The House You're Building

Introduction :   If you’ve ever been to a performance, you know there is a certain amount of anticipation before the curtain rises.  Attendees find their seats and settle in their coats and handbags.  They may make conversation with those around them or check the programs.  Ushers roam the isles and children make last minute visits to the restroom.  When the curtain rises, hushed attention now shifts from the waiting to the experience you have come to see.  The same can be said of the first chapter of Exodus.  The first paragraph serves as a transition, a summary of where the people have Israel left off from Genesis.  The curtain rises and we see what God has planned next for His people.     Scripture :  Read Exodus Chapter 1.    v. 1-7 …they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong When we pick up the narrative at the end of Genesis, the sons of Israel were already in Egypt. ...

        Orient  John 7:1-52 After the Passover and the feeding of the 5,000, time passes and another Jewish festival is held, the Feast of Booths.  Jesus initially goes privately then openly teaches in the temple.  Escalating conflict with the Jewish leaders arises, especially after He declares, during the water drawing ceremony, that He is the living water.  The Pharisees finally take steps to arrest Him but the offers tasked with this mission fail to do so, as they are amazed by His words.  As we’ve come to expect in this greater section within the book of John, his words are often misunderstood and the miracles He performs are debated among the people as proof of his identity as Messiah.     Introduction Between high school and college, I did some traveling through Europe.  Growing up in a small town, I was amazed to be at places I’d only read about in books like the Colosseum, the Eifel Tower, ...

  Orient   John 3:22-25 John the Baptist Exalts Christ    Beginning with a transition of travel, the story interacts once again with John the Baptist defending Christ, this time to his disciples.  We learn more about the superiority of Christ and his ministry over any human agent.  Starting in verse 35, scholars dispute the origin on the teaching starting in verse 31, is John the Baptist still speaking or is John the author of the book and apostle interjecting? Checking the quotation marks in your translation will indicate what the editors of your translation believe.  This section contains teaching about our role in ministry in comparison to Christ and the validity of the testimony of Christ in representing the Father.     Introduction In the age of social media, envy is a vice on the rise.  Constantly we are bombarded with perfect images of beauty, fashion, home decor, meals, and trips.  No matte...

Matthew 8:5–10 The Faith of a Centurion [5] When he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, [6] “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.” [7] And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.” [8] But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. [9] For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” [10] When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith. (ESV) My posting today will cover the topic of authority as we pray.  It is a natural extension to thoughts I shared in my last writing on this series on prayer because if we know who we are as we pray, we will know our place in God's kingdom as well-and all the applicati...