“My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him. For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. Beloved, if our …
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At this juncture in his epistle, Paul has reached his points of application. He has written of the spiritual blessings in Christ, the way in which the Ephesians were redeemed, and God’s use of himself in the revelation of the mystery, along with his prayer for the Ephesians’ realization and appropriation of the strength offered …
Continue reading Ephesians 4:1-6
Acts 8 records the conversion of an Ethiopian eunuch. There is much to learn from the inspired record. We can learn how to successfully evangelize, what it means to “preach Jesus,” what is necessary to receive the remission of sins, how wonderful it is to be forgiven, etc. However, let us consider The Heart of …
Continue reading Facebook: The Heart of the Ethiopian Eunuch Paul’s letter to the churches of Galatia addressed the problem concerning influence of Judaizing teachers. Their doctrine suggested that to be justified, one must observe the Law of Moses. The apostle defended his apostleship in Christ so the Galatians would respect the authority of his message. This section of Galatians serves a two-fold purpose: (1) …
Continue reading Galatians 2:11-16
Some who are contrary to the concept of pattern seeking and pattern keeping have suggested that adherence to a pattern implies the kingdom is a meritocracy. This argument is immediately invalidated by the mere fact that “Patternists” do not subscribe to the aforementioned implication. It holds about as much water as the atheists’ appeal to …
Continue reading The Patternists: Does obedience imply a meritocracy? It is apparent that some of Paul’s opposition were suggesting, or would have suggested he pretentiously recommended himself. To the contrary, Paul said later, “For not he who commends himself is approved, but whom the Lord commends” (10:18). Any commendation of the apostles that Paul brought forth ultimately came from God. Also, it is apparent …
Continue reading 2 Corinthians 3:1-3
There is a “race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1). It is a long, grueling task given to us by our Lord. He has already run, and accomplished the task having become “the author and finisher of our faith” (v. 2). We must look to Him as a source of encouragement, strength, and as …
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As was noted in the first installment of this series on fellowship, fellowship considers commonality. Those who have something in common with each other have fellowship. Those who participate in a common practice with each other are having fellowship with each other. John’s first epistle shows two relationships when considering the topic of fellowship – …
Continue reading Fellowship 2 – Fellowship with God
“So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12) This prayer of Moses requests that God would cause him to know how to give the time of life a proper estimate. In order to increase in wisdom, it is necessary to consider the brevity of life. “It …
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“He who despises the word will be destroyed, but he who fears the commandment will be rewarded.” (Proverbs 13:13) The word of God is given to us as a blessing. Without it we cannot know the mind of the Lord, and therefore cannot know His will for us (cf. 1 Corinthians 2:6-16). It is designed …
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