'gospel' Tagged Posts (Page 4)
Daily Devotions: February 13, 2019
February 13, 2019 For full passage click: 1 Corinthians 15:12-15 …“and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation has been in vain and your faith has been in vain.” vs. 14 Paul had had an encounter with the resurrected Christ. It was the realest thing he had ever experienced and he couldn’t believe that there were some who insisted that there was no such thing as resurrection! When he heard that some such folks were tickling the ears…
Daily Devotions: December 25, 2018
December 25, 2018 To read full passage click: Luke 2:8-20 …“When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.’” vs. 15 The shepherds in Luke’s story could have been content with hearing the good news from the angels and then going back to sleep. Instead, Luke reports that they decided…
Daily Devotions: December 12, 2018
December 12, 2018 To read full passage click: Isaiah 12:4-6 …“Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously; let this be known in all the earth.” vs. 5 During the weeks before Christmas we are subjected to a constant stream of holiday music nearly everywhere we turn. Every community chorus has a concert as do most schools and churches. Malls feature strolling singers and pipe in familiar carols to accentuate the shopping spirit and spur on the buying…
Daily Devotions: October 25, 2018
October 25, 2018 Romans 3:19-25 …“But now, apart from law, the righteousness of God has been disclosed, and is attested by the law and the prophets, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.” vss. 21-22a For most of us, these words from Paul are familiar. This is the core of the gospel: we’ve heard the message in a variety of ways for our entire lives and we know it well. For that reason, it’s…
Daily Devotions: October 4, 2018
October 4, 2018 Hebrews 1:1-4 …“Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son…” vss. 1-2a The early Christians treasured their scriptures and regarded them as authoritative guides for living. They particularly valued the words of the prophets and saw in them a reflection of God’s wisdom and judgement. But they also believed that God had brought a new word in…
Daily Devotions: July 8 , 2018
July 8, 2018 Mark 6:7-13…“So they went out and proclaimed that all should repent. They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.” vss. 12-13 After the debacle in Nazareth, it appears that Jesus doubled down. He saw his rejection as an anomaly and was convinced that his early Galilean efforts at proclaiming the kingdom could be expanded, and that his disciples could do more than just follow him around. They were ready…
Daily Devotions: April 24, 2018
April 24, 2018 Acts 8:32-40…“Then Philip began to speak, and starting with this scripture, he proclaimed to him the good news about Jesus.” vs. 35 If we were to share the good news about Jesus with someone, we probably wouldn’t start with a passage from Isaiah. It would be a lot easier to go straight to one of the gospels. But Philip didn’t have a New Testament–the gospels hadn’t been written yet. But he firmly believed that the Hebrew scriptures…
Daily Devotions: April 17, 2018
April 17, 2018 Acts 4:8-12…“There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved.” vs. 12 The disciples were ecstatic! They had such good news for their leaders…and for the entire world. Through the Holy Spirit they had come to believe that Jesus was the Christ and that through him God’s salvation had come to humanity. As they traveled about proclaiming that audacious message it seemed…
Daily Devotions: April 16, 2018
April 16, 2018 Acts 4:5-7…“When they had made the prisoners stand in their midst, they inquired, ‘By what power or by what name did you do this?’” vs. 7 When the religious authorities in Jerusalem heard that the disciples were preaching that Jesus had been raised from the dead and were actually healing the sick, they ordered them to be arrested. They weren’t an impressive group–just a few Galilean fishermen and some hangers-on. When the wealthy, well-educated priestly types saw…
Daily Devotions: April 15, 2018
April 15, 2018 Luke 24:44-48…“Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures,” vs. 45 Being familiar with the scriptures wasn’t enough for the disciples to have a clue about what had happened in Jesus. Nowhere was there a straightforward indication that the promised messiah would suffer, be crucified as a criminal, and then die. One option would have been for them to completely abandon the Hebrew scriptures and focus on building a new faith tradition–something no one ever seriously…
Daily Devotions: April 14, 2018
April 14, 2018 Luke 24:36b-43…“While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, ‘Have you anything here to eat?’” vs 41 While the experience of resurrection had galvanized the disciples of Jesus, there were plenty of questions remaining. In Luke’s story, multiple appearances weren’t enough to convince them and they needed further proof that he was really alive. Two thousand years later we’re still dealing with those same feelings! It’s wonderful to be able to…
Daily Devotions: April 13, 2018
April 13, 2018 1 John 3:4-7…“No one who abides in him sins; no one who sins has either seen him or known him.” vs. 6 Those who earnestly try to live by scriptural teachings can get tied in knots by what seem to be contrary messages. On the one hand we are told that all are sinners, and if we say we have no sin, we are liars. But the same writer then turns around and tells us that no…