Where were you born? I’ve lived in Lancaster, Pennsylvania for most of my life, but I was born in Alexandria, Virginia. What that means is that I am a citizen of the United States of America. What country are you a citizen of? I’m bringing this up because in our Identity sermon series, we’ve talkedContinue reading “Does where you were born matter? – Our Identity: Citizens of God’s Kingdom, Part 1”
Tag Archives: Kingdom of God
Is eternal life a real thing? Titus 1:1-4, Part 4
Take a look at Titus 1:2. There is a repeated word in the original Greek in which Paul wrote, but for some reason the English translations I looked at don’t repeat it. Here is how verse two would look if that word were repeated: “in hope of life eternal, which was promised by God, whoContinue reading “Is eternal life a real thing? Titus 1:1-4, Part 4”
A story about what happens after people die
What happens after a person dies? My uncle recently sent me this story, author unknown, that tries to answer that question. On the outskirts of a small town, there was a big old pecan tree just inside the cemetery fence. One day, two boys filled up a bucketful of nuts and sat down by theContinue reading “A story about what happens after people die”
What my sons’ mugshots taught me about citizenship
How about those two cute little mugshots? They are my two oldest sons in September 2000, when they were 3 and 2 years old. Our family of four had just moved to Kingston, Jamaica, and we had to apply for immigration status as legal aliens. That meant we had to get photos taken and useContinue reading “What my sons’ mugshots taught me about citizenship”
Turning guns into plows – Just a future vision? Or possible now too?
A vision of the mountain of God! We’re studying prophecy during Advent 2016, and week 1 takes us to Isaiah 2:1-5, a glorious image of events in the last days. The temple mount is in Jerusalem, and it is not all that high. When you think of tall mountains around the world, you don’t thinkContinue reading “Turning guns into plows – Just a future vision? Or possible now too?”
That time Jesus said a chicken would save the world – Luke 13:22-35
In this story, Jesus takes a question from the crowd: “Will only a few be saved?” How will he answer? 144,000? Maybe that’s how many will be saved? Nope, he doesn’t say that. His answer is a story. He tells a parable about a man with a house, and the house has a narrow door. Continue reading “That time Jesus said a chicken would save the world – Luke 13:22-35”
How God’s Kingdom can change the world – Luke 13:10-21
We Christians talk a lot about the Kingdom of God, but what exactly is it? Just a place people go to in the afterlife? Heaven? Jesus often said things “The Kingdom of God is among you, is near, has come.” What in the world did he mean? The people in his day often seemed confusedContinue reading “How God’s Kingdom can change the world – Luke 13:10-21”
Have you lost the Christmas (Kingdom) Spirit?
My family loves the movie Elf. This year we watched the movie version starring Will Ferrell, and the cartoon version starring Jim Parsons, both to hilarious laughter, though I think most of the family would say they prefer the movie version. The premise of the movie is that a human, named Buddy, is raised byContinue reading “Have you lost the Christmas (Kingdom) Spirit?”
One word for the hopeless – Luke 8:40-56
Do you feel hopeless, discouraged or powerless? This past Sunday we looked at two people who seemed to be powerless and hopeless. But with one word their lives changed radically. What one word could make such a difference? Jesus calmed the storm with a word. He defeated demons with a word. In our next sectionContinue reading “One word for the hopeless – Luke 8:40-56”
Engaging Scripture 