But all things must be done properly and in an orderly way. 1 Corinthians 14:40 NASB Orderly Way – Order. Routine. Standardization. That’s what we need, right? None of the chaotic fervor of spiritual excitement. Oh, no! Even Paul asked for proper taxis (arrangement). When we read his instructions to the Corinthian assembly, we’re likely to…
And he said, “Naked I came out from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there. The LORD has given and the LORD has taken away. May the LORD’s name be blessed.” Job 1:21 Robert Alter Naked – “You can’t take it with you.” We all know that is absolutely true. We came into…
“What are your many sacrifices to Me?” says the Lord. “I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fattened cattle; and I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs, or goats.” Isaiah 1:11 NASB I have had enough – The Hebrew word (śābēaʿ) has two connotations. The first is about…
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…
God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4:24 NASB Worship – Have we ever made mileage with this verse! I can’t count the numbers of times it has been employed in apologetics, sermons, and intense discussions of doctrine. Most of our focus seems to be on the first…
No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. John 15:15 ESV Friends – “What a friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and…
You shall have no other gods before Me. Exodus 20:3 NASB No other – “The vast majority of people are satisfied with compromises, or they remain unaware that they are worshipping a multitude of gods, that their actions constitute a maze of contradictions.”[1] Are you part of the “vast majority”? Living with compromises, contradictions and…
Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. Romans 12:1 NASB Spiritual service – What images come to mind when you read these two words? Do you get a pang of guilt because you…
Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. James 1:17 NASB From above – “Worship is giving God the best that He has given you.”[1] What does it mean to give God your best? What are…
“God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4:24 NASB Spirit and truth – If you are familiar with the words of the Tanakh, you might hear this phrase differently. The combination of “truth” with another crucial Hebrew word is so common in the Hebrew Scriptures that you…
