If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself. 2 Timothy 2:13 NASB Faithless– You’re doing great. You’re learning more and more about the depths of the Bible. You’re drawing closer to YHVH. Your actions are more consistent. You feel a greater sense of responsibility and dedication. And then you fall. You didn’t expect…
THE ITALIAN CONNECTION: An in-depth experience of the development of the Church in Italy and the West. SEPTEMBER 2019 In the early centuries following the resurrection of the Messiah, Roman culture began to shift belief and practice toward Gentile orientations. This resulted in a long process of syncretization, best seen in the structures, laws and…
Then the Lord passed by in front of him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; Exodus 34:6 NASB Abounding in lovingkindness– Let’s consider the big picture. In order to do that, we must first step away from the narrower perspective. So let’s move back from the idea that the…
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1 NASB Faith– James’ letter has always been a problem. In fact, it is such a serious problem that early church councils weren’t sure it should even be included in the canon. Why? Because James says crazy things like “What use is it, my…
Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. Colossians 3:2 NASB The things above– First, the priorities. Greek is a language without punctuation. Therefore, the author must use other techniques to provide what we translate as periods, commas, exclamation points and quotation marks. What comes first in the sentence…
“As for you, do not pray for this people, and do not lift up cry or prayer for them, and do not intercede with Me; for I do not hear you.” Jeremiah 7:16 NASB Do not pray– As the West approaches collapse, religious leaders are often heard exhorting parishioners to pray for their nation. They wring their…
“and the dread of Me is not in you,” declares the Lord God of hosts. Jeremiah 2:19c NASB Dread– Of course God is the God of love. Certainly He desires to forgive. Without a doubt, He is gracious and merciful. Yes, He sent His son on our behalf. Definitely He cares. It is undeniably true that He is the…
You threw me away A napkin used to clean the corners of your mouth I thought the touch of your lips against my parched hunger Would bring me life But you only wanted to clean your lips And toss me into the garbage So that you could forget Your teeth are crooked…
For I satisfy the weary ones and refresh everyone who languishes. Jeremiah 31:25 NASB Weary– In Hebrew, ʿāyēpa. Figuratively, wandering in the desert wasteland in desperate need of water. Thirst so harsh your tongue sticks to the roof of your mouth and breathing is like sucking in a blast furnace. This is nepeš negev– soul desert. Like…
For I satisfy the weary ones and refresh everyone who languishes. Jeremiah 31:25 NASB Languishes– Today let’s start at the end. Why? Because that’s where we might be—at the end. At the end of ourselves. At the end of trying to please Him. At the end of the daily discipline. At the end of hoping for…
