Today’s thought “The manifestation of the spirit for …” (August 30) We have come to that part of Paul’s letter to the Corinthians which is about the gifts of the Spirit which were possessed among the believers there. The Gospels were not yet in circulation, probably they had just been written. Now what was the… Read More Today’s thought “The manifestation of the spirit for …” (August 30)
Today we start reading Paul’s letters to the Corinthians. The believers there had been converted from the foolish philosophies of the Greeks who believed in a spirit afterlife and in many gods of their imagination. Paul says, “The Jews demand signs and the Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to… Read More Today’s thought “It is not a wisdom of this age” (August 22)
Today’s thought “We rejoice in hope” (July 30) Romans 5 and 6 need to be read and digested slowly – like rich food! Paul proclaims that believers “having been justified by faith … have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ … have also obtained access by faith in to this grace in which… Read More Today’s thought “We rejoice in hope” (July 30)
Today we completed reading in Revelation the letters to the seven ecclesias: they are quite diverse from one another, but we see them as being representative of the spirituality within different communities of believers down through all ages. We cannot help put sense that the last named (Laodicea) is representative of all too many of… Read More Today’s thought “For you created all things” (December 22)
Today we completed reading the letters to the seven ecclesias that are featured in Revelation 2,3. Each letter begins with the declaration by Christ, “I know your works”. The ecclesias which received the greatest commendations for their works are the ones experiencing the greatest trials! This is ‘food’ for careful thought: let’s meditate on the… Read More Today’s thought “I know your works” (December 22)
In this world where more people are interested in worldly matters, mostly material matters, having not much fertile ground for spiritual matters, it is not always easy for a follower of Christ to stand firm in the faith. The apostle Jude felt he had to write to his fellow brethren to ask them to stand… Read More Today’s thought “Standing up for the faith” (December 20)
Today’s thought “Speaking the truth in love” (October 6) How wonderful to know what is true – the Truth that the Bible alone reveals. Yet how often do we see examples in history of such knowledge causing people to be “puffed up” and pleased with themselves – an attitude which undermines their privilege in understanding… Read More Today’s thought “Speaking the truth in love” (October 6)
“Friendship with the world …” (June 9) The letter of James is full of challenging spiritual statements. Many are applicable to the world which surrounds us. James was writing at the time when Jerusalem was about to be destroyed as his half-brother (our Lord) had warned. The great majority had rejected the divine message, it… Read More Today’s Thought “Friendship with the world …” (June 09)
“The word … is at work in you believers” As we started reading Paul’s letters to the Thessalonians we cannot help but be arrested in mind – and feel challenged by Paul’s perception of the spirit among the believers there. Paul had “charged (them) to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you… Read More Today’ Thought “The word … is at work in you believers” (May 17)
The above words jumped out at us in 1 Peter 1:13. What action? In one sense, each morning we need to prepare our minds for action each day, to make that day count in service before God. Believers through the centuries have encountered times of crisis and a climax in their lives. The Jewish exiles… Read More Today’s Thought “Preparing our minds for action” (June 11)
Love one another When Jesus instituted this meal in remembrance of himself, he shared it with his disciples. He began by telling them how important it was that they should love one another and he washed their feet to show that he was among them as somebody who had come to serve. Paul, who has… Read More How should we worship God? #8 Love one another
The Breaking of Bread Jesus commanded that baptized believers should remember the death and resurrection of their Lord by sharing together some bread and wine, just as he and his disciples did at the Last Supper. This act is described in the New Testament as the Breaking of Bread, or sometimes as an act of… Read More How should we worship God? #7 The Breaking of Bread
We have an overflow of challenging thoughts in our readings today. Paul’s words that particularly arrested our attention was his “appeal to you brothers by the name of our Lord that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment” (1 Corinthians 1:10,11). This essential factor needs to exist among those who follow… Read More Today’s thought “That you be united in the same mind” (February 20)
In the previous chapter we shed already a light on some other teachings which entered already in the first century in the different groups which claimed to follow Jesus. The apostles warned already for the false teaching which were introduced by people who loved to be the leader of a group they started to call… Read More The Development of Differences
Jesus also warned his followers it would not be easy. We as followers of the Nazarene rabbi should know that our life will not be as everything in the garden would be lovely. It’s not all roses there. Christ told us not to be of the world but to stand strong in that world which… Read More Being in isolation #6 to Hear Call from God and breaking isolation
Today having many refugees entering Europe lots of people are afraid of an Islamisation. When they fear that Muslims world take over our regions and get the end of Christendom or Christianity, they should wonder if this would not be part of the unbelievers and not much believing people. In case all Christians would be… Read More Going deep into cultures to reach lost people
When we hear what is going on in the world we can notice more people are questioning what Islam and Christendom are really saying. Many Christians in their life have had many unanswered questions by their church. Often they got the reply they just had to believe what the Bible said, but it mostly meant… Read More Looking for a biblically sound church
Originally posted on Wisdomforlife:
Conflict management 101 “Virtually all theorists of conflict management agree that parties to a conflict must share larger or ultimate values in common as a basis on which to resolve their differences.” (Hugh Halverstadt, Managing Church Conflict, p. 212). Two important examples Two areas that significantly disrupt unity are differences in giftedness effecting…
After being questioned about keeping the Sabbath or Sunday people ask us why we do not have our worship services in a ‘normal church with bell tower’ and why we do not have any priests leading the service. First of all followers of Christ should come together regularly. Nowhere is specified it should be in… Read More Why we do not have our worship-services in a church building
Belgian Ecclesia Brussel - Leuven 