BibleVersity

" not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near." - Heb. 10:25 When it comes being a Christian, one of the fundamental truths that we much grasp is that we are now part of something much bigger than we are as individuals. We have become part of the family of God, the Body of Christ: the Church. As a Christian, you are not the Church by yourself, but you are part of the Church. Your unique gifts, talents, and personality means that you are unlike anyone else in creation. You are a valued member of God's family. That means that the Church needs you, and you need the Church! When the writer of Hebrews penned the verse above, I doubt very seriously that he could even guess that we would be in the place we are today. Due to COVID-19, every church in the US--and likely all over the world--is operating a bit differently than before. Most of us have been impacted to some degree wh

  " For you will no longer remember the oracle of the L ord , because every man’s own word will become the oracle, and you have perverted the words of the living God, the L ord  of hosts, our God." - Jer. 23:36 One problem the people of Israel encountered was prophets who prophesied their own oracles as if they came from God. In Jeremiah chapter 6 we see the LORD condemning the voices of falsehood, "Saying 'Peace, peace, but there is no peace.'"(v.14) The people during Jeremiah's day had turned from God's oracles to the oracles of man, and they would suffer as a result.  Although Jeremiah's words about people perverting God's words were directed at a straying Israelite leadership and people, the words speak to the world in which we now live as well. This will not be a popular notion, but it seems we are seeing more and more Christian proclaiming messages God has supposedly said or something God is supposedly going to do. I am a Pentecostal pr

The L ord ’ s  lovingkindnesses indeed never cease,  For His compassions never fail.  They  are new every morning;  Great is Your faithfulness. - Lamentations 3: 22-23 The book of Lamentations is not the most uplifting of writings, but then again, Jeremiah's writings tend to be a bit darker than that of other prophets. He suffered much as a prophet, and it is reflected in his tone. Don't believe me? Take note of just a few of his comments in chapter 3:  He has caused my flesh and my skin to waste away (v3), He has walled me in so that I cannot go out (v7), He is to me like a bear lying in wait (v10), He has filled me with bitterness (v15), I have forgotten happiness (v17). Not very encouraging is it? Jeremiah was known as the weeping prophet, and it shows. However, this same prophet turns around and gives us this great statement about God's lovingkindness. It almost seems out of character. How is this possible? Well, Jeremiah understood something that most of us struggle wi

"Jesus wept." - John 11:35 Hands down, this is the shortest verse in the Bible. Two little words, but they carry a very large message.  When Lazarus became sick, Jesus knew the plan was to delay so Lazarus would die. That sounds harsh, but God had a much-bigger plan than healing Lazarus. Jesus was going to raise him from the dead, thus proving to be the Son of God. The disciples nor Mary and Martha had knowledge of this plan. Four days later we find that Lazarus has died and Jesus now wants to go to where Lazarus was. Once Jesus arrives he sees Mary and Martha and all the mourners grieving. I'm quite sure the disciples were weeping as well. Then we see something remarkable. Even though Jesus is about to raise Lazarus from the grave, and even though everyone's weeping is about to change to exhilaration, Jesus weeps as well. So, the question is why? I believe the answer is fairly simple: Jesus wept because his friends wept. the Bible is clear that Jesus understands our

" And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me." - 2 C orinthians 12:9 It is easy to get strengths and weaknesses mixed up in our world. Society has a habit of encouraging behaviors that we often deem as wrong. Crying, for  example, is seen by many as weakness. Other behaviors often seen as weak include apologizing for harmful actions, refraining from retaliating against those who hurt you, and even  seeking treatment for illness . I'm not trying to make a list of items, but just to simply point out that we often mistake strength for weakness. The Bible gives us some very good insight into this very idea. Paul dealt with some mysterious "thorn in the flesh" . To this day no one knows precisely what Paul struggled with, but it was so something so difficult that he asked Jesus to take it from him--three times.

  "Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so." - Acts 17:1 We live in a social-media-infested world in which everyone is a practicing physician, historian, or theologian...or at least that what they claim; a world in which everyone is now an expert. Many claim truth is relevant, and others say it does not exist at all. And opinions? Well, opinions are as numerous as the stars in the sky. The result is that truth is often left behind. During one of his missionary journeys Paul ended up in Berea. There he preached and taught of Christ just as he had done in many other places. In Berea, the believers listened to what the apostle Paul said, but they did something even more important: they measured his words against Scripture. Paul was--arguably--the greatest evangelist in history, and his reputation was well-known. However, the Bereans carefully w