Summary: In the character chains from Peter and James, we learn how God strengthens our faith with adversity, like weights on our muscles. They challenge us to grow in the pains of trials and struggles of this life. Introduction In my last post, I talked about the first two character…
Many Christians attempt to be holy by watching out for temptation and trying not to sin. These are good lofty goals. But this is not how the Bible describes holiness. This might just be sheer willpower and legalism. Because so many people define holiness in different ways, it’s hard to…
Is James 5:13 basically saying that nothing is too difficult for the Lord to handle? In a sense, yes. But this verse and the following ones show that we can communicate with God no matter the situation. If people are suffering in trial, pain, and persecution, they can cry out…
What is "The Word"? Is "the Word" from Genesis to Revelation, and how do I become a doer of "the word"? There are several different ideas you present in your question. The Word refers to Jesus. It’s a reference from John 1:1-5 concerning Jesus and his incarnation. He came into…
If we get angry with an unbeliever how do we handle that? We are subject to the higher standards of God as believers in Jesus. In many cases, especially with unbelievers, this makes it doubly hard. Unbelievers are watching us and they know that we are subjected to higher standards.…
Is speaking in tongues necessary? This question probably comes out of the understanding that Paul relegated it to lesser than prophecy because it requires interpretation in a public meeting. It doesn’t help that we can’t understand what we say when we speak in tongues. Paul did not mean for us…
Some Christians believe it is acceptable to swear/use profanity (excluding taking God’s name in vain). Is there a Biblical basis for this position, and if there is, how strong is the position? Some people call it swearing or cussing. But when I think about swearing, I think of the ninth…
Why don’t we talk about Hell anymore? It used to be that preachers would regularly preach about Hell and its dangers. Whether there was an unsaved person in the sanctuary or not, everyone knew about it. It seems that trend has been changing for a while in the church. But…
In Luke 18:1-8, Jesus teaches a parable about being persistent in prayer. If God answers our prayer immediately, why do we have to persist in continuing to pray? Is there a deadline for when we stop praying? This is a great question. Luke is the only one of the four…