With war raging in Ukraine, Israel, and Myanmar, I wondered how many wars are happening across the globe right now as I write in fall 2023. One tracker I found lists 32 countries currently involved in war, and my country, the USA, is not one of them. Of those wars, 18 are terrorist wars, 9Continue reading “Struggling with war and peace – Boots of Peace, Preview”
Tag Archives: Apostle Paul
How turn away from false righteousness and live a life of true righteousness – Breastplate of Righteousness, Part 5
What kind of righteousness do you have? A true righteousness or the false outward looking good kind of righteousness? Instead of that outward law-keeping false righteousness, we need a change of heart. We need a change in how we view our connection to God. While performing religious rituals is not evil, we cannot depend onContinue reading “How turn away from false righteousness and live a life of true righteousness – Breastplate of Righteousness, Part 5”
The kind of faith that leads to true righteousness – Breastplate of Righteousness, Part 4
If God came to you and said, “I want you to uproot your family, leave your job, sell your house, move to a place where you know no one, have no support/friend network, and start over,” how would you feel? I think many of us, me included, would think, “Uh…that voice I heard is notContinue reading “The kind of faith that leads to true righteousness – Breastplate of Righteousness, Part 4”
Jesus’ instructions for how to enter the Kingdom of God – Breastplate of Righteous, Part 3
For centuries, one of the primary questions that has been the concern of many, if not most, humans is: How do people enter the Kingdom of God? In Matthew 5, verse 20, Jesus has a surprising answer to that question. Jesus says that we need a kind of righteousness that goes beyond the righteousness ofContinue reading “Jesus’ instructions for how to enter the Kingdom of God – Breastplate of Righteous, Part 3”
Why Jesus said the so-called “righteous” people are wrong – Breastplate of Righteousness, Part 2
In the previous post, we observed Jesus preaching the beginning of his Sermon on the Mount (Matthew chapters 5-7). At the outset, it seems like Jesus is taking his culture’s precious Mosaic Law and ripping it up. How so? First, in his Beatitudes teaching he says that the Kingdom of God is available to all! Continue reading “Why Jesus said the so-called “righteous” people are wrong – Breastplate of Righteousness, Part 2″
Jesus’ culture-bending teaching – Breastplate of Righteousness, Part 1
From an ancient military standpoint, the breastplate is piece of armor covering the chest, primarily to protect the heart and lungs from the possibility of being pierced by arrows or blows from blades and stones. It is very similar to Kevlar bullet proof vests that contemporary soldiers wear. In Ephesians 6:14b, the apostle Paul continues,Continue reading “Jesus’ culture-bending teaching – Breastplate of Righteousness, Part 1”
How “righteous” is a slang word – Breastplate of Righteousness, Preview
This past week I started something new, teaching English as a Second Language with students in Conestoga Valley SEEDS’ classes held at my church. It was so much fun talking about our sometimes crazy English language. This past week, for example, we learned the nuances between “although,” “even though,” “though,” and “because.” English can beContinue reading “How “righteous” is a slang word – Breastplate of Righteousness, Preview”
How to hear the truth and speak it – Belt of Truth, Part 5
I recently saw a church sign message that asked the question, “How can you be a jerk during the week, then worship on Sunday?” Most church sign messages I see are ridiculous and counterproductive, but that one spoke truth. That was some truth in love that all Christians need to hear. Are we grumpy? WeContinue reading “How to hear the truth and speak it – Belt of Truth, Part 5”
Two important ways to embrace truth – Belt of Truth, Part 4
In 1 John 4, the apostle John writes Christians about grounding themselves in truth. He writes in 1 John 4:1-6, “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize theContinue reading “Two important ways to embrace truth – Belt of Truth, Part 4”
Knowing Jesus is to know the truth – Belt of Truth, Part 3
We gird our loins in the truth, or with the truth, by grounding our lives in Jesus. This is a major reason why we recently studied the Gospel of John from start to finish, so that we could get to know Jesus. What did you learn about Jesus in John? How is that changing howContinue reading “Knowing Jesus is to know the truth – Belt of Truth, Part 3”
Engaging Scripture 