Laodicea in Asia Minor was known for its wealth and its manufacture of a special eye salve, as well as of a glossy black wool cloth. It was also located near Hierapolis, where there were famous hot springs, and Colossae, known for its pure, cold water. As with some of...
The word covenant not only means “an agreement,” but also carries the idea of a last will and testament. If a man writes his will, that will is not in force until he dies. It was necessary for Jesus Christ to die so that the terms of the New Covenant...
One reason we have cares is because we have an enemy. As the serpent, Satan deceives; as the lion, Satan devours. The word Satan means “adversary,” and the word devil means “the accuser, the slanderer.” The recipients of Peter’s first letter had already experienced the attacks of the slanderer, and...
The evidence of conversion is the presence of the Holy Spirit within, witnessing that you are a child of God (Romans 8:16). Your body becomes the very temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Even though the body is destined to die because of sin (unless, of course, the...
The heroes of faith listed in Hebrews 11 are referred to as a “great… cloud of witnesses” in the next chapter. These men and women now in heaven are not watching us as we run the race, like people seated in a stadium; the word witnesses does not mean “spectators.”...
For centuries Greek and Roman philosophers used the term “fishers of men” to describe the work of the man who seeks to “catch” others by teaching and persuasion. Jesus had four, possibly seven men in the band of disciples who were professional fishermen; it was logical for Jesus to talk...
Sexual impurity begins in the desires of the heart. Jesus did not say that lustful desires are identical to lustful deeds, so that a person might just as well go ahead and commit adultery. The desire and the deed are not identical, but spiritually speaking, they are equivalent. The “look”...
As Christians, we must live for eternity and not just for the present. In fact, walking by faith and not by sight makes our Christian lives meaningful today. This brings to mind the story of two farmers, one a believer and the other an atheist. When harvest season came, the...
Why do we have a joyful attitude as we face trials? Because we love God, and He loves us, and He will not harm us. Why do we have an understanding mind? Because He loves us and has shared His truth with us, and we love Him in return. Why...
Each Christian must know what his spiritual gifts are and what ministry (or ministries) he is to have in the local church. It is not wrong for a Christian to recognize gifts in his own life and in the lives of others. What is wrong is the tendency to have...