Psalm: 144 Meditation Saul (Paul) had forged for himself a formidable reputation perhaps equal to a zealot or Jewish fanatic. The mere mention of his name rained down fear on those who heard it. The detail that gets minimal attention is Saul’s submission to baptism after his Damascene experience. No self-respecting Jew would submit to …
Tag: Paul
Going Deeper: June 28
Read Ephesians 2:11-22 together. Watch the sermon video (available at pacificunionchurch.org/churchsmall) Listen. How does the Apostle Paul stretch your understanding of God’s peace? What is Jesus’ good news of peace? What is God saying to you about peace? Respond. In Christ, we have been reconciled to God and have joined a new family. “They” have become …
Wednesday, June 24, 2020
Psalm: 109 Meditation Luke: We, today, operate at some disadvantage. We can’t go to a time when we did not know the glorious end of this story. Jesus tells His disciples at the Passover meal, where He has just instituted the Lord’s Supper, that one of them will betray Him. We find it quite incredulous …
Tuesday, June 23, 2020
Psalm: 95 Meditation Acts: Gamaliel prevails. Who is Gamaliel? Turns out he was a Pharisee and a wise man and apparently of some influence. He persuaded the Sanhedrin (the governing body of Israel) not to quash the Apostles from preaching the name of Jesus. He cited earlier false messiahs who had failed in their uprisings …
Monday, June 8
Psalm: 65 Meditation 2 Corinthians: Paul reminds his readers that while we are in the world, we are not of the world so that when we wage war our weapons are not those used by the world. Paul uses argument and reason and takes “captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” (v. 5) …
Discipling Friendships
I want to begin with a bold and provocative statement: it is nearly impossible to grow as a Christian by yourself. We need other people to walk with us. I say this because we have a relational God and a relational faith. Have you ever stopped to think about the fact that the God we …
Wednesday, June 3
Psalm: 53 Meditation 2 Corinthians: Paul does not skirt the issue he raised in 1 Corinthians. There were two which came to mind both moral: 1) incestuous adultery and 2) neglecting the poor at the Lord’s Supper. Paul is very pleased with the progress of the Corinthians’ repentance – it encourages him to persevere. Godly …
Friday, May 15
Psalm: 106 Meditation Romans: I guess it is very easy for us to get trapped by the flesh. By that I mean that as human beings we are tied very closely to our bodies – its appetites, its desires, and its passions. Intellectually we know that the things of this world are transitory – even …
Monday, May 4
Psalm: 52 Meditation Colossians: Paul’s student Epaphras, a Colossian himself, was sent to Colossae to bring the gospel from Ephesus, where Paul had established a church. As Colossae was a fledgling church, it was essential to ground the people in the faith and to keep them from being carried off by whims and deceptions. Paul …
Wednesday, April 8
Psalm: 55 Meditation Philippians: Standing firm is a guard against complacency. Watch or be alert. Paul then reminds the Philippians to “rejoice in the Lord” (v. 4) always for the Lord is near – both in terms of our direct access to Him and to Jesus’ return. Emulate those qualities which are good in themselves …
