Can we apply God’s Jubilee heart to our lives? To try to answer that question, we need to go to the New Testament, and there we learn that Jesus himself talked about the year of Jubilee. In Luke 4:18–19, we read that Jesus, very early in his ministry returned to his hometown of Nazareth, whereContinue reading “Jubilee failure and success in the ministry of Jesus – Jubilee, Part 4”
Tag Archives: luke 4
You can have victory over temptation – Sword of the Spirit, Part 5
I started this week talking about Tolstoy’s short story, How Much Land Does a Man Need. Read that post here. The main character of the story, Pahom, is hiking around land for sale. As he hikes, he stakes out the land. He has from sunup till sundown to make it back to his starting stake,Continue reading “You can have victory over temptation – Sword of the Spirit, Part 5”
What we can learn from Jesus’ battle with Satan – Sword of the Spirit, Part 3
Temptations pull at me. I struggle with the empty self. It is very easy to desire a new car to replace our 2010. It often feel discontent about my car. But that car continues to get me around. It is super difficult to know when the right time is to pull the plug and getContinue reading “What we can learn from Jesus’ battle with Satan – Sword of the Spirit, Part 3”
What is the Word of God? – Sword of the Spirit, Part 2
Typically we Christians equate the word of God with the Bible. And we Christians do believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God, as Paul writes to his young ministry partner Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:16, “All Scripture is God-breathed.” Certainly, God has communicated his word in other ways as well. We readContinue reading “What is the Word of God? – Sword of the Spirit, Part 2”
Jesus’ mission in five balanced statements – Relationships: In the community, Part 3
What was Jesus’ mission? Or better yet, how did he understand and articulate his mission? In Luke 4, we read his understanding of his mission. The first 13 verses tell the story of Jesus who was full of the Holy Spirit, which had just come upon him at his baptism, and now who was leadingContinue reading “Jesus’ mission in five balanced statements – Relationships: In the community, Part 3”
How to practice our faith like Jesus – Honest Advent Week 4, Part 5
What should we do to use our bodies to express our faith? In the previous post, I mentioned church attendance. But an embodied faith must go well beyond church worship service attendance. So look to Jesus. Jesus had a human body, and he showed us how to live. Jesus invites to do what he did.Continue reading “How to practice our faith like Jesus – Honest Advent Week 4, Part 5”
Engaging Scripture 