A woman and her daughter stopped by the church office this week, looking for information about the Hispanic Church that rents from us. After I gave her the info, she began walking out the office door, then she stopped, turned and said to me, “Jesus is coming soon!” I always feel awkward when people sayContinue reading “Is it possible to know if Jesus is coming soon? – Ezekiel 38 & 39, Part 1”
Tag Archives: ezekiel
What do people in your community think about God? – Ezekiel 38 & 39, Preview
What is God’s reputation in your community? When the people in your neighborhood or workplace think about God, do they view God as having a good reputation or a bad reputation? I would encourage you to ask them. You might find it fascinating to hear what they have to say, and it just might leadContinue reading “What do people in your community think about God? – Ezekiel 38 & 39, Preview”
How to live in a covenant of peace with God and others – Ezekiel 37:15-28, Part 5
In this week’s five-part blog series on Ezekiel 37:15-28, we have been observing God’s desires for his people. So far, he expressed his desire for his people to be unified, to be cleansed, and to live under the rule and reign of King Jesus. God has one more desire for them. Look at Ezekiel 37,Continue reading “How to live in a covenant of peace with God and others – Ezekiel 37:15-28, Part 5”
What God’s cleansing means and why we should all want it – Ezekiel 37:15-28, Part 4
During the ongoing Covid pandemic, the topic of cleansing has probably been on your mind from time to time. Do you remember early in the pandemic when it was recommended that we cleanse our groceries after we got them home? People would buy cleanser and wipe down their cereal boxes and soup cans, trying toContinue reading “What God’s cleansing means and why we should all want it – Ezekiel 37:15-28, Part 4”
The uncomfortable necessity of unity – Ezekiel 37:15-28, Part 3
Have you ever had the unsettling experience of being in a conversation and having very little idea of what the other person is talking about? You think to yourself, “I am embarrassed that I don’t know about this. It seems like I should have known about this.” I’ve had that feeling in my local ministerium.Continue reading “The uncomfortable necessity of unity – Ezekiel 37:15-28, Part 3”
The important meaning of Ezekiel’s sticks – Ezekiel 37:15-28, Part 2
In Ezekiel 37:15-28, we learn that God has asked Ezekiel, the Saturday Night Live prophet, to do one final skit. Start by reading verses 15-17, where God describes the skit. Here’s a summary of the skit. Ezekiel is to take two sticks. On one stick he writes the word “Judah,” which is the name ofContinue reading “The important meaning of Ezekiel’s sticks – Ezekiel 37:15-28, Part 2”
Ezekiel’s final skit – Ezekiel 37:15-28, Part 1
When I was in youth group, I’ll never forget something that happened at a youth retreat. In the middle of one of the sessions, my youth pastor stopped the retreat and told us that he knew there was disunity in the group. I was a newbie, in 9th grade, and this was my first highContinue reading “Ezekiel’s final skit – Ezekiel 37:15-28, Part 1”
A failed youth group merger? – Ezekiel 37:15-28, Preview
In the fall of 2003 Faith Church’s youth group merged with the youth group of our sister church. Well, we kind of merged. What led to the merger was that our sister church, at the time, was renting space from a local Christian school, and their rental arrangement was not conducive to having a consistentContinue reading “A failed youth group merger? – Ezekiel 37:15-28, Preview”
How to grow your relationship with the Holy Spirit – Ezekiel 37:1-14, Part 5
How can we be filled with the Spirit like the Christians in the early church, which we studied in the previous post. In those days, what was happening was precisely what the Apostle Paul described in 1 Corinthians chapters 3 and 6, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the HolyContinue reading “How to grow your relationship with the Holy Spirit – Ezekiel 37:1-14, Part 5”
The filling of the Spirit – Ezekiel 37:1-14, Part 4
Nearly 600 years after the time of Ezekiel, Jesus taught his disciples about the soon-coming Spirit of God. In John 14, after telling his disciples that he was going to leave them, he promised that God would send another counselor to be with them, the Spirit of truth. Jesus said in John 14:17 that thoughContinue reading “The filling of the Spirit – Ezekiel 37:1-14, Part 4”
Engaging Scripture 