Simply Gospel

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

  • An Active Inheritance

    In Galatians 3:26-29, Paul addresses the idea that we are heirs – sons of God’s, baptized into Christ, heirs according to promise. We are recipients on an inheritance from God, and Romans 8:16 begins a passage about our adoption by God, making us joint heirs in Christ. Ephesians 3:4-6 reads that Jews and Gentiles alike Continue reading

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  • The Good Life

    Right now we are facing some tough economic times in this country. Many are struggling, losing salaries, jobs,m and even homes. As a country, as communities, as families, as individuals – we have been affected. In such times, we look for “the good life,” but what defines this better life? Opinions can vary based on Continue reading

  • Certain Unalienable Rights

    The preamble of the United States Declaration of Independence contains one of the most famous phrases in modern political philosophy: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. Continue reading

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  • Now More Than Ever

    June 28, 2009. Now, More Than Ever John Mellancamp has a song called Now More Than Ever, and it is also a phrase we have been hearing in commercials of late. “Now, more than ever you need financial security, health care, home insurance, etc.” I’m left wondering, “Why now?” We read daily of fraud, political Continue reading

  • Seeing Without Perceiving; Hearing Without Understanding

    There are certain drawing that look like one thing to some and something else to others. (Think of the duck/rabbit picture or the old woman/young woman picture.) The same applies to scripture. I may see one side; you might see another. I fear, however, that sometimes we only see or hear what we want to Continue reading

  • How Many Commandments Are There?

    June 21, 2009. How Many Commandments Are There? Recently, I was looking at a website called A Crash Course in Jewish History, and one quote from an article on the Ten Commandments caught my eye: “Because we don’t have the temple, 369 of the 613 commandments are no longer applicable today.” By the First Century, Continue reading

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  • Who Will This Child Be?

    June 21, 2009. Who Will This Child Be? Repeatedly, God’s people in the Old Testament are admonished to teach their children and their grandchildren. Each newborn child brings new hopes and opportunities to the life of their parents, and we wonder, “Who will this child be?” In Luke 1, the priest Zechariah is expecting a Continue reading

  • A Royal Priesthood

    Peter uses a passage from Exodus 19 in I Peter 2:9, directly quoting God speaking to His people through Moses. Peter reminds us that we had no true identity prior to obtaining mercy, but now we are His people. now we are His priests. In the Old Testament, a priest was one who performed sacrificial Continue reading

  • Observing the Cross

    In our service, are we participants or spectators? We don’t typically say, “We saw a good service this morning?” We can understand and apply the lessons of the Bible if we actively engage in our service, but in this lesson, we’re going to look at some individuals who did not engage with Jesus. They merely Continue reading

  • Known Among Your Enemies

    I am a movie buff. I enjoy movies that make me think, that entertain me, that inspire me, or that simply make me laugh. Recently, I got around to watching a 2005 movie called Kingdom of Heaven. In it, a Muslim prince named Nasir parts with a Christian knight by saying, “Your quality will be Continue reading