In Matthew 16:16 Jesus says, “I will build my “church”.” The Greek word he used was “Ekklesia”. The disciples were familiar with this common word of their day to mean “democratic assembly”. This was a form of government invented by the Greeks where people assembled to discuss issues and make decisions. All were invited and …
The letter to the Romans is the gospel written to believers. Why did believers need to hear the gospel? The first half of the letter, Chapters 1-8 contain the gospel of grace. The other half of this letter, Chapters 9-16 contain the gospel of peace. In this latter half, the Apostle Paul urges believers to …
Someone asked the question, “If God knew that he was going to send his eternal Son to become human so that he could die for our sins (Hebrews 2:9) why didn’t he just do it from the start? Actually, from the start God did supply everything we need for life and godliness. First of all, …
What does it mean to receive eternal life? Many do not know that we are comprised of three parts: spirit, soul and body as evidenced in 1 Thessalonians 5:23, “May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” And according to this verse below, we are …
I grew up with the mindset that church is in a room. And you go to this space and meet with other Christians weekly. Twenty years into my journey with God, I discovered that the Lord is experienced much more fully in face-to-face gatherings in homes where every member is welcome to function and contribute …
Let us encourage each other by calling out the things we see in each other that are good. And refrain from noticing each other’s shortcomings. As Christians the only concern to have for those we “dislike” is that their eternal security is in danger. “I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for them …
Jesus was well aware of the Greek system of government called Ekklesia: where community members from various backgrounds come together to speak freely about their civic concerns. And so, He stated in Matthew 16:18, “I will build MY Ekklesia”. Not my worship service. Not my liturgy. Not my order of service. Not my church building. …
Several years ago I had the pleasure of singing once a month at an outdoor venue where patrons ate delicious pizza. As part of my repertoire, I sang some of my original songs about Jesus Christ. They were not “worship” songs. But they were about Jesus. Later, I received a phone call from the owner. …
Imagine the scene in the second chapter of the gospel of Mark. Jesus is apparently in his current home preaching to a packed house. No one could get in because even the doorway was blocked. And as he is preaching, debris from the roof right over his head begins to drift down on him and …
God planned just the right time in His-story for his Son to put on flesh and enter into space and time. And throughout His-story, leading up to that time, there were people who looked ahead and believed God would enter into the world (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, to name a few (Hebrews chapter 11), and …