Summary: When we as Jesus’s disciples show the Beatitudes of hunger and thirst for righteousness, mercy, and purity of heart, we shall be satisfied, receive mercy, and see God. Introduction In my last post, I began our miniseries on developing Christian character with the first part of the Beatitudes. In…
What is the meaning of St. Luke 8:16? ““No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light. For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest,…
What is the meaning of the expression, "The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed" in Luke 17:20? In this passage, Jesus is teaching about the kingdom in the end times. Because he is teaching about it in this timeframe, he is saying that…
What does it mean that Lazarus was carried off by the angels to Abraham's side (Luke 16:22)? The parable of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31 is only conveyed by Luke. None of the other Gospels have this parable. It seems to indicate that we either receive our…
When Jesus goes to a Pharisee’s dinner in Luke 7, a wicked woman anoints Jesus’ feet. Why doesn’t the Pharisee notice the woman coming into his house and why does he say what he says about her that way? In Luke 7:36-50 Jesus is invited to a Pharisee’s house for…
Can you explain the details of John the Baptist’s murder? Who wanted his head on a platter? Is there a parallel between Herod and Pontius Pilate? John the Baptist was the forerunner for Jesus. He was prophesied to come before Jesus and prepare the way for his coming. When Jesus…
Does a person need to ask me for forgiveness before I give it? When we are wronged by another person, we feel like it’s a matter of justice that they apologize for what they did. We wait for them to realize it and do the right thing. But sometimes we…
What’s the difference between the baptism in the Holy Spirit and the gift of speaking in tongues? Let’s make some clarifications and define our terms to make it easier for us to answer this question. Definitions The baptism in the Holy Spirit is the initial encounter a Christian has with…
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…
Lucifer was cast out of heaven along with other fallen angels, but heaven is a perfect, sinless place. Where did the sin of pride that grew in Lucifer come from? What about the other angels that fell? Were they condemned for the same thing? In several places throughout Scripture we…
