Well, things finally come to a head in today’s Bible reading*. The Judaizers have raised such a ruckus that the church has its first council, the Jerusalem Council, to codify how the church should handle its first major problem. The problem: Does a new convert to Christianity have to be a good Jew to be…
Today’s Bible reading is about Saul’s conversion. The man who had authority from the High Priests to persecute Christians (Acts 9:2) becomes a Christian. So miraculous and radical is his conversion that he begins to preach that Jesus Christ was Who He claimed to be: God’s Messiah. Other Christians weren’t convinced. They had heard that…
Preachers are always concerned about how their sermons will be received. We agonize over the Biblical text, wanting so much to be true to what God says. We want our hearers to receive the Word as good soil. (Matthew 13:23) “You stiff-necked people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are always resisting the Holy Spirit….
“Which is the most important commandment?” a young man asks Jesus in today’s Bible reading*. (Mark 12:28) At the time, the Jewish leaders of Jesus’ day had taken the original Law of Moses — which included the Ten Commandments — and added thousands of additional laws in the Talmud, a commentary on the Mosaic Law….
I’m sure they meant well, but Jesus has some choice words for His Disciples in today’s Bible reading*. Parents bring their children to Jesus and the Disciples try to turn them away. Jesus responds in a way we wouldn’t expect — at least those who see Jesus as only a mild-mannered only-loving Savior. Mark says…
A few days ago, I mentioned that demonic encounters in the Bible are relatively undramatic. And then in today’s Bible reading*, we see a very dramatic demonic manifestation with a boy who is thrown to the ground, his mouth foams, he grinds his teeth, and becomes rigid. When Jesus casts out the demon, it cries…
