us like a greater good. Covering-up is the natural response to shame, guilt, and knowledge of wrongdoing. When our desires rule us, we bend modesty until God turns us over t...

Paul uses what we receive from Christ as a springboard to building unity. Competition and selfish ambition must be removed from the Body of Christ. Considering the interests of others requires participation with the Spirit. Having the same mind of Christ is essential to building unity. God grants us the mind of Christ as a gift.

A manner of life worthy of the Gospel is not something to live up to it but to live out of it. We are asked to stand together in unity working side by side to advance the Gospel. We are asked to not fear opponents of the Gospel. We are asked to suffer well for the sake of the Gospel.

Paul’s third missionary journey ended with imprisonment in Jerusalem. The Holy Spirit and a prophet both foretold that Paul would be afflicted and imprisoned if he went to Jerusalem. Paul was committed to the will of God. He did not count his own life more worthy than sharing the Gospel. Often times of hardships are just opportunities to grow and share the Gospel. Living for Christ is real life wi...

The Church in Philippi was started with a converted businesswoman, a demon-possessed slave girl, and a jailer. Wherever there is Gospel progress, there will always be resistance. Paul’s letter to the Church was about 10 years after the account in Acts as he was under house arrest in Rome. Paul shares his heart and his appreciation for the people in the body and for their partnership in the Gospel....

Solomon asked for wisdom and was granted his request. Solomon started with worship by building the temple, but his taste for sinful pleasure cost him and the people of Israel. All the wisdom in the world cannot keep you from sin. Wisdom doesn’t fully take root until it is carried out in obedience. Everything hidden will be brought into the light.

Listening to understand is an act of love. Poor listening diminishes the significance of the other person. Asking questions is a great way to engage others and get to know them. Answering others’ questions empties the person of their ability to discern and make godly decisions. Jesus always engaged others to point them closer to the Father and help them to grow into His image. We should as well. W...

God has given us access to counsel within the body of Christ. Wisdom is found when seeking others input. Good wise counsel can help protect us, recenter us, and move us into a closer relationship with Jesus. Isolation, spiritual pride, stubbornness, independence, and perfectionism are all concepts that keep us from others’ counsel. We all suffer from blind spots that can be lovingly pointed out by...