A dear sister, many years ago, told me that her father’s passionate advice was to never let anyone put her under the Old Law. What was behind this advice?…

Almost every elder (with a couple of real exceptions) I’ve worked with has been a sincere, honest, and faithful man, with a profound sense of responsibility toward God and the church he has led/served…

Were I to say that I’m God’s gift to the church, I might be accused of being full of myself. That might be right (I hope not), or I might just be reflecting Paul’s words in Ephesians 4:11. This passage is one of the most important about the selection, nature, and purpose of leaders in the church…

The Gentile rulers, to whom Jesus referred, would be Roman. Jesus and His disciples certainly saw and felt the harshness of Roman rule. Understandably, Jews dreamed of a Messianic rule that turned the tables on the Romans and would give them a taste of their own medicine…

Last week, drawing from Acts 9:31, I spoke of the encouragement and comfort the Holy Spirit provided the church, after the Lord turned Saul’s life completely right-side up…

Some of the richest sections of the Book of Acts are found in Luke’s brief summary statements…

If Paul did not have Ecclesiastes in mind when he wrote 1 Corinthians 15, and I believe he did, his words nevertheless are in stark contrast to those of the Teacher (Qoheleth) of Ecclesiastes…

“Torah” is one of the richest words in all Scripture.  Yet, for many Christians, it has sadly been reduced to our understanding of Law.  Law, we may believe, conflicts with grace…

The late, great humorist, George Carlin, played a weatherman named Al Sleet, The Hippy, Dippy Weatherman.  His most famous forecast for the night was, “Dark. Continued dark overnight. With widely scattered light by morning.”

At twenty-five, this was an interesting Psalm.  At seventy-five, it has my full attention.  Our mortality was once an undeniable truth we could hold at arm’s length, but in time, our arms shorten, and it’s right in front of our faces…

I want to briefly speak of Paul’s encounter with Sergius Paulus, a Roman official, at Paphos, on the Island of Cyprus. Beyond that encounter, I’ll briefly talk about Paul’s other encounters with Roman officials and how Luke frames these encounters to look at the role of the Christian mission with government…

Guilt and grief stricken over their role in the Messiah’s unjust death, the crowd asked Peter what they needed to do.  His answer would have sounded, in part, quite familiar.  John the Baptist was well-remembered, and revered…

I will make some brief points about Pentecost below.  Up front, I want to make an overarching point.  There is no Christian faith without the community of the church.  Vast numbers of people today are fleeing “organized religion.”