“Therefore this is what the Lord of armies says: ‘Because you have not obeyed My words, behold, I will send and take all the families of the north,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will send to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, My servant, and will bring them against this land and against its inhabitants and against all these surrounding nations; and I will [a]completely destroy…
Greet also the church that meets at their house. Greet my dear friend Epenetus, Romans 16:5a NIV Church – [The following introduction to our idea of “church” was written many, many years ago when At God’s Table was just beginning. Now, two decades later, we are about to discover something else concerning the purpose of the…
not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. Hebrews 10:25 ESV To meet together – Christianity employs this verse and others like it to proclaim that the Bible commands us to join in holy fellowship in the Church. The…
—also to Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier—and to the church that meets in your home: Philemon 1:2 NIV Church – But of course it wasn’t a church! The word is ekklēsía, an assembly. In particular, a non-religious assembly. Not a synagoge—a religious assembly. By now we all know why Paul chooses this non-religious…
and all the brethren who are with me, To the churches of Galatia: Galatians 1:2 NASB Churches – In 1349, a ship carrying wool set out from England, bound for some destination in the north. During its journey, crew members started dying. Attempts to quarantine the sick on board failed. The Black Plague took one person after…
Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. James 1:27 ESV Religion– In recent conversation a young man expressed his determination for spiritual truth in this way: “When I rely on the Holy Spirit to lead me to the truth, I know…
“Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at my doorposts. For he who finds me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord.” Proverbs 8:34-35 NASB Finds me– In the famous eighth chapter of Proverbs, Wisdom speaks. Actually, Woman Wisdom speaks. The gender is specific and important. According to Woman Wisdom, YHVH created all that…
And he left for Tarsus to look for Saul; and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. And for an entire year they met with the church and taught considerable numbers; and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch. Acts 11:25-26 NASB Christians – This confirms the beginning of the “church,” according to Christian history. Of course, there…
Paul, called as an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, to the church of God which is at Corinth, 1 Corinthians 1:1-2a NASB To the church – Let’s make some corrections to the way that we read the letters of Paul. Let’s start by removing the anachronistic verbiage and its accompanying theological implication. Mark Nanos offers three…
Soon afterwards, He began going around from one city and village to another, proclaiming and preaching the kingdom of God. The twelve were with Him, Luke 8:1 NASB The kingdom of God – The expression “kingdom of God” is the same as Matthew’s circumlocution, “king of heaven.” What we read about one is equivalent to what we read…
