Tune and Prepare!

from "The Bible Project" The Setting of an Important Meeting ... Tim, Jon, and Josh discuss the events right before Melchizedek enters the Pentateuch (Genesis 13-14:16), which Josh believes are crucial for understanding the interaction between Abraham and Melchizedek that follows (Genesis 14:17-24). Genesis 13:14-18 The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Now raise your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward, and eastward and westward. For all the land which you see I will give to you and to your descendants forever. … Arise, walk about in the land through its length and width, for I will give it to you.” Then Abram moved his tent and came and lived by the oaks of Mamre, which are in Hebron. And there he built an altar to the Lord. It’s subtle, but the narrator is implying that Abraham did not fully obey God’s command to explore the land. He just set up camp a short distance from where he had been. (This is an impo...

Aug 2016 by: Andreas J. Köstenberger, Margaret Elizabeth Köstenberger We were created male and female by divine design According to the Genesis creation account, God created humanity male and female (Gen 1:26–28). Maleness and femaleness are creational, not contractual. They are divinely instituted rather than socially defined. Thus our gender identity cannot simply be renegotiated the way in which we refinance a mortgage or reschedule an appointment. God created us, and we are his creatures, both men and women. We were created male and female in God’s image Humanity’s binary gender design as male and female reflects in some mysterious way the nature of God. While sharing a common humanity, the man and the woman are unique and complementary rather than identical. This complementarity, in turn, reflects a facet of God’s own nature. God, too, is a unity within diversity (three in one, equal in personhood, distinct in role). This unity in diversity is beautifully reflected in hu...

 Here is Edward Bear, coming downstairs now, bump, bump, bump, on the back of his head, behind Christopher Robin. It is, as far as he knows, the only way of coming downstairs, but sometimes he feels that there really is another way, if only he could stop bumping for a moment and think of it . And then he feels that perhaps there isn't. A. Milne: Winnie the Pooh · Recommended article  A.  · Recommended article  B.  ☆

By Ed Welch During my first year in seminary, I stumbled across a sentence that would deeply shape my relationships with God, those closest to me, and the people I would counsel. It was a year when Scripture appeared to me as a series of fragments. They were all good fragments, but the pieces seemed to lack coherence — and that lack of coherence could sometimes feel painful. So I was always alert to books and ideas that could help me see one story in Scripture rather than an anthology of short stories. I was reading J. Gresham Machen’s book The Christian View of Man with that in mind, and a comment caught my attention. It was something like this: as God is personal, so man is personal. Ah, here was a grand unifying principle for Machen; perhaps it would become one for me.. ... Around the same time, I read Biblical Theology by Geerhardus Vos. He wrote so well about Christ as the center of Scripture, which set me off in a direction that I am still on... Vos gav...

Szellem szerint éljetek, mondom, és ne elégítsétek ki a test kívánságait Gal. 5:16 ..ha a Szellem vezet benneteket, nem vagytok alávetve a Törvénynek. A test cselekedetei nyilvánvalóak: paráznaság, tisztátalanság, kicsapongás, bálványimádás, varázslás, ellenségeskedés, viszálykodás, féltékenység, harag, veszekedés, széthúzás, pártoskodás, irigység, részegeskedés, tivornyázás és ehhez hasonló dolgok... A Szellem gyümölcse a szeretet, az öröm, a békesség, a türelem, a kedvesség, a nagylelkűség, a hűség, a szelídség és az önuralom. Ezek ellen nincs törvény. Akik Krisztus Jézushoz tartoznak, megfeszítették a testet a szenvedélyeivel és vágyaival együtt. Ha a Szellem által élünk, a Szellem vezéreljen minket is.

From the article: '7 Reasons Why the Gospel of John is So Special' by Michael Krueger “One of these things is not like the others.” That was a classic segment on Sesame Street, as well as the title of a popular children’s book. It proves again that everything you need to know in life you probably learned in Kindergarten. After all, when it comes to the four gospels, it has been long recognized that “one of these things is not like the others.” There are three Synoptic Gospels—Matthew, Mark, and Luke—with very similar content, tone, and pacing. And then there’s the gospel of John. From the very beginning, the church fathers even recognized that John was notably different than the others. In fact, Clement of Alexandria famously referred to John as the “spiritual gospel,” as opposed to the more “earthy” Synoptics. Ok, but what exactly makes John so different? Given that John loves the number seven—as one example among many, his gospel is structured around seven...

by Luke Wesley {Chinese mission} On the basis of my experience in China over the past 30 years, I want to highlight five theological truths that inevitably emerge as crucial battleground issues for Christians living in a hostile, totalitarian environment. Although the experience of Christians in the U.S. is vastly different, we can learn from the faithfulness of our brothers and sisters in China. 1. Head of the Church Jesus Christ, not any government or human authority, is the head of the church. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has consistently sought to assert its authority over the church since the formation of the “new China” in 1949. I vividly remember a dialogue I had some years ago with a Chinese government official. When he asked, “Are you here to propagate religion?” I responded, “I am a Christian. If people ask about my faith or express interest, I will tell them about Jesus.” He shouted his response: “You will obey Chinese law.” There you have it. Who’s in c...

This article is a reference to the book Winnie-the-Pooh (1926) by English author A. A. Milne (1882–1956), in which the characters Winnie-the-Pooh and Piglet follow their own tracks in the snow, believing them to be the tracks of the imaginary “Woozle”. The phenomenon whereby frequent citation of earlier publications leads to a mistaken public belief in something for which there is no evidence, giving rise to an urban myth. Prior to the introduction of the specific term "Woozle effect", the underlying research phenomenon (and connection to the Woozle) dates back over 60 years.  According to Donald G. Dutton , a "Woozle effect", or a "Woozle", occurs when frequent citation of previous publications that lack evidence misleads individuals, groups and the public into thinking or believing there is evidence, and non-facts become urban myths and factoids. The creation of woozles is often linked to the changing of language from qualified ("it may...

Tanulmányok a Káptalanházban Kölcsönös hit és a gyülekezeti kapcsolatok Az Újtestamentum szellemisége ápolja a tehetségeket, segítve mindenki személyiségét és értékeit. A szimplán vallásos emberekkel ellentétben a hívők elmerülnek Isten szavának és kinyilatkoztatásainak tanulmányozásában. Ez egy szellemi munka: nagyfokú egymásra­utaltságot / kölcsönösséget igényel. A kölcsönösség igazi kihívás, manapság feltérképezetlen terület. Ahogy Tim Maton ( Everyday Church, Wimbledon ) bölcsen megjegyezte: 59 konkrét "egymást" kifejezés, utasítás van a Bibliában arról, hogyan viszonyuljunk egymáshoz az egyházi közösségen belül. Az "egymás" kifejezés a görög allelon [al-el-on] szóból származik, ami azt jelenti, hogy " egymásnak, egymás között, kölcsönösen ". Többek között úgy olvashatjuk: szeretni, gondoskodni, szolgálni, építeni, tisztelni, elfogadni, vigasztalni, bátorítani, és imádkozni egymásért, valamint az a parancs, hogy figyelmeztessü...

T  he music – the audible music – starts with a raw material, chosen by the manufacturer. The wood, the plank was chosen to be a violin. Not only for its beauty and flawlessness but also for the tradition of man's craft. This gives birth to the Art, gives birth to the shape and elegance, gives birth to the music. It's a well-known story when a violinist gives a concert in the Italian home county of the violin. In the morning, he starts his daily practice at his lodgings and, completely stunned, suddenly stops. He has a "different violin" in his hand. The violin that has come home. Of course, the smart egg-heads will tell you that this is related to the wood's home environment, the humidity, the air and the temperature. But... we musicians know: it's much simpler, than that. The violin is at home and now all the wonders that the master dreamed into the shape centuries ago are at once become audible in the almost tangible and new dimensional music and sound...

Reuben A. Torrey könyvéből: Hogyan nyerjük el az erő teljességét a keresztény élethez és szolgálathoz? 2. fejezet – "Krisztus vérének ereje" {részlet} A hatalom Istené (Zsoltárok 62:11). Ezért ez az ember rendelkezésére {is} áll. (Minden a tiétek: 1 Kor. 3:21-23 ) Van itt azonban egy dolog, ami elválasztja az embert Istentől: Ez a bűn. Az Ézsaiás 59:1-2-ben olvassuk: Nézzétek! Nem az Örökkévaló keze gyengült meg, hogy ne tudna megszabadítani titeket, nem süketült meg, hogy szavatokat ne hallaná, hanem bűneitek választanak el titeket Istenetektől, és vétkeitek takarják el arcát előletek, ezért nem hallgat meg benneteket. Mielőtt megismerhetnénk Isten hatalmát életünkben és szolgálatunkban, az Isten és köztünk álló bűnt el kell távolítani. A vér az, amely eltávolítja a bűnt: {Krisztus...} csak egyetlen egyszer jelent meg — amikor az elrendelt idő elérkezett —, hogy önmagát feláldozza. Ez az egyetlen áldozat viszont egy...

Gary Chapman and Clarence Shuler 5lovelanguages.com , clarenceshuler.com W ith the racial tension in Winston-Salem in 1968, there’s no way that I could ever imagine that I would become friends with a white man. I’m not sure Gary Chapman had that on his purview either. Gary and I met in a church gym. Russell, my best friend at the time had been invited by some white girls from his school to this youth function. He didn’t want to be the only black person at this event, so he asked me to go with him. Basketball was my god at that time, so I was all in. The only problem would be convincing my parents that I would be safe at a white function. A family “town hall” meeting was held to determine if I could go to a white church. Just as the decision was being made that I couldn’t go, I yelled, “Jesus will be with us!” Even though I wasn’t a Christian. My proclamation turned the tide because my parents had me in church all the time. In the sixties, it seemed that most blac...

Rob Brockman írása The Gospel Coalition ca.thegospelcoalition.org .. az Urat kísértéssel ki ne hívjuk próbára, amint közülök némelyek megkísértették őt, s aztán kígyók miatt elvesztek; ne zúgolódjatok, mint ahogy közülök némelyek zúgolódni kezdtek, és a pusztító kezétől elvesztek! Mindezek előképekként estek meg azokkal, s azért írattak meg, hogy mi, akikre a korok végső dolgai jutottak, intést kapjunk. 1 Kor 10:9-11 {Csia Lajos ford.} A feleségem és én nemrégiben elvesztettük a gyermekünket. Siennának úgynevezett "mola-terhessége" volt - ez egy hihetetlenül ritka rendellenesség, amikor a méhlepény elszabadul, és nem végzi el a feladatát, azaz nem látja el tápanyaggal a babát. Amikor elment a 13 hetes ultrahangvizsgálatra (akkor éppen Új-Fundlandon utaztam), a technikus nem talált szívhangot. Összeomlottunk. Az első gyermekünk eltűnt. Ahol szívdobogást vártunk, ott süket csendet hallottunk. De aztán, hogy még rosszabb legyen a helyzet, mindke...

Rob Brockman The Gospel Coalition ca.thegospelcoalition.org We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. – 1 Cor. 10:9-11 My wife and I lost our baby recently. Sienna had what is known as a ‘molar pregnancy’ – an incredibly rare defect where the placenta goes rogue and doesn’t do its job of providing nutrients to the baby. When she went for the 13-week ultrasound (I was travelling in Newfoundland at the time), the technician could not find a heartbeat. We were devastated. Our first child was gone. Where we expected to hear a heartbeat, we heard deafening silence. But then, to make matters worse, we both got COVID two days after finding out we had lost our baby. Not the light cough version of COVID either, but t...

sorozat: A mi élő Igénk 1/3 Ige, ami testté lett ..de mit is jelent ez? Három részes sorozatot olvashat a kedves látogató itt, amelyben megvizsgáljuk: Ige és hit összefüggését Az Ige formájának megváltozását A Szent Szellem segítségét Jézus földi szolgálatában való járást A Hóseás próféta szavaira utaló Jézus tanítását, ennek két dimenzióját Gyakorlati példát is láthatunk a XIX. századi Angliából Az Ige tekintélye és a hit hűség Tudjuk hogy a hit {meg}hallásból van, az pedig Iten Igéje által. (Róma 10:17) Az eredetiben ez természetesen nem csak az Ige fizikai hallását jelenti, hanem a szellemi ember nyitott "füleit" arra, amit személyesen neki szól az Ige. Azt is tudjuk, hogy egy élet kitartó munkájával sem lehet "megérteni" a Igét csupán az értelemmel. Isten Igéje, a Logosz aktív: próféciaként, látomásként, útmutatásként vagy kijelentésként adatik – amely ma már írásban is olvasható, de megértése csak a Szentlélek és Isten segítség...