In Matthew 23 Jesus begins a list of rebukes and woes to the scribes and Pharisees. One of the most interesting facts that I learned about Israel during the time of Christ is that the Pharisees were not completely running everything. In the gospels, Jesus seems to be in the greatest conflict with the Pharisees. They are depicted as being His primary enemies and opponents. In the Bible we can get the impression that the Pharisees were the dominant force in Israel. The real

Jesus "learned obedience from the things which He suffered" Hebrews 5:8. If you take time to read all of chapter 5, you will see how Christ became our perfect high priest during His time on earth. Say what?! God, the Son learning, obeying, and being made perfect; now this is hard to explain, eh? Jesus was not made perfect in deity, character, holiness, or sinlessness. He has always been completely God, the Son. This process refers to all that He experienced as the Son o

A couple of weeks ago I was working around my yard and house. I decided that it was time to check and clear my gutters. Most of it was clear but one section was completely full—even the downspout was clogged. Anyone who has ever cleaned out gutters knows how gross things can get. Decomposing leaves, trash, sticks, and other unidentifiable mess build up and form a thick, wet, black soup. Even though some people have tried to make tools to clean out the gutters, nothing re

Matthew 19:16-22 Now behold, one came and said to Him, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?” So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” He said to Him, “Which ones?” Jesus said, “ ‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ 19 ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘You

When we think of outbreaks and pandemics our minds immediately think of those that have been impacted by COVID-19. If we look in the past, we see outbreaks of cholera, the Bubonic plague, SARS, HIV/Aids, Ebola, and others. Greg Stier in his book Outbreak: Creating a Contagious Youth Ministry Through Viral Evangelism, argues that viruses are among some of the strongest and deadly forces on the Earth. They spread easily, are difficult to contain, and can overwhelm a person’s li

Right now it would make sense for someone to ask “What is God doing through all of this?” or maybe “Why would God allow this pandemic to happen?” Great tragedy and earth shaking events remind us all of how little we are when viewed on a cosmic scale. The Bible compares our lives to a vapor. Jesus asked the question: “Who can add 10 years to his life?” Many people like to express the sentiment that God must have some purpose or plan for them since they are still living, a

God's Spirit inspired the writing of five questions with obvious "yes" answers. This form of grammar draws the readers to conclude that "SINCE" all five questions ARE eternally "yes," true, and really in existence, then we can pull together instead of being pulled apart. For example, if birds really fly, then "fulfill ye my joy by being of the same mind, of one accord," and so on in verses 1-5. Or, if chocolate, with almonds, caramel, and sea salt on top is a great attitud

As I have been studying and praying this week, I have been meditating on what it truly means to bow the knee to the Lord through this crisis. It might be in our best interests to turn off the news sometimes and/or take a break from social media. Are you tired of the endless merry-go-round of the blame game? Are you avoiding foolish controversies and avoiding stirring up strife during civil discourses that are far from civil? The world is absolutely terrified right now, and th

For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth (Matthew 12:40). Many people desire a tangible experience to validate their spiritual life. Some people call it "putting out a fleece." Other people say that God gave them a sign, or that they want God to give them a sign. We can appreciate how some might desire a sign even right now. God give me a sign that I wi

Do We Take Assembly for Granted? If there is one thing that these current circumstances have taught me, it is that we oftentimes take assembly as believers for granted, especially in the United States. I don't know about you, but there have been countless times where I have gotten into my car to head to church without a second thought of how much it is a blessing from God to be able to do so. We have a habit of getting into a "comfortable" routine, and often lose sight of t