Hidden with Christ
The Greek word translated “hidden” is krypto. You might recognize the sound of that. We have crypto-currency, cryptography, encryption, etc.
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Living as Designed
It was the Law of God. But its purpose was not to produce righteous people. It was to make it clear that no amount of effort could possibly make them righteous and acceptable to God.
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Two Kinds of Life
Life can be bios, our physical temporal mortal life, or zoe’, immortal, eternal, spiritual Life, God’s Life in us.
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New Testament Imperatives
Everything about this place is regulated by the rule of law. Here, people get what they pay for. Here they expect to get what they deserve. Here they only have what they earn. Here laws must be obeyed or else. Life is chasing a carrot while being threatened with a stick.
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EPHESIANS: Don’t Waste Your Life
In these few sentences, the Holy Spirit reminds us of who we are in Christ. Through Paul, He sets before us Life and death and encourages us to choose Life, just as He did through Moses in Deuteronomy 30:19
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Simple Acts of Love
In tiny ways as we go about our daily lives, we naturally spread the Love of God. People see more than we realize and seeds that have the potential to change the landscape of people’s lives are planted.
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Proving Yeast
If the dough rises, however, you can be sure there is living yeast in it. Risen dough is evidence that there is life in the yeast. James said something similar; “You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.” (James 2:24, NASB 2020)
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Suicide
Suicide is very difficult to understand. People have a very difficult time reconciling it with their theology. This is especially true when a believer has made this heartbreaking choice. Poor teaching complicates this for many. Passages in 1 Corinthians and 1 John are often presented as evidence that suicide is unforgivable, raising questions about eternal life. Let’s take a closer look at this.
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Hating your Parents
Reading these passages in context, we find Jesus stating that He did not come to bring peace, but a sword. This is very curious since He is called the Prince of Peace.
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Expressing Christ 8/8
It can be easy to say all this, but our human brains are trained from birth to look for the how-to of everything. The short answer is an old cliché. Let go and let God. “Let” is a verb that means: “not prevent or forbid”; “allow.”
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Expressing Christ 7/8
Earlier we read that the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through Love. We also saw that the Love being referred to here is self-giving agape’ Love. We humans find that challenging. Truth be told, we find it impossible.
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Expressing Christ 6/8
If it’s from Father, it will not produce fear, doubt, guilt, or shame. Every good and perfect gift is from Him. (James 1:17) What He says will always be consistent with scripture and it will always be consistent with His character.
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Expressing Christ 5/8
Clearly there are things we are designed to do. Apparently, these things are to characterize our lives. That’s what walking in them means. Our lives are to be characterized by good works.
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Expressing Christ 4/8
One way is through worship. To worship is to glorify God. We glorify God when we make Him known in a relatable and understandable way. When we “manifest” Him, or make Him tangible to others.
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Expressing Christ 3/8
What is eternal has no beginning and no end, and therefore eternal Life is the kind of Life only God has. This is the Life in which we find ourselves living and moving and existing, as Acts 17:28 points out.
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Expressing Christ 2/8
The news that Christ is in us is great. However, just as some TV ads from a few decades ago exclaimed, “but wait, there’s more!” Not only is Christ in us, but we are also in Christ. We are baptized into Him. We are immersed in Christ.
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Expressing Christ 1/8
When Christ resides in a person, that person has eternal Life. In John 4:13–14 Jesus said, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (NIV)
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Walk by the Spirit
Over the long term, we cannot live our lives in a way inconsistent with who we believe ourselves to be. If we believe we are at war with ourselves, we will act like it. We will find ourselves in a constant battle to have better attitudes and actions. All our focus will be on fixing ourselves.
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How We Live to God
How We Live to God Romans 6:11 “So you too, consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” (NASB 2020) Galatians 2:19 “For through the Law I died to the Law, so that I might live for God. (NASB 2020)” Before we were saved, we lived to sin. Sinfulness,…
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How to Walk by Faith
How to Walk by Faith It’s a life of dependance. Sometimes I like to think of it like I’m a little kid living with my parents. As a kid, I never even thought about whether my home was safe and would still be there when I came back from school, whether I was welcome to…
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Thoughts on 1 Corinthians 15:35-37
Thoughts on 1 Corinthians 15:35-37 1 Corinthians 15:35 “But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come? 36 Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die: 37 And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare…
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Adversity and Eternal Glory
Adversity and Eternal Glory2 Corinthians 4 2 Corinthians 4:1 (NIV)1 Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. Paul’s ministry, and ours, is to reveal the life of Christ to others. For some of us, that can seem out of reach. It can seem to us that some teachers…
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Given Over to Death
Given Over to Death 2 Corinthians 4:10–12 “We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in…
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Hidden in Christ
Hidden in Christ Colossians 3:3–4 “For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” (NIV) These two verses are fascinating. Verse 3 speaks of something hidden. Verse 4 speaks of something appearing. As believers it…
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He is Risen!
Matthew 28:1–10 1 Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the tomb. 2 And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone,…
