The Gospel

Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the GOSPEL which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

[Paul, writing to Christians @ Corinth, 1 Cor. 15:1-4]

Thursday, January 28, 2010

John 14:6

Title: The truth


What kind of leader was the Lord Jesus to the disciples and to the multitude that followed him? He was the leader who always told the truth. He didn’t give false hope. He didn’t tailor his messages to the tune the people wanted to hear. He told them what they needed to hear.

This is essential because we know we can rely on his promises today, knowing the future can never influence or change the truth.

John 3:30

Title: He must increase


The full stature of the Lord Jesus demands to be revealed.

A lesser approach will serve no purpose in our lives.

This is who we are, a dying ember.

Jesus, the unapproachable light.

That is our message.

That is our blessing.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Genesis 1:1

Title: In the beginning


God did not form Adam first because he could not witness the creation of the heavens and the earth, and live to tell the story of that fearful display of creative energy. This awesome spectacle was reserved for the eyes of the Creator, who alone could take in the power and splendor and the love that was spoken at the beginning of all beginnings.

The power of God can kill any mortal, but it can also raise it to eternal life in Jesus, the Messiah of Israel.

Luke 1:80

Title: Strong in spirit


Physical growth doesn’t necessarily mean spiritual maturity. They don’t automatically go hand in hand. They had to be dealt with separately, and concurrently at that.

While our bodies are subject to the second law of thermodynamics, our progress in life is measured by a spiritual yardstick. And who are we, but our spirits.

Ezekiel 33:32

Title: To them you are nothing more than one who sings love songs


The preaching of the Scriptures doesn’t end with a refrain; it is a contract that demands abiding to or rejection. Unlike a beautiful melody, the word of God is not merely repeated in a chorus, but is chanted as an oracle of action which culminates in a devotion that is devoid of greed and unlawful gain.

Deuteronomy 4:7

Title: our God is near us


So near that the people of God are assured of the intimacy of a friend, the proximity of a companion, the aptness of a response.

Matthew 26:56

Title: All the disciples


For three eventful years, the disciples had been prepared for the role of leadership in turbulent times. It is true that they had fled for their lives, and had left their Teacher at the hands of his enemies, but the Lord knew they’d be back.

The Lord Jesus was such an excellent leader, one who could inculcate strength and courage where only weakness was evident, that he was willing to leave despite the seeming disunity among his followers. The transfer of responsibility was not apparent at that time, but soon enough, boldness worthy of what they had been taught would, like cream, rise to the surface.

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Ezra 1:1

Title: The Lord moved the heart of Cyrus


The course of one’s heart cannot be influenced apart from its intrinsic disposition and perception of the world or its world view; it would only act justifiably to what it comprehends as advantageous to its cause and guaranteed by favorable trends and benefits of the future, even when prodded to act by divine influence. This delicate balance is accomplished only because of God’s enduring mercy for his people who were crying out for deliverance from their exile from the fellowship of obedience.

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Matthew 4:4

Title: Man does not live on bread alone


An emaciated spirit will always manifest itself even in a well-nourished body. The structure may be sturdy, but if the inhabitant is weak, sin would have a foothold there, and so would fear, and greed, disregard for laws and authority, rebellion, the dread of the unknown.

1 Thessalonians 5:4

Title: But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should surprise you as a thief


The heathen will have no clue to the coming of the Lord, but Christians will have ample warning.

There will be prodding in his spirit.

There will be signs in the heavens.

There will be travail in the world.

Matthew 2:11

Title: Treasures


The utmost value of wealth is realized when it is given away sacrificially. To the deserving recipient, it may mean much more than it was in the safekeeping of the generous gift-giver. From hand to hand, the endowment edifies the benefactor and honors the beneficiary.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

John 21:17

Title: Lord, you know all things


When confronted with a situation where our weaknesses could be exposed, the pain of grief tends to overshadow the reality of God’s forgiveness, which should have been sought, believing the Lord can and will restore us to a fellowship of responsibility, if only love compels us to understand that He knows us more than we conceive our selves.

Genesis 3:20

Title: Mother of all the living


Short of admitting there is life only on earth, physicists have lowered their expectation of finding intelligent life on other worlds, to finding simple forms of life.

There are no inhabitants out there. If there were, they would have no Savior. God has only one begotten Son. And he had to die but once.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Luke 24:8

Title: Then they remembered his words


Understanding doesn’t always accompany the act of hearing. Some listen, not to understand and gain knowledge, but to be accepted and be part of the crowd. To miss the meaning of the words of the Lord Jesus is to miss life, for His words are life. But God is gracious to us, to allow us to recall His words again and again in our lives; this time with proper appreciation and renewed meaning at every encounter.

John 10:3

Title: He calls his own sheep by name


Note: Most churches in America are small. Fifty percent of churches average fewer than 75 attendees on any given Sunday and only 5 percent attract more than 350. A century ago, in 1890, the average Protestant church had only 91.5 members; in 1776, the average Methodist congregation had 75.7 members.


Do local congregations have to be small? Yes. I think that was the plan, so that the pastor could call each one by name, and wash everyone’s feet, meaning, serve each person individually.

We have to understand the wisdom here, in the light of the shepherd to sheep ratio, which is determined by the ability of the former to give individual care and attention to the flock.

Outside this personal attention and care by the leader, not by those who assist him, a person is really an outsider in a family of believers.

Luke 2:11

Title: A Savior has been born to you


The birth of the Lord Jesus, the Christ, is not about loving one another. The birth of the Messiah is about God loving man. It is not about gift-giving. It is about God giving himself to take away the sins of those who would trust in Jesus for their salvation. Therefore, only the Christian has the legal right to celebrate His birth; only the recipient of eternal life can rejoice on that day.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Luke 2:13

Title: A great company of angels

The humble beginnings of the Lord Jesus cannot be ignored if only for the army of angels watching over his birth. This early in his life, as a newborn babe, we are given an insight into the majesty of his person, the authority in his words, and the supremacy of his works. Why, then, have we paid no heed to the Messiah? The answer may lie in the fact that we have detached the power of heaven from the totality of His ministry on earth. We have forgotten about the multitude of powerful angels at his birth, that they had always been with him, ministering to the Immanuel who had nowhere to lay his head.

Genesis 2:16

Title: You are free to eat


Free will doesn’t guarantee liberty to do what is against the will of God. Actually, God doesn’t give us a choice, because only obedience to his laws promises blessings and lasting benefits, while rebellion leads only to destruction. What the Lord is showing here is our paramount rank in the ladder of creation, that in our being created in His image, we shall have the capacity to think and not exist by means of mere instinct, like the animals of the fields and the birds of the air.

Saturday, January 9, 2010

John 16:33

Title: In this world you will have trouble


But not in the next world, if you are a Christian; It is only on this earth, in this life, that believers will be hemmed in by trials and persecution that could weaken the body and the spirit, but even then the afflictions will have lost much of their power to inflict harm and travail, only because we are in the Lord Jesus, and not in the world.

Friday, January 8, 2010

John 1:39

Title: So they went and saw where he was staying


To the Lord Jesus, it was not important where he stayed, but where he went and what he did in obedience to the Father. Therefore, a true believer would live as if he had nowhere to lay his tired body, because he has become a leader in his own right, and the brethren would come and see, and continue on the road the Lord had taken.