Monthly Archives: January 2012
Hold on to what is good — 1 Thessalonians 4,5
Today’s reading continues with Paul’s letter to a very young church. Some of the things, therefore, which Paul talks about will be reasonably elementary, but it is always worth while to review the fundamentals, especially in a day like ours … Continue reading
Letter to a baby church — 1 Thessalonians 1-3
What do you say to a group of brand new disciples to keep them faithful and growing. This was the challenge and the worry of the apostle Paul. If you look at Acts 17 you see the circumstance Paul was … Continue reading
Conduct yourself with wisdom — Colossians 1-4
Colossae was part of the orbit of Ephesus. It appears to have not been personally evangelized by Paul, but by someone among Paul’s fellow workers, Epaphras. It was in the valley of west central Asia Minor with Laodicea and Hieropolis … Continue reading
To live is Christ — Philippians 1-4
Philippi was a Roman colony, populated primarily by retired Roman soldiers. Romans colonies were little islands of all things Latin scattered throughout the empire. Here Latin was the spoken language, Roman law was the law of the city, the toga … Continue reading
Lay aside the old self — Ephesians 4-6
There just seem to be some sections of the Bible that are full to overflowing in good stuff. Ephesians, especially chapters 4-6, is one of those spots. Again, I’m going to have a hard time paring things down to just … Continue reading
I love you this much — Ephesians 1-3
Today and tomorrow we’ll be reading from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. By way of introduction to the book you should know that Ephesus was a major seaport in the ancient world, the end of many trade routes from the … Continue reading
A new mark of the covenant— Galatians 4-6
Today, in our reading in Galatians, Paul will continue with his point that the Law of Moses, with its circumcision, Sabbaths, and dietary rules, was no longer binding on God’s people. He exposes the Judaizing teachers’ real motives (to avoid … Continue reading
Crucified with Christ — Galatians 1-3
Today we begin reading Paul’s letter to the Galatian churches. Galatia is a region is what we call Turkey or Asia Minor. If you take a look at a typical Bible map of the area it will show Galatia to … Continue reading
Don’t judge a book by the cover — 2 Corinthians 10-13
Paul continues to work at reconciliation with this beloved but wayward Corinthian congregation. Despite the fact that he had been the one to bring the precious Gospel to them, he had lost stature and influence among them as they compared … Continue reading
The man of lawlessness — 2 Thessalonians
Paul’s second letter to the church in Thessalonica is a much fierier encouragement. This is probably coming from a heartfelt sympathy toward the church and anger toward persecutors Paul felt due to a possible escalation in persecution and perhaps violence against the … Continue reading →