Posts from 2021 (Page 3)

Responding to Oppression And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priests in their vestments came forward with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise the Lord, according to the directions of David king of Israel.  Ezra 3:10 In the third chapter of Ezra, we read about the moment when “the foundation of the temple of the Lord was laid.” At that moment the younger generation broke into worship and praise with…

Ezra, Day 1 GOD IS FAITHFUL TO HIS PEOPLE The Decree of Cyrus — Chapter 1 List of Returnees — Chapter 2  Background Here is a little history to set up the book of Ezra. The Northern Kingdom of Israel fell to the Assyrians in 722 BC. The Southern Kingdom (Judah and Benjamin) continued to exist. Babylonia invaded the Southern Kingdom at Jerusalem in 605 BC and destroys Jerusalem and burns down the Temple in 586 BC. Some Jews scatter…

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…

1 John, Day 6 1 John 4:7 – 5:5 Love Is a Verb “Love makes your soul crawl out from its hiding place” (Zora Neale Hurston). The epistle of 1 John is a spiritual PSAT exam: Prove Salvation Abides True. It is a series of tests, as it were, to “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves” (2 Corinthians 13:5). Our passage focuses on the test of love. The Greek word translated “love” in this…