Articles

Holy Week: Thursday

THURSDAY Passover meal (Mt. 26:17-29; Mk. 14:12-25; Lk. 22:7-30; Jn. 13:1-38) Farewell discourse (Jn. 14:1-31) Gethsemane discourse (Jn. 15, 16) Priestly Prayer (Jn. 17) In the garden (Mt. 26:30, 36-46; Mk. 14:26, 32-42; Lk. 22:39-46; Jn. 18:1) Betrayal/arrest (Mt. 26:47-56; Mk. 14:43-52; Lk. 22:47-53; Jn. 19:2-12) Before Annas (Jn. 18:12-14, 19-23) Before Caiaphas (Mt. 26:57, 59-68; Mk. 14:53, 55-65; Lk. 22;54-62; Jn. 18:15-18, 25-27) Before Sanhedrin (Mt. 27:1; Mk. 15:1; Lk. 22:66-71) Death of Judas (Mt. 27:3-10) From Bethany, Jesus ...
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Holy Week: WEDNESDAY

WEDNESDAY The Bible doesn't say what the Lord did on the Wednesday of Passion Week. Scholars speculate that after two exhausting days in Jerusalem, Jesus and his disciples spent this day resting in Bethany in anticipation of Passover. Just a short time previously, Jesus had revealed to the disciples that He had power over death by raising Lazarus from the grave. After seeing this miracle, many people in Bethany believed that Jesus was the Son of God and put their ...
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Job and the Contemplation of God

  Job and the Contemplation of God Throughout this book, Job is asking questions and offering defenses and doing his best to understand what has come upon him. Job faces that which has no explanation in his realm of experience. The book begins with a description of Job, a man of considerable wealth and spiritual maturity. Job was a man greatly blessed by God in every significant aspect of his life. After this introduction, the writer describes an encounter between ...
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Holy Week: TUESDAY

TUESDAY Withered fig tree (Mt. 21:19-22; Mk. 11:20-25) Controversy (Mt. 21:23-22:46; Mk. 11:27-12:37; Lk. 20:1-44) Condemnation of Scribes/Pharisees (Mt. 23:1-39; Mk. 12:38-40; Lk. 20:45-47) Widow's mites (Mk. 12:41-44; Lk. 21:1-4) Visit of Greeks (Jn. 12:20-36) Rejection (Jn. 12:37-50) Apocalyptic discourse (Mt. 24, 25; Mk. 13:1-37; Lk. 21:5-38) Prediction of cross (Mt. 26:1-5; Mk. 14:1, 2; Lk. 22:1, 2) Annointing by Mary (Mt. 26:6-13; Mk. 14:3-9) Betrayal Planned (Mt. 26:14-16; Mk. 14:10, 11; Lk. 22:3-6) On Tuesday morning, Jesus and his ...
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Holy Week: MONDAY

Holy Week: MONDAY Cursing of the fig tree (Mt. 21:18, 19; Mk. 11:12-14) Cleansing of the Temple (Mt. 21:12, 13; Mk. 11:15-19; Lk. 19:45-48) Healings in the Temple (Mt. 21:14-17) On Monday, Jesus returned with His disciples to Jerusalem. Along the way, He cursed a fig tree because it had failed to bear fruit. Some scholars believe this cursing of the fig tree represented God's judgment on the spiritually dead religious leaders of Israel. When Jesus arrived at the Temple, ...
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April 2, 2020 Coronavotions (devotional thoughts for the lock-down)

Considering the names of God: El Olam In Isa. 40, the prophet chastises God’s people for thinking that God is unaware of them. The prophet describes God’s sovereign rule of His creation at length and then asks: “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable.” (29) “The Everlasting God” is the translation of the Hebrew El Olam ...
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The Reactionary Church

One of several uncomplimentary terms that could be used to describe the modern Church is “reactionary.” Routinely, the contemporary Church is found responding to developments in society, rather than taking a role of leading society according to Biblical principles. These days, we spend a lot of our time determining what we are going to say regarding the latest example of debauchery. Although it is reasonable to expect that the Church will, by necessity, have to respond after some issue has ...
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When Gospels Collide

One of the most frequent causes for unrest in local churches is the question of how we are to conduct ourselves as Christians, particularly when it comes to the operation of the family. Typically, views regarding various elements of conduct clash as one side stresses certain personal convictions as if they were commanded in Scripture. The Bible, of course, provides plenty of information concerning what is and what is not proper behavior for all believers. And in a family, the ...
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political shame

You Can Trust Me

I lie, fornicate, abuse authority, wrongfully cast blame on others, and betray my wife, but you can count on me. Such is the assertion of many contemporary politicians after confessing to some horrendous conduct, normally sexual in nature. These people routinely attempt to make a case for remaining in office in spite of their deplorable behavior. They usually assure us that, while they have exercised "poor judgment" in their private life, their ability to lead effectively and represent impartially is ...
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