Living the Kingdom on Earth
Jesus (Page 2)
We are approaching the Easter Season. I thought it would be a good time to repost my review of N.T. Wright’s excellent book, “Surprised By Hope”. It provides a great summary of the Christian hope which is taught in the biblical record. Putting Flesh And Bones On The Christian Hope In his book, Surprised by […]
When Colleen and I were married over 21 years ago, we chose Psalm 37:3,4 as our life verses together. Let me quote them for you: Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Delight yourself in the the LORD; and He will give you the desires of your heart […]
In the last month I have been doing a series entitled “Major Messages, Minor Prophets”. It has been a great blessing to be preaching on books of the Bible I have rarely, and sometimes never, preached from. The last 12 books of the Old Testament are called the Minor Prophets, not because the messages are […]
In the mid 1930s, the classic movie, “The Bride of Frankenstein”, came out. It starred Boris Karloff in the role of the monster. One of the most powerful scenes in the movie occurred when the Monster entered the cottage of a blind hermit, in the heart of the forest. The blind hermit thanked the Lord […]
One of the Church of the Nazarene’s chief beliefs is that true holiness of heart will always express itself in love for one’s neighbor. It was out of the overflow of God’s love within his triune being, that He created the world, and then sent his Son, Jesus, to redeem the world. God’s love moves […]
One of the great needs of our world is Christ-like leadership. It is very timely to be writing this blog on a day that Americans are deciding who their next President is going to be. What does transformational leadership look like? I don’t think we will find it if we look at the 2 main […]
When you become a follower of Christ, you are signing up for something that is more like a marathon than a 100-yard sprint. Friedrich Nietzsche, who was no friend of Christianity, demonstrated real wisdom in the following statement: “The essential thing ‘in heaven and earth’ is ……. that there should be long obedience in the […]
At the beginning of Jesus’ last week on earth, Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey. There were a couple of reasons why Jesus rode into town that first Palm Sunday on such a humble animal. First of all, it fulfilled the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9 that was written over 500 years before Christ’s first […]
It is no accident that Christ experienced the Transfiguration in Mathew 17. This is a mountaintop experience above all mountaintop experiences. It happened right after Jesus’ first explicit teaching of his upcoming arrest, crucifixion and resurrection in Mathew 16:21. Suffering, spiritual power and glory are always held and experienced in dynamic tension within a Christian […]
We all like to think we have strong character and that our relationships with those in our family and church fellowship are substantive and loving. But I believe that it is in the fiery trials of life and how we respond to them which really determine the quality of our character and relationships. Are You […]