In the previous post, I described faith as a noun. The noun version of faith is our ideas, opinions that we believe. But there is so much more to faith. Back to the writer of Hebrews. In the previous post we read his definition of faith in Hebrews chapter 11, verse 1. He goes onContinue reading “Which religion is most pleasing to God – Shield of Faith, Part 2”
Tag Archives: ministry
Why we need to see faith as opinion – Shield of Faith, Part 1
What is faith? There are many ways to describe faith. Faith can be a noun, an idea, and faith can be a verb, an action. When we think of faith as a noun, we might think of a religion. The Christian faith. The Muslim faith. The Hindu faith. There are many, many religious faiths. AContinue reading “Why we need to see faith as opinion – Shield of Faith, Part 1”
How deeply God desires us to experience peace – Boots of Peace, Part 5
As we conclude this week’s blog series about the Boots of Peace in the Armor of God, consider what Paul writes about peace in Ephesians 2, verses 11-22: “For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his fleshContinue reading “How deeply God desires us to experience peace – Boots of Peace, Part 5”
Where peace is found – Boots of Peace, Part 4
How do we find peace? In the story of the birth of Jesus, the shepherds just outside the town of Bethlehem had the shock of their lives when angels showed up in the sky above them, telling them that the Messiah had been born that evening right there in the town of Bethlehem. What didContinue reading “Where peace is found – Boots of Peace, Part 4”
How armor, footwear, good news and peace go together – Boots of Peace, Part 3
What is peace? It can be defined as “a set of favorable circumstances involving tranquility.”[1] In our study of the Armor of God in Ephesians 6:10-20, Paul writes that we should have our feet with the readiness of the Gospel of Peace. How is Paul connecting all these concepts together? Armor, footwear, Gospel, and Peace.Continue reading “How armor, footwear, good news and peace go together – Boots of Peace, Part 3”
The important lesson I learned from running – Boots of Peace, Part 1
I run for exercise, and so when I see other runners on the roads around my community, I look to see what kind of gear they wear, and in particular what kind of shoes they wear. What shoes we wear is a big topic among runners. Shoes make a huge difference. When I was trainingContinue reading “The important lesson I learned from running – Boots of Peace, Part 1”
Struggling with war and peace – Boots of Peace, Preview
With war raging in Ukraine, Israel, and Myanmar, I wondered how many wars are happening across the globe right now as I write in fall 2023. One tracker I found lists 32 countries currently involved in war, and my country, the USA, is not one of them. Of those wars, 18 are terrorist wars, 9Continue reading “Struggling with war and peace – Boots of Peace, Preview”
How turn away from false righteousness and live a life of true righteousness – Breastplate of Righteousness, Part 5
What kind of righteousness do you have? A true righteousness or the false outward looking good kind of righteousness? Instead of that outward law-keeping false righteousness, we need a change of heart. We need a change in how we view our connection to God. While performing religious rituals is not evil, we cannot depend onContinue reading “How turn away from false righteousness and live a life of true righteousness – Breastplate of Righteousness, Part 5”
The kind of faith that leads to true righteousness – Breastplate of Righteousness, Part 4
If God came to you and said, “I want you to uproot your family, leave your job, sell your house, move to a place where you know no one, have no support/friend network, and start over,” how would you feel? I think many of us, me included, would think, “Uh…that voice I heard is notContinue reading “The kind of faith that leads to true righteousness – Breastplate of Righteousness, Part 4”
Jesus’ instructions for how to enter the Kingdom of God – Breastplate of Righteous, Part 3
For centuries, one of the primary questions that has been the concern of many, if not most, humans is: How do people enter the Kingdom of God? In Matthew 5, verse 20, Jesus has a surprising answer to that question. Jesus says that we need a kind of righteousness that goes beyond the righteousness ofContinue reading “Jesus’ instructions for how to enter the Kingdom of God – Breastplate of Righteous, Part 3”
Engaging Scripture 