Week 4, Part 2: The New Testament and Children Day 5: Loving Beyond Beautiful – Matthew 5:9, 45; Luke 6:35 As you read some of the blogs in this section of the series on the “New Testament and the Fatherless” you might wonder what it actually has to do with the fatherless since they are …
NT 4:3 It Won’t Just Happen – Be Intentional
Week 4: Widows Indeed Cont’d Day 3: It Won’t Just Happen – Be Intentional – Acts 6:1-7 Starting a new outreach is a little like starting a new blog: The page is blank, the cursor is blinking, but where do I begin? The Christians in Acts faced this to some extent when the Grecians began …
NT 4:2 Taking and Teaching Responsibility
Week 4: Widows Indeed Cont’d Day 2: Taking and Teaching Responsibility – I Timothy 5:3-16 The New Testament gives us a fairly complete set of directions concerning the care of widows. 1 Timothy 5 in particular lays things out clearly. “Honor widows that are widows indeed.” (vs. 3) That seems straightforward enough. Honor widows. The …
NT 4:1 Being A Dorcas
Week 4: Widows Indeed Cont’d Day 1: Being A Dorcas – Acts 9:36-43 I first heard the story of Dorcas when I was eight or nine years old. I was amazed, not by the fact that she had been raised from the dead – although generally I suppose most people would consider that to be …
NT 3:5 Compassion And Honor
Week 3, Part 2: Widows Indeed Day 5: Compassion and Honor – Luke 7:11-17; 18:2-8 The widow in the temple was not the only widow upon whom Jesus had compassion. In Luke 7, we have a beautiful story of His compassion and care: “And it came to pass the day after, that he went into …
NT 3:4 Setting An Example
Week 3, Part 2: Widows Indeed Day 4: Setting An Example Luke 2:36-38; 4:25,26 Yesterday we saw the stark difference between Jesus’ way of relating to a widow woman and that of the Pharisees. Today we are going to start looking at several illustrations from the New Testament of the honor that God gives to …
NT 3:3 Of Trumpets And Coins
Week 3, Part 1: Lessons From The Pharisees Cont’d Day 3: Of Trumpets And Coins Mark 12:38-44; Matthew 23:14; Luke 20:45-47 A simple coin. I held it between my fingers and flipped it over and over again, watching the light move across its surface. How could a simple coin mean so much? It was …
NT 3:2 For Viewing Purposes Only
Week 3, Part1: Lessons From the Pharisees Cont’d Day 2: For Viewing Purposes Only Matthew 23; Luke 11:37-54; 18:9-14; Isaiah 58:7; Daniel 4:27 It’s somewhat easy to make light of the Pharisees’ displeasure with the disciples’ dirty hands, but in reality it was an incredibly serious matter. Their attention to the outward condition of men …
NT 3:1 Eating With Dirty Hands
Week 3, Part 1: Lessons From The Pharisees Cont’d Day 1: Eating with Dirty Hands – Matthew 15:1-20; Isaiah 9 (15-17); Mark 7:1-23 Isaiah 29 It seems the disciples were always disappointing the Pharisees. They just had a knack for doing exactly the wrong thing. It makes me laugh because, honestly, I have a feeling …
NT 2:5 No To Do List
Week 2: Lessons From the Pharisees Day 5 – No “To Do” List – Principle in Action, Part 2: Luke 18:18-30; Mark 10:17-31 As I read through the Bible, there are certain stories that just fill me with disappointment and sadness. The story in Luke 18:18-30 is one of them. Here a rich young man …
