Today is what many followers of Christ refer to as Maundy Thursday. Have you ever wondered what Maundy actually means. You would be stunned to find out. I know I was. Maundy comes from the Latin mandatum from which we get the word mandate. In the Latin Vulgate translation of the scriptures, after Jesus washes …
Continue reading The Point Most Often Missed on Maundy Thursday
It may be the most often quoted and yet most misunderstood verse in the whole Bible. People who have never even cracked open a Bible have heard and quoted this verse. "Do not judge so that you will not be judged" Matthew 7:1 Usually that verse is used like a hammer to immediately stop any …
Continue reading Provocative Bible Verses: Judge Not Lest You Be Judged
The Bible is not nearly as complicated as people make it out to be. Yet, what I have learned is that it is simple enough that the least astute child can understand it's depths and deep enough that the most skilled of scholars can never fully grasp it's implications. This verse from Philippians comes to …
Continue reading Provocative Bible Verses: Working at Your Salvation
One of the most common practices in the early church was that of hospitality. It was radical hospitality. It started with Jesus never having a house of his own and most often staying in homes of people who demonstrated radical hospitality. It continued when he sent out the first disciples, telling them to preach the …
Continue reading Provocative Bible Verses: Letting Strangers Live in Your House
I am not a big fan of the WWJD bracelets, simply for the reason that a very good question, "What Would Jesus Do" quickly became a cliche' and not a way of life. But with that said I have to ask the question about the current economic crisis, "What Would Jesus Do?" It is an …
I find it very interesting to consider "worst-case scenarios". A few years ago I even bought a board game by that name. (By the way, don't bother getting it. It became the fulfillment of it's own name) But thinking about the worst-case scenario recently I thought, what would the typical church going American do if …
You can't read the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats without being just a little bit nervous about your eternal destiny. Now without a doubt, the Bible teaches that we are saved by faith in Christ and even that is not our own doing but a gift from God. Ephesians 2:8-9 is about as …
Continue reading Provocative Bible Verses: Jesus Never Knew You!
"But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect" 1 Peter 3:15 When is the last time, if ever, that someone who did not follow Christ …
If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. Luke 14:26 What in the world are we supposed to make of these words from Jesus? It seems to be a pretty clear and simple statement …
Continue reading Provocative Bible Verses: Mom and Dad; I Love Jesus but I Hate You!
"Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men" Philippians 2:5-7 We usually think of the Cross as the sacrifice that Jesus …
Continue reading That First Christmas, What Jesus Sacrificed for Us.
When love is seen as nothing more than a fleeting emotion that we can't control, that we fall in and out of, and that comes and goes in a completely arbitrary way, then it is impossible to obey the command of Jesus to love our enemies. So either something is seriously wrong with our understanding …
Continue reading Provocative Bible Verses: Love Your Enemies
The cover story for the upcoming December 15th issue is titled, "Our Mutual Joy". The subtitle contends that the Bible is actually supportive of gay marriage and that opponents of gay marriage don't understand what the Bible teaches. While I will admit that many opponents of gay marriage don't understand what the Bible teaches, after …
Continue reading Newsweek Magazine and the Case for Gay Marriage
There are few things that can both depress me and make me furious at the same time. This is about one of those things. A headline on the BBC news website is titled Christian Infighting in Jerusalem. The title does not even begin to hint at the appalling nature of the story that follows. In …
"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they …
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