READ: Deuteronomy 10-12, Psalm 56, Luke 12, 1 Corinthians 12 BATTLE PRAISE We must come to terms with the reality that our spiritual battle is to the death. When we represent Jesus among the nations, we stand for Him against all other presumptive authorities and all demonic powers. We would be fools to think we […]
Region: Arab World
The Weak Choice
To live among Arabs is to fall in love with them. Loving Arabs opens you to both their joys and their prejudices. You cannot linger long with the Arabs before experiencing their opinionated passion about the Jewish people. When my wife and I were commissioned by our home church years ago to reach out to […]
Abiding in Jesus: February 24
READ: Deuteronomy 7-9, Psalm 55, Luke 11, 1 Corinthians 11 THE WEAK CHOICE To live among Arabs is to fall in love with them. Loving Arabs opens you to both their joys and their prejudices. You cannot linger long with the Arabs before experiencing their opinionated passion about the Jewish people. When my wife and […]
Abiding in Jesus: February 23
READ: Deuteronomy 4-6, Psalm 54, Luke 10, 1 Corinthians 10 THE PRIMACY OF HEARING To listen is to live (Deut. 4:1). In fact, “this is our wisdom” (v. 6), to cultivate the ability to hear Jesus. Listening to Jesus is a discipline – there is a spiritual muscle in our ear that is strengthened by […]
Abiding in Jesus: February 22
READ: Deuteronomy 1-3, Psalm 53, Luke 9, 1 Corinthians 9 DEATH ACCOMPLISHED As Jesus prays, His face is altered (Luke 9:29). Moses and Elijah (glorified by death) appear to Jesus and speak to Him about “His decease, which He was about to accomplish” (v. 31). Jesus descends the mountain encouraged again to die well. Death […]
Abiding in Jesus: February 21
READ: Numbers 34-36, Psalm 52, Luke 8, 1 Corinthians 8 AFRAID OF JESUS Everybody is afraid of Jesus, some just don’t know it yet. If you are not afraid of Jesus, you either have not seen Him as He is or you are stupid – or maybe both. In Luke 8 we have a litany […]
Abiding in Jesus: February 20
READ: Numbers 31-33, Psalm 51, Luke 7, 1 Corinthians 7 SUBMISSIVE AUTHORITY In Luke 7 Jesus encounters a Roman Centurion, a man with at least one hundred direct reports. This Roman authority exhibits more faith than anyone Jesus has met in the whole country, and his faith is exhibited through his understanding of submission. “I […]
Abiding in Jesus: February 19
READ: Numbers 28-30, Psalm 50, Luke 6, 1 Corinthians 6 WEAPON OF MASS DESTRUCTION “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks”(Luke 6:45). And often the missionary mouth speaks scathing destruction. Attila the Hun was wimpy compared to what issues from Christian mouths. Our little tongues set all kinds of forests on fire […]
Abiding in Jesus: February 18
READ: Numbers 25-27, Psalm 49, Luke 5, 1 Corinthians 5 GOD’S ZEAL ZEAL FOR HOLINESS. Sexual sin led the people of God to idolatry (Num. 25:1-2). While all sin is heinous there is something about sexual sin that perverts from the inside out and affects others. Phinehas, the son of Eleazar the high priest, acts ruthlessly […]
Abiding in Jesus: February 17
READ: Numbers 22-24, Psalm 48, Luke 4, 1 Corinthians 4 THE PRECIOUS WORD Perversity of Our Words. You don’t really want God as an opponent. Balaam clearly heard from God the first time: He was not to go with Balak’s lackeys (Num. 22:13). Repeated requests and appeals to Balaam’s vanity, and he looks for a way […]
