Archive for the ‘Biblical Thoughts’ Category

I’ve had countless discussions with groups of younger pastors, and among the important issues we discuss, the tools and technology available for ministry today is usually either a topic of conversation or at least a subtext to it. I can’t remember the last time I was in a meeting where […]

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Reading through Acts 5 this morning, I was struck with some radical differences between the early church and today’s American church. And I was pressed to consider my role—a leader of a larger group of churches—and how different I function in that role than those leaders in the early church […]

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“From that time on, Jesus began to preach: Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven has come near.” (Matthew 4:17) Last week I had the opportunity to attend the taping of a pilot for a proposed talk show. The host was a former pastor who is nationally known, the producer has had […]

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‎”The kingdom of God will be taken from you & given to those who will produce its fruit”. (Matthew 21:43) To Jesus finding fruit was more important than being fair. To the Pharisees who heard Jesus speaking, they knew He was talking about them. And in order to fully appreciate […]

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“In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions” 1 Samuel 3:1 I’m so glad the book of Ruth is positioned where it is in the Bible. It’s a very nice buffer between Samuel and Judges. But we have to remember that though Ruth […]

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Acts 17:24 “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands.” Temples built by hands. We all have been a part of building temples. Whether it manifests in a physical building, an organizational […]

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This morning I was reading the Bible and noticed that at least 16 times in Exodus 39 and 40 we are told that Moses and the people he led built the tools for worship exactly “as the Lord had commanded Moses”.  Then in 40:33 we read that “Moses finished the […]

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This week, today is my Sabbath. Because of the nature of my life right now, Sabbath happens on different days, but I’m aiming for a consistent Monday. I’ve found that an expected day provides  a sense of stability for my family, and it ensures that I actually honor the day. […]

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Matthew 14 includes the story of the frightening storm that was intimidating seasoned sailors. These fishermen thought this was the big one. They were going down. But here comes Jesus, walking on the water. This confused the disciples, of course, and they had to be assured He wasn’t a ghost. […]

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“I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you…” “On hearing it, many of His disciples said, ‘this is a hard teaching, who can accept it?’…From this time many of His disciples turned back […]

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In the story of David vs. Goliath (1 Samuel 17), David carefully picked 5 smooth stones from the creek; these were rocks he knew would hit their mark. But in the heat of battle, as David ran towards the giant, he couldn’t carefully decide which specific stone to put to […]

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In a classic story, a strong, young man was hired as a lumberjack. The first day he cut down ten trees; the second day he felled eight; but the third day he could finish-off only two. When he went to apologize for his unexplained loss of strength, his boss asked […]

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Today I’m sharing a guest post: This is something one of my very closest friends recently wrote, and it challenged me! Doug Andersen and I have partnered in ministry and friendship for over 20 years. He is the pastor of The Church on the Way Santa Clarita, a growing and […]

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“Teach me Your way O Lord, and I will walk in Your truth. Give me an undivided heart so that I may fear Your Name. I will praise You O Lord my god with all of my heart. I will glorify Your name forever. For great is Your love towards […]

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Mark 2 includes the amazing story of a paralyzed man who is taken by four of his friends to a home where Jesus was preaching, only to be lowered into a packed-out house through a hole that was dug in the roof. At the end of the story, after he […]

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