“Still today, many churches seek to do outreach primarily by bringing people in. They practice an attractional model of mission. As a result, our greatest aspirations in evangelism have often been that our neighbors would come with us to church, send their kids to VBS, or attend a Christian camp or concert. But we need…
I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds. –Psalm 77:12 Most Americans are familiar that baseball is connected to the popular phrase “America’s Favorite Pastime.” Whether or not you agree if baseball still holds that title, the idea of pastime is what is important. (Here is an interesting article advocating 20…
For those of us who regularly attend “church” on Sunday’s what would change if instead of going to “church” our hearts were prepared to worship? People go to church every week, but that does not mean worship is taking place. It is often cold, dead, religion, and we are wondering why young people prefer the…
Jesus Teaches His Followers a Lesson about the Fig Tree (Matt. 21:20–22; Mark 11:20–26) Jesus Teaches and Engages in Controversies in the Temple (Matt. 21:23–23:39; Mark 11:27–12:44; Luke 20:1–21:4) Jesus Predicts the Future (Matthew 24–25; Mark 13:1–37; Luke 21:5–36)
Israel is often characterized as a fig tree in the Old Testament (Jer. 8:13; Hos. 9:10, 16; Joel 1:7), and Jesus’s cursing of the fig tree symbolizes the judgment of God upon a nation that has the outward appearance of life but fails to bear fruit. From his visit the night before, he knows exactly…
“By this intentional symbolic action, Jesus will clearly communicate his kingship to the expectant crowds of Passover pilgrims by fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9, that Israel’s future king would come riding on the foal of a donkey, and by copying Solomon’s entrance into Jerusalem when he was declared king.” – The Final Days of…
Acts 9:31 So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied. “As fears increase in the American church, we’ll have the opportunity to resurrect a holy fear of God in…
Jeremiah 10:3–5 A tree from the forest is cut down and worked with an axe by the hands of a craftsman. 4They decorate it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so that it cannot move. 5Their idols are like scarecrows in a cucumber field, and they cannot speak; they have to be…