Today’s lesson comes from a question asking, “What’s the difference between a person’s soul and his spirit?” To look at that, we’ll look at how Scripture, primarily the New Testament, describes who a human is in his personhood. The Soul distinguished from Heart and Mind Matthew 22:37: [Jesus answering what is the greatest Commandment]: “Love […]
Acts, Lesson 20: In Ephesus: Confirmation and Speaking in Tongues
November 5, 2014 by
Paul in Ephesus In the last Lesson, we saw Luke hurriedly describe many events in passing (Acts 18:22-23), wanting to bring us to Ephesus. Luke now does that, telling us what took place there with the Apostle Paul. Ephesus was located in what today is the western coast of Turkey. It was the fourth largest […]
Why go to Church?
November 1, 2014 by
This lesson topic stems from the idea that if God is a loving God, then why do we “have” to come to church? Like last week’s lesson on “God’s rest” for us from the book of Hebrews (4:1), we also look in the book of Hebrews to understand why God tells us not to neglect […]
Acts, Lesson 19: Paul’s Second Missionary Journey Ends and His Third One Begins
October 30, 2014 by
Paul had preached on the Areopagite in Athens and some “joined him and believed.” Paul then travels to Corinth, the capital of the Roman province of Achaia (Greece). Silas and Timothy join him later. In Corinth Read Acts 18:1-4 Corinth: In Paul’s day, Corinth was a city known for its moral depravity. It was a […]
The Promise of Entering God’s Rest -vs- the Fear of God
October 24, 2014 by
Hebrews 4:1: Therefore, let us fear so that, while the promise of entering God’s rest still stands, none of you will fail to reach it. Fear of God “The fear of the LORD” is a key idea throughout Scripture. In Hebrew, the word y’rah is usually translated as “fear.” And y’rah can mean to […]
Acts, Lesson 18: Paul’s Second Missionary Journey, Part 2 (with Silas, Timothy, and Luke)
October 23, 2014 by
Paul and Silas, after being freed from prison, leave town as directed. Still on their missionary journey, they make their way to Thessalonica. Unlike Philippi, Thessalonica had a synagogue and established community of Jews, which was about 100 miles from Philippi. It had a population of about 200,000 people, was the capital of Macedonia, and […]
The Relation between the Tree of Life and the Sacraments
October 16, 2014 by
The Two Trees Note: In this lesson, the translations from Genesis are your pastor’s. He has done this, hoping you can you get a better “feel” of the poetic language in the Hebrew text. Genesis 2:9: And YHWH, God, made sprout from the soil every tree that was pleasing to the eye and good for […]
Acts: Lesson 17: Paul’s Second Missionary Journey (with Silas, Timothy, and Luke)
October 15, 2014 by
After James, the Bishop of Jerusalem, presided over the Church’s first council, Paul decided to visit the congregations in Asia Minor to “see how they are.” But after having a disagreement with Barnabas about John Mark (who would later be the writer of the Gospel of Mark), Paul and Barnabas choose not to travel together. […]
What role do emotions have in the Christian Life?
September 28, 2014 by
This topic goes back to an article I wrote about why we sing what we sing in church. In that article, I mentioned one hymn that wrongly points us to our subjective experiences as a way to “know” God. I come to the garden alone while the dew is still on the roses; and the […]
Acts, Lesson 16: The Church’s First Council
September 24, 2014 by
Paul and Barnabas returned to Antioch (in Syria, not Pisidia) and remained there “no little time with the disciples.” Judaizers in the Church Read Acts 15:1 What were some in the Church insisting concerning Gentile believers? Read Genesis 17:9-14 Leviticus 12:3: [The Lord told Moses,] “On the eighth day, the flesh of the baby’s […]
