Paul wrote this letter to his missionary helper Titus, whom he had placed in charge of the church on the island of Crete.
One purpose of this letter was to instruct Titus in how to deal with the false teachers who had infiltrated the church.
Continue reading MANNERS AND CUSTOMS IN THE BIBLE (FAITH, NOT FABLES)
The Bible is not definitive on this point, so each person, church, and movement must come to peace with its position. Certainly the Bible includes several stories of resistance to government, even armed resistance. Sometimes, as in this passage, no moral judgment is attached to the report of resistance. Warfare is constant throughout of the Old Testament, including warfare ordained by God.
Continue reading IS CIVIL REBELLION EVER JUSTIFIED? (2 CHRONICLES 10:16-19)
The church in Corinth split probably for the same reasons modern-day churches do. Some people identified with the ministry style of Peter. Others were drawn to Paul’s personality. Still others felt a connection with Apollos. We rightly learn from the insights of spiritual leaders, but crowing about one’s own leader and criticizing all others is wrong, petty, and immature.
Continue reading WHAT HAPPENS WHEN FACTIONS SPLIT A CHURCH?
Peter gives much the same advice that Paul did in letters he wrote to a pair of churches in the same area: Ephesus and Colosse. Most Bible experts say Paul was probably in Rome from about AD 60 to 62 awaiting trial when he wrote those two letters. Perhaps Peter visits him there, hears what’s happening in Turkey, and decides to add his advice in a separate letter to all churches in the region. Silas, the man who helps Peter write this letter, is also one of Paul’s associate ministers.
Continue reading SUBMIT TO PEOPLE IN CHARGE
1.Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;
2 I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:
Continue reading SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY (REVELATION 2:1-13)
This is another reference by Paul to the Greek athletic games. In this verse he referred to the boxers in training who practiced shadow boxing, throwing punches at an imaginary opponent.
Continue reading BIBLE CUSTOMS AND CURIOSITIES (NO SHADOW BOXING)
1 Timothy 2:11 – Women are not to teach men in the church but are to submit and defer to male leadership (read 12, 13, 14).
1 Timothy 2:12 – I DO NOT PERMIT. Paul sell-consciously writes with the authoriy of an apostle (1 Thess 4:1; 2 Thess 3:6), rather than simply offering an opinion. This statement is given in the context of Paul’s apostolic instructions to the church for the ordering of church practice when the church is assembled together. In that context, two things are prohibited: (1) Women are not
Continue reading UNDERSTANDING WHY WOMEN SHOULD BE SILENT IN THE MEETING PLACE. BREAKING DOWN 1 TIMOTHY 2:11
This verse is part of Isaiah’s prophecy of doom against Egypt. God’s punishment would be so devastating that it would spoil the Egyptian fishing industry. Fish taken from the Nile River and it’s tributaries were a staple of this ancient nation’s diet. Continue reading FISHING, EGYPTIAN STYLE
REPENTANCE- Change of mind; also can refer to regret or remorse accompanying a realization that wrong has been done or to any shift or reversal of thought. In its biblical sense repentance refers to a deeply seated and through turning from self to God. It occurs when a radical turning of God takes places, an experience in which God is recognized as the most importance fact of one’s existence. Continue reading DEFINITON OF THE DAY “REPENTANCE”
Sex is such a strong instinct that it affects every other motivation and loyalty. Biologists are just now discovering how the sex drive governs social organization in animal species from monkeys to dolphins. All animals live in hierarchies, and those hierarchies govern who mate with whom. Sex affects everything. Continue reading WHY IS SEXUAL PURITY SO IMPORTANT “1 THESSALONIANS 4:3-8”