By E-Zine Admin on 7/9/2008 4:00 PM
Issue 10, Jul 2008
In the previous two issues of this ezine, we began an examination of the Eight Beatitudes found in Matthew 5:3-10. Specifically, we looked at the meaning of “blessed”, “poor in spirit”, “those who mourn”, “the meek”, and “those who hunger and thirst for righteousness”. (Matthew 5:3-6) In the Fifth Beatitude (Matthew 5:7), Jesus offers this blessing: “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” (NIV) Unfortunately, many people today understand this Beatitude as a command of law demanding an action to be chosen by a believer on a case by case basis. However, the original Greek word is really an adjective so that could be translated as & ...
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By E-Zine Admin on 7/9/2008 3:58 PM
Issue 10, Jul 2008
A dear friend wrote to me after last month’s article saying, “This topic ought to keep you busy for the next two years.” I agree. There is much to be said. This month I will pick up where I left off as I wrote in the final paragraph, The fact that the NT apostles did recognize that God revealed His Word through women, is not a question of dispute. The ordering of their speaking was, however, a great concern ( 1 Corinthians 11). This did not make them holders of the Apostolic office, public spokesmen for Christ, e.g. public ministers or pastors. That is where the issue still resides. We dare not deny that God may still reveal insights to His Word and will t ...
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By E-Zine Admin on 7/9/2008 3:48 PM
Issue 10, Jul 2008
For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the Amen is spoken by us to the glory of God. 2 Cor. 1:20 I have conducted retreats based upon God’s promises. You may find this Bible study useful for your personal or group study. Defining the Word Promise A Promise is a pledge that gives a person to whom it is made a right to expect or to claim the performance or forbearance of a specified act. 50 years ago TIME carried an article about Canadian schoolteacher Everett R. Storms. He made a special study of the promises of the Bible. According to his reckoning there are 7,487 promises by God to man, two by God the Father to the Son, 991 by one man to ...
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By E-Zine Admin on 6/13/2008 10:52 AM
Issue 9, Jun 2008Last month, we began to look at Jesus Christ’s first recorded public sermon in the first Gospel of the New Testament, the Gospel of Matthew. The sermon opens with the Eight Beatitudes found in Matthew 5:3-11. We specifically reflected upon what it means to be “blessed”, upon the “poor in spirit” and upon “those who mourn” (Matthew 5:3-4). It is important to remember that the Beatitudes are Gospel, not Law. The Gospel offers and works forgiveness, reconciliation to God, and new life in Christ Jesus by bringing to us the Person, work, ...
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By E-Zine Admin on 6/13/2008 10:50 AM
Issue 9, Jun 2008
Crucifying Your Sinful Flesh We ended last time with the stark reminder that even after coming to faith in Christ, our sinful flesh remains with us. As I said, when you acknowledge that you are in the desperate condition of still having your sinful nature, you become the perfect candidate for Christ’s daily, sanctifying work through His powerful Word. The answer to our problem is wrapped up in the word “crucify.” Before I get into the Scriptural references, picture what this word really means for us. We inevitably think about the crucifixion of our Savior. It was a horrible and violent form of execution. But that is exactly the point. We are not called to coax our sinful nature, counsel our flesh, or try ...
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