Creative Space for Wanderers
The series I’m creating here focuses on the Biblical mandate for serving the least, the lost, and the lonely. Those who are lonely are often the outcasts of society. The group transcends age, race, and income level. Someone can be incredibly wealthy and be inconsolably lonely. Loneliness leads to many mental health issues, and sadly, …
James, the brother of Jesus, is pretty clear in his short contribution to the New Testament when he talks about our responsibility to help those in need: Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father …
Read 2 John The book of Second John contains a mere 13 verses as labeled by those who divided the Bible neatly for us around 500 years ago. This short epistle manages to expose some controversy for some in the church these days. I’m not going to try to stir the pot intentionally. Instead, I …
Read 1 John 4:1-6 Today we get to listen to Pastor John as he speaks to his struggling church about something they shouldn’t be fighting about: the incarnation of Jesus Christ. The passage provides a clear we versus they framework along with details that we should view with great emphasis. I’ve talked about how important …
Continue reading “1John: Jesus in the Flesh is a Huge Barrier”
Read 1 John 2:18-27 In a world with many shades of gray, remember one thing which is clear: belief in Jesus or not. There is no in between. There is no gray. We are either with Jesus, or we stand against Him. While this sounds harsh to those who prefer an all-inclusive vacation resort where anything …
Read 1 John 1:5-2:2 John set the stage in the preamble to his brief letter; now he dives right into the problem of sin. While the topic is undoubtedly timeless, it is essential to consider those who would be reading this letter in the first century. Their view of God is probably a lot different …
Continue reading “1John: Light, Darkness, Sin, and Forgiveness”
Introduction Having read John’s words in his Fourth Gospel, we now get to hear his appeal to a few of his church plants. We’ll take this one piece at a time, but let me encourage you to imagine John wrote these letters to you. There are only five chapters in 1 John, so that shouldn’t …
Read John 19:16-42 If you think my previous post regarding Pilate’s problem exonerated his actions, make sure you read the first part of this passage carefully. 19Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. 20Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place …
Read John 18:28-19:16 I’m writing this post the day after International Holocaust Remembrance Day 2019. Honestly, I didn’t know there was such an event, but I am certainly moved to remember the atrocities committed against our Jewish brothers, sisters, moms, and dads. They weren’t killed by some supernatural phenomena, each person was corralled and killed by …
Read John 18:15-27 John provides a brief glimpse into the details of Jesus’ interrogation by Annas surrounded by Peter’s failure. As we read this section, it’s interesting to note the contrast painted by John. Peter lies. Jesus tells the truth. Lies, truth, lies. As we watch Peter keep warm with the late night party, there …
Continue reading “John: Jesus Questioned by the High Priest and Peter’s Denials”