Posts from May 2021 (Page 2)

Jude, Day 4 A Call to Persevere Jude 1:17 – 25 Perseverance is a theme seen time and time again throughout the New Testament. While we often struggle to embrace this, the truth found in Ícripture is clear: we will face difficulties in our walk with God, and in those difficulties, we are called to persevere. At the end of the book of Jude, we see another situation where perseverance is needed. Jude 1:17 – 21 says, “But you must…

Jude, Day 3 Jude 12 – 16 Shady Shepherds Fleecing the Flock “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves” (Matthew 7:15). There are many disturbing trends that have infiltrated the church in recent decades. One is subtle and the other is more blatant. As a Biblicist and web designer for ministries, when I see a church website, the first thing I look for is a doctrinal statement. If it is absent or vague, I…

Jude, Day 2 Jude 8 – 11 Evil People in the Church: In the Cold Light of Day “Yet in like manner these people also, relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones. But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, ‘The Lord rebuke you.’ But these people blaspheme all that they do not understand, and…

Jude, Day 1 Defining Disobedience Jude 3 – 7 The candle was flickering as the first-century writer, Jude, was moving on from finishing his brief opening remarks in a letter. The main focus of the letter was going to be a treatise of the common faith. As he finished his opening greeting, he began to think through the structure of his next few sentences, and the Spirit inspired him to switch gears and focus on a warning to the church…

Faithfulness, Deceit, Good Report (3 John) “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth” (3 John 4) I have two children who are currently 8 and 12 years old. Both of them have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, and those were great days when I heard the good news! As they continue to grow older, I get to watch them grow in their faith. Yes, they do struggle at…

2 JOHN LOVE DISCRIMINATES BASED UPON TRUTH “The Salutation” Verses 1 – 3 “Proper Exercise of Truth and Love” Verses 4 –11 “Final Greetings” Verses 12 – 13  The Apostle John is the author of 2 John. This book is believed to have been written around A.D. 85. 2 John appears to have been written to a special woman in a church. John mentions her children, her sister, and her sister’s children. Verse 1 states that all who have known…

1 John, Day 7 1 John 5:6 – 21 The book of 1 John closes in a very peculiar manner. Most communications we send end with some sort of encouragement, salutation, or expression of appreciation for the recipient of our correspondence. The book of 1 John closes with the phrase, “Little children, keep yourselves from idols.” This sounds more like an afterthought than a continuation of the sentiment found in the letter. However, when we remember the overarching theme of…