I believe we need to have a balanced approach to studying the Word. We need community study where we can study and discuss it together. We need Sundays where we hear the word from preachers and teachers. And we need personal study. Psalm 119:9-11, for example, says, “How can a young person stay on theContinue reading “How to use scripture to fight temptation – Sword of the Spirit, Part 4”
Tag Archives: ministry
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”
Why is temptation so powerful? – Sword of the Spirit, Part 1
Have you heard of the short story How Much Land Does a Man Need? by famed Russian author Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910)? Tolstoy is famous for his mammoth works like Anna Karenina or War and Peace, as well as for his desire to live out Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. But How Much Land Does aContinue reading “Why is temptation so powerful? – Sword of the Spirit, Part 1”
Sword drills in Sunday School class? – Sword of the Spirit, Preview
Did you participate in sword drills as a child in church? Yes, in church. But I’m not talking about swords with metal blades. When I was growing up in children and youth Sunday School classes, we had sword drills with our Bibles. No, we didn’t slam each other with Bibles. Here’s how sword drills worked: AllContinue reading “Sword drills in Sunday School class? – Sword of the Spirit, Preview”
The kind of life we are saved for now – Helmet of Salvation, Part 3
As we continue studying the Helmet of Salvation this week, we have been discussing how Salvation has a Saved From direction and a Saved For direction. As I mentioned in the previous posts here and here, while we have great comfort and hope because of the promises of the Saved From direction, we actually liveContinue reading “The kind of life we are saved for now – Helmet of Salvation, Part 3”
Football helmets, good news and the…Helmet of Salvation, Part 1
There’s been a lot of research put into football helmets because of concussions. What we see in the video below is the development of a helmet that is intended to “save” people. In Ephesians 6, verse 17, we learn about a different kind of helmet intended to save people. This verse is part of aContinue reading “Football helmets, good news and the…Helmet of Salvation, Part 1”
What hidden cash has to do with the…Helmet of Salvation, Preview
A few years ago, my wife’s great aunt passed away. She lived in Michigan where my wife’s mother’s side of the family is from. My wife’s great aunt was single, had a long career as a teacher, and was also joyful and bright. As most of us do, she also had a quirky side. ForContinue reading “What hidden cash has to do with the…Helmet of Salvation, Preview”
How to use the… Shield of Faith, Part 5
I volunteer to help with CV SEEDS English as a Second Language (ESL) classes. During the current six-week session, I have been helping with childcare on Tuesday nights and teaching a Level 4 ESL class on Thursday nights. In the hours leading up to childcare or class, I can sometimes feel like I want aContinue reading “How to use the… Shield of Faith, Part 5”
Sometimes faith follows faithfulness – Shield of Faith, Part 4
If you’ve been following along with this series of posts on the Shield of Faith (starting here), you might be thinking, “Whew, I’m struggling with faith and faithfulness.” There is hope. True faith is rooted in who God is. Consider what Paul writes to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:2, “If we are faithless, he remainsContinue reading “Sometimes faith follows faithfulness – Shield of Faith, Part 4”
Why true faith cannot simply be passive, but must be active – Shield of Faith, Part 3
In our current blog series, we are studying the Armor of God in Ephesians 6, verses 10-20. So far this week, I’ve introduced the next piece of the armor, the Shield of Faith, by describing the noun version of faith. Is that noun version of faith what Paul had in mind when he taught usContinue reading “Why true faith cannot simply be passive, but must be active – Shield of Faith, Part 3”
Engaging Scripture 