The Word of God (Part 4) – God’s Word is Creative

So far in this series I have made 3 main points.1. God’s Word is personal. (John 1:1-4)2. God’s Word is alive. (Heb 4:12)3. God’s Word works powerfully within to transform me. (Heb 4:12-16) But how does God’s personal, living, and powerful word accomplish this? What is the nature of God’s word? God’s word is creative. [...]

The Word of God (Part 3) – A Priest, a Sword, and a Neck

I love the scene from Lewis’ Narnia where Lucy asks if Aslan is “safe”. The reply is wonderfully insightful. ‘If there’s anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they’re either braver than me or else just silly.’ ‘Then he isn’t safe?’ asked Lucy. ‘Safe?’ said Mr. Beaver. ‘Don’t you hear what Mrs. [...]

The Word of God (Part 2) – The Word is Alive

Heb 4:1212 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. This is a passage I keep coming back to again and again. [...]

The Word of God (Part 1) – God’s Word is Personal

Let’s face it. I’ve lived near the buckle of the Bible belt my whole life. This means I’m quite fluent in “Christianese“. You know what I mean – the language we use in church that is meaningful to us, but somewhat incomprehensible to those from the outside. Anybody want to be “washed in the blood” [...]

Worship: He is other; He is near.

“God is great. God is good. Let us thank Him for our food. Amen.” That’s the first prayer I remember learning as a small child. It’s short (as prayers before meals should be). It rhymes. It’s really quite a good little prayer. The thing I like best about it is that it communicates something about [...]

Hearing God (Part 17) – The Reward of Obedience

Gen 22:17-1817 blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. 18 In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have [...]

Hearing God (Part 16) – God’s Word and the Miraculous

John 1:1-31:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. Col 1:17-1817 He is before all things, and in him all things [...]

Hearing God (part 15) – Understanding Loaves

Mark 6:51-5251 Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed, 52 for they had not understood about the loaves ; their hearts were hardened.NIV (emphasis added) The disciples had just passed out five loaves of bread to 5,000 men plus women and children. Each disciple had [...]

Hearing God (Part 14) – 3 things to listen for today

Eph 1:15-23In this prayer Paul prays that God will open the eyes of our heart to see three things:1. the hope of His callingIn Paul’s writings, God’s “calling” is the powerful word of the gospel by which we are called out from the world and called into relationship with Him. Given that understanding, the “hope [...]

Entering the Kingdom

This is something I previously posted back on April 29th. John 3:5-85 Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is [...]