January 3 | Philippians 3:12-14 “For it’s not now that I received this or that I have been made perfect now, but I strive after it that I might acquire it, that which was acquired by Christ. Brothers and sisters, I don’t consider that I myself have acquired it, but…
New Clues for an Old ProblemKenneth Berding Kenneth Berding presents a helpful work on what Paul’s thorn in the flesh may have been. Paul mentions this as something Jesus did not take away after he prayed for it three times (2 Corinthians 12:7-9). Many have attempted to pinpoint what this…
Summary: As we look at Paul’s first and second letters to the Corinthians, we can gain much from his answers to the Corinthians’ questions and how he talks about his life as a minister of the Lord and apostle. Introduction In my last post, we began tracking with Paul on…
Summary: Paul describes God’s expectations for disciples of Jesus to grow in Christ in Romans. Through quick commands and slowed down exposition, Paul encourages us to live out Christian character in our everyday lives. Introduction In my last post, I talked about the character chains in the New Testament and…
Summary: No one likes to go through trials, suffering, and pain. But God can use these trials to strengthen the faith and character of Jesus’s disciples, and make us more like Jesus. Introduction In my last post, I talked about God’s goals in our spiritual formation. In this post, I…
Did the martyrdom of Stephen influence the Apostle Paul to accomplish more than the other apostles? Stephen is martyred in Acts 7. The first verse of Acts 8 says that Paul was there holding the coats of the people who stoned him and Paul approved of his death. This is…
What does 2 Corinthians 6:9-10 mean? “through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making…
Isn’t Latin mass forbidden according to 1st Corinthians 14:19? “Nevertheless, in church I would rather speak five words with my mind in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words in a tongue.” (1 Corinthians 14:19, ESV) This is an interesting question from our point of view. I must open…
Would every individual who gives their life to Christ have the same type of change in character as the apostle Paul did? Acts 9 records the extraordinary events that converted Paul to the gospel and to Christianity. As he traveled on the road to Damascus with his caravan, desiring to…
How was Paul a Roman? Like many in the Roman Empire, Paul had dual citizenship. He was both a citizen of the Jewish nation of Israel and a citizen of the Roman Empire. Roman citizenship was endowed in at least three ways. First, a person could be a native Roman…
