Trust & Obey, Week 2: Matthew 16 & 18, Preview Do you have a nickname? Nicknames are fun. They can build a warm, relational bond. Did you know that Jesus seems to like using nicknames? To his disciples James and John, he gave the nickname “Sons of Thunder.” To another disciple, Simon, he gave the nicknameContinue reading “Nicknames & the foundation of the church”
Tag Archives: Apostle peter
A second fishing miracle – John 21, Part 2
Jesus’ disciples have just had a terrible night of fishing, catching nothing. Then in the hazy hours of the morning a stranger shows up on shore. “Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”Continue reading “A second fishing miracle – John 21, Part 2”
Cliques in the church and loving difficult people – John 13:18-38, Part 5
Over the years, people have said there are cliques in the church, and they don’t believe there shouldn’t be cliques in the church. A clique is a small group of people who like to be together and can be adverse to others joining them. What do you think? Are cliques antithetical to Christianity? In theContinue reading “Cliques in the church and loving difficult people – John 13:18-38, Part 5”
Why we need to see ourselves as links in a missional chain – John 13:18-38, Part 2
Leadership is lonely, or so some say. As a pastor since 2002, I have felt that loneliness from time to time. Frankly, some loneliness is self-imposed. “I can do it better myself,” we think. Or we don’t want to put in the work to involve others. Maybe we struggle to release our grip on aContinue reading “Why we need to see ourselves as links in a missional chain – John 13:18-38, Part 2”
Why Christians should not be like John Wayne – John 13:1-17, Part 3
Peter knows his culture. A rabbi does not do servant’s work. That’s why Jesus’ disciple Peter responds to Jesus as he does in John 13, verse 6, “Jesus came to Simon Peter, who said to him, ‘Lord, are you going to wash my feet?’” Anyone else there should be washing Jesus’ feet. That was theContinue reading “Why Christians should not be like John Wayne – John 13:1-17, Part 3”
How to learn Jesus’ nickname for you – John 1:35-42, Part 5
Do you have a nickname? Did you have one growing up? Often nicknames are just variations of our actual name. Sometimes they are very…well…odd. “Bear.” “Peanut.” I used to call my daughter, “Girl Head Bean,” which was the weirdest of about ten other nicknames I’ve called her over the years. Like most nicknames, hers areContinue reading “How to learn Jesus’ nickname for you – John 1:35-42, Part 5”
What do we have to do to become followers of Jesus? – Acts 15, Part 2
Editor’s Note: This series of posts on Acts 15 is written by guest teacher David Hundert. Thanks, David! The series of five posts begins here. How do people become disciples of Jesus? What do they need to do? This was a hotly debated question in the early church, as the good news about Jesus expandedContinue reading “What do we have to do to become followers of Jesus? – Acts 15, Part 2”
If you lie, you’ll die? – Acts 5-6:7, Part 3
Do you think the title of this post sounds harsh? I think it sounds very harsh. That’s why I put a question mark at the end of the title. But what does it refer to? If you lie, you die? It refers to the next section of Acts that we’re studying. So far this week,Continue reading “If you lie, you’ll die? – Acts 5-6:7, Part 3”
How Christian freedom should not lead Christians to behave badly – First Sunday of Advent 2019, Part 4
Have you ever heard Christians say that if churches or Christian institutions don’t have rules and regulations, people will go off the rails leading to anarchy? So if we want to be good Christians, they say, then we should be making new rules, like the ones in the previous post: no wearing lipstick or smokingContinue reading “How Christian freedom should not lead Christians to behave badly – First Sunday of Advent 2019, Part 4”
Finding our way through the muddy waters of law and grace – First Sunday of Advent 2019, Part 3
Do Christians have Christian laws we are supposed to follow in order to be right in God’s eyes? Can you think of any? This is a tricky subject because Christians are called to live a certain way, so how is that different from following the Old Testament Law? We’re about to discover that this wasContinue reading “Finding our way through the muddy waters of law and grace – First Sunday of Advent 2019, Part 3”
Engaging Scripture 