These are notes from my reading John R. W. Stott’s classic book, The Cross of Christ. According to the Bible, suffering is an alien intrusion into God’s good world, and it will have no part in his new universe. Suffering is often caused due to sin, or the sin of others: children suffer with unloving […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry…
Paul was steadfast in his goal; he was going to Jerusalem (Acts 21:13) and when he arrived, he met with mixed reviews. First they met acceptance (Acts 21:17): the brothers welcomed Paul and his companions warmly. Don’t miss Luke’s terminology, he said when “we” arrived. We might not have faulted his friends if they did […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry…
This is a moving contemplation of the suffering that Jesus willingly endured, and a poignant reminder that He did it for each one of us. It shows the power of the cross and the crucifixion of Jesus and ends with a powerful reminder:
After Paul had his near death experience (the stoning at Lystra – Acts 14:8, 19), the group packed up and headed to Derbe (Acts 14:20). They preached the gospel faithfully and then went back through the previous cities to strengthen the believers by telling them that “we must suffer many hardships to enter the kingdom […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry…
By the time we get to Acts chapter 11, Paul (Saul at the time) is reintroduced into the story. It was really a turning point in his ministry because after the Jews sought to kill him, Paul headed back to his hometown of Tarsus (Acts 9:29-30). We know that he went to Syria and Cilicia […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry…
Micaiah, like thousands of believers before and after him, was persecuted for his faith. Persecution comes from a variety of people and is given in a variety of ways. Sometimes God protects us from it, sometimes he doesn’t. It must break God’s heart, but then I believe He is pleased with His people for standing […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry…
In the Book of Job, among a lot of cyclical reading about Job’s pain and suffering, he get a lot of advice from his so-called friends. They were brutally honest, and although we don’t know their hearts, the words of Proverbs 27:6 ring very loudly with these guys. Eliphaz the Temanite (Job 4; 5; 15; […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry…
My Sunday School class has just finished the book of First Peter, which has a lot of great teaching. While the major theme of the book is suffering (which I’ll get to in a moment), here is a sample of many significant verses: A definite reference to the trinity (1 Peter 1:2) Suffering is proof […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry…
Here are the questions we can expect on Sunday for the lesson on First Peter 3:8-22. I will follow up on July 11 with a lesson on “Suffering for Doing Good.” REFLECTION Describe a time when someone demonstrated Christ’s love to you in a practical way. BIBLE READING: Read 1 Peter 3:8–22. (1 Peter 3:8-12 […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry…
We are called to follow the example that Jesus set for us. I remember the classic book by Charles Sheldon called, “In His Steps” which describes how the Reverend Henry Maxwell and his congregation were forced to consider the question, “What would Jesus do?” and its consequences. No one in town was left untouched by […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry…
"The biggest deterrent to growth in most churches is lack of confidence in God's supernatural power to grow His church. We are obsessed with our own responsibility to find resources for growth. When our natural resources seem limited, our vision shrinks and we accept mediocrity. We can't grow the church, but God can! We don't have the resources, but He does! "
(Ken Hemphill, Revitalizing the Sunday Morning Dinosaur)
"However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace." (Acts 20:24)
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