Simply Gospel

May my steps be worship. May my thoughts be praise.

  • Jesus and the Little Children

    And they were bringing unto him little children, that he should touch them: and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it, he was moved with indignation, and said unto them, “Suffer the little children to come unto me; forbid them not: for to such belongeth the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall in no wise enter therein.” And he took them in his arms, and blessed them, laying his hands upon them (Mark 10:13-16). One of the aspects of Jesus that is… Continue reading

  • Adoption

    For ye received not the spirit of bondage again unto fear; but ye received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, “Abba, Father” (Romans 8:15). Having foreordained us unto adoption as sons through Jesus Christ unto himself, according to the good pleasure of his will (Ephesians 1:5). There is a saying that goes, “you can pick your spouse, you can pick your friends, you can pick your nose, but you cannot pick your relatives.” This statement is designed to be humorous and to reflect a reality that exists for most people in regards to their blood relatives: there was no… Continue reading

  • He Has Done All Things Well

    And they were beyond measure astonished, saying, “He hath done all things well; he maketh even the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak” (Mark 7:37). Jesus has entered the Decapolis and healed a deaf man with a speech impediment (Mark 7:31-36). The Decapolis was a more Gentile region known for Greek culture, and its residents can clearly see the power that is present in Jesus. They declare, quite rightly, that He, Jesus, has done all things well. The depth of the truth and reality of that statement, however, was not known to them. Jesus is the Word made… Continue reading

  • Futility in Effort

    Vanity of vanities,” saith the Preacher; “vanity of vanities, all is vanity. What profit hath man of all his labor wherein he laboreth under the sun?” (Ecclesiastes 1:2-3). There is nothing quite as futile as shoveling snow. It does not matter how much snow has fallen. It does not matter how elaborately the mounds of snow are piled up. It may snow again, and then you have to shovel all that snow onto all the previous snow. And then, after a few months or days, it is all gone – melted and drained away. Then again, mowing the lawn feels… Continue reading

  • Seeing Our Reflection

    Lately, we’ve been revisiting the Old Testament in our Bible classes, and we understand that, while we are no longer bound to that law, studying the triumphs and failings of God’s people can benefit our own spiritual growth. As Paul writes in Romans 15:4: For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. I want to take some time in this lesson to look at a few individuals from the Old and New Testaments. What will we see in them? Will we see… Continue reading

  • The Prophet Over Jerusalem

    And when [Jesus] drew nigh, he saw [Jerusalem] and wept over it, saying, “If thou hadst known in this day, even thou, the things which belong unto peace! But now they are hid from thine eyes. For the days shall come upon thee, when thine enemies shall cast up a bank about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, and shall dash thee to the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation” (Luke 19:41-44). This was… Continue reading

  • One In Christ

    Where there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bondman, freeman; but Christ is all, and in all (Colossians 3:11). “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” This is the one of the ideals enshrined in the Declaration of Independence, but the idea did not originate there. The idea that all men (and women) stand as equals before their Creator comes from Paul and the New Testament. Paul emphasizes to the Colossians (and to the Galatians in Galatians 3:28) all divisions that keep people apart in the world have no place… Continue reading

  • The Outward Man

    We all know the expression, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” It’s not an old expression, dating back to around 1944 when the journal American Speech used the expression, “You can’t judge a book by its binding,” but similar expressions can be found as far back as the first century when Juvenal writes, “Never have faith in the front,” in his Satires. It’s an expression that reminds us not to judge on appearances. God expresses this idea to Samuel in I Samuel 16:7 when he says: Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature,… Continue reading

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  • Knowing, Caring, Willing

    Years ago, I came across an article addressing the successful individual and group projects. The author points out three points of success in any undertaking: A knowledge of the situation. The proper attitude. A willingness to be involved. As congregations, we may take our building for granted. We may take our brothers and sisters for granted. We may take growth for granted, but we’ve all seen congregations that have dwindled over time until they no longer exist. Taking things for granted never leads to success. The Challenge of Involvement In Joshua 24:14, Joshua challenges the people of Israel to choose… Continue reading

  • Pharisees and Tradition

    And he said unto them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, ‘This people honoreth me with their lips, But their heart is far from me. But in vain do they worship me, Teaching as their doctrines the precepts of men. Ye leave the commandment of God, and hold fast the tradition of men.’” And he said unto them, “Full well do ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your tradition” (Mark 7:6-9). This is one of Jesus’ well-known interactions with the Pharisees. It seems, in fact, to be one of the most… Continue reading