Read Bible for Yourself

Yesterday, I visited one of my stations and met the students trying to understand Ephesians 2. Six key questions seemed to bother them and together we arrived at the Bible’s answers, which I share here briefly: 1. IS THERE SATAN? Yes, there is Satan. Ephesians 4:2 confirms what the Bible teaches in several other verses that there is Satan, “the prince of the power of the air” (KJV), “the ruler who exercises authority over the lower heavens” (HSCB) 2. WHO IS SATAN? Again, Paul describes Satan in Ephesians 4:2 as the ruler of the evil spirits. Satan is described by several other names in the Bible, such as Accuser (Revelations 9:11), Adversary (1 Peter 5:8), Deceiver (Revelations 12:9), Devil (1 John 3:8), Enemy (Matthew 13:39), Evil One (John 17:15), Father of Lies (John 8:44), Lawless One (2 Thessalonians 2:8-10), Ruler of demons (Luke 11:15), Ruler of this world (John 12:31,32), Serpent of old (2 Thessalonians 2:3,4), Tempter (John 10:10), Wicked One (Ephesians 6:16...

ABOUNDING IN LOVE MEANS EXCELLING IN LOVE Main Readings: Matt 7:12, 1 Thess 3:12, 1 Cor. 13: 1-7 A.    Pre-Christ Love and Hatred for Enemies What is more manifest in the OT is absence of love beyond the following: ·         Skin – Adam gives away Eve to save his skin, Cain slays own brother when irritated (Gen. 3:11-12, 4:8) ·         Kinship – Abram was magnanimous, but not when his kinsman nephew is attacked (Gen. 14:14-16) ·         Law and Duty – David would attack anything or anybody that jeopardized both animals and people under his charge (1 Sam. 27:11) ·         Reactive Reciprocity – Joshua, under the law was magnanimous only up to the point of keeping a covenant or obeying the law (they did unto others only what others were guaranteed to do unto them. See Josh. 9) Beyond the above circles everybody else wa...

What would you do with YOUR ENEMIES, those WHO CURSE YOU, HATE YOU, DESPITEFULLY USE YOU and PERSECUTE YOU? Ok. Now what would you do with the FORCES OF DARKNESS? And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did? But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit  ye are of. For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. And they went to another village. (Luke 9:54-56) FUNNY OR TRAGIC? The funny story is told of a preacher who threw out of his chapel gentleman who was disrupting the sermon. He was confronted later by his presbytery, who said, Jesus would have rather cast out the devil motivating the man’s action. He replied that casting the man out still equaled removing the devil from the chapel. As awkward as this story seems that is how some disciples initially wanted Jesus to treat sinners – burn them along with th...

READINGS: 1 Peter 1: 22-23, 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 The new birth is a phenomenon that came only after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is the key guarantee that the Gospel of Jesus will be preached throughout the Earth, because it produces a new breed of people who are capable of living, working and even dying solely to free others from the power of sin. When a person is born again some signs manifest in him. If he nurtures these signs they make him grow in the image of Jesus Christ. The storms of the Christian life are designed to test as well as prove the truthfulness of the new nature. Our anchor must hold. Here are portions of Scripture to guide our meditations on who have been made and are expected to be. SIGNS Our new birth   shows   basically   when we: 1.         Love our enemies a.       But I say to you, Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate...