Simply Gospel

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

  • Paul’s Answer to Felix

    If someone was to ask you why you live how you do, why do you believe what you do, how would you answer? How would you use this single chance? We might talk about the gospel’s power to save, the good news contained in that message. We might appeal to the so-called steps of salvation. By these qualities, we might defend our hope. Paul, in Acts 24, has this opportunity when he presents his defense before Felix, and he takes an approach quite different from one we might make. In verse 42 of this chapter, Felix and his wife inquire… Continue reading

  • Keep Your Eyes On the Prize

    “Keep Your Eyes on the Prize” is a folk song that grew in popularity in the 1950s and 1960s. This was a time when  the United States faced deep internal turmoil. We were tormented by a war of potential – a Cold War – that threatened to tear apart the world at any minute. Our nation was plagued by an established and enforced inequality and segregation of races. We were a country a deep principles and deep hypocrisies, but some individuals came together to set things right. Their path would be difficult. They would risk much and lose much. Some… Continue reading

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  • Faith In God Rather Than Man

    Why should I go through the struggle of living faithfully? What makes the effort worth it? Sometimes, faithful Christians may look around and see the abuses in the name of Jesus, the hypocrisy demonstrated by too many who wear His name, and we wonder why we’re a part of this. Philippians 2:12 encourages us to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling.  Now, this is not indicating that we each figure out our own way to Jesus. Instead, Paul is warning us against attaching our faithfulness to what we see in others. Our journey to Heaven is a… Continue reading

  • Ephesians 4 & Our Interactions

    Ephesians 4:11 begins discussing diverse roles we can fill in a church, and the scope of these verses is the church at large. Ephesians 2 begins establishing the fact that Jew and Gentile are one in Christ. Imagine coming to the conclusion that Jesus can save you from your sins, but you will be working with those who hold you in contempt. Many Jews and Gentiles felt this way about each other in the first century. Conversation may have become hostile at times as their differences would come to a head, but Paul, in Ephesians 2:15, reinforces that Christ brings… Continue reading

  • Prevailing In Defeat

    What if we had to flee our own country for our own safety? What if we had to return home, knowing that circumstances may not yet be safe? Imagine if, upon returning home, you knew an army was standing in your way. These are the circumstances upon which Jacob returns home after his time working for Laban. Jacob knows that Esau had vowed to murder him after the death of their fathers. He doesn’t know what to expect upon return. In Genesis 32, Jacob sends messengers to meet Esau, and they tell Jacob that his brother is coming out to… Continue reading

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  • A Congregational Team

    Everyone on a team is important. It’s the time of year when college basketball fans are watching their favorite teams. In I Corinthians 16:9 demonstrates the relationship between great adversities and great opportunities, and, in a great basketball program, a coach has to mold a group of diverse individuals into a cohesive team. Things may be difficult, but the end result is stronger for the trials. In our congregations, it all boils down to our people and our service to God. There are four action steps we can take to be a better team of Christians. Four Qualities of a… Continue reading

  • Titus & Corinth

    Titus is only mentioned a few times in the New Testament, and he’s mentioned the most in the book of II Corinthians. He is in the salutation of chapter 1:1. He is someone Paul obviously holds in high esteem. In Titus 1:4, Paul calls Titus a son in his faith. Paul feels an affinity and kinship in their faith. In II Corinthians 8:23, Paul calls Titus his partner and fellow worker. In Galatians 2:1, Paul refers to Titus as a traveling companions, and this is possibly referring to the events of Acts 11-12 when Paul and Barnabas take issue with… Continue reading

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  • What Hagar Taught

    For some reason, I’m picking up on things this time through Genesis that I have glossed over before. It’s interesting how familiar text can sometimes gain new life. Anyway, in Genesis 21, Isaac is born, and we see his weaning feast eight verses later. Then comes verse nine: And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, scoffing. The idea here is that Ishmael is laughing hatefully at Isaac. Perhaps he sees this child replacing him as heir to the household as ridiculous. Perhaps he is jealous and acting out defensively. Perhaps he is… Continue reading

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  • Faith & Family In Genesis 22

    I recently led a Bible class discussion on Genesis 22 – the occasion of Abraham offering Isaac up to God. It’s a traumatic story filled with Messianic parallels and New Testament imagery, but a couple verses in particular made an impression on me this time through the familiar passage. The first was Genesis 22:5: And Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; the young man [Isaac] and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you.” The Hebrew writer, in chapter 11 of his or her book, cites Abraham’s faith that God… Continue reading

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  • A Small Fish In a Big Pond

    “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others.” The idea of servitude permeates the New Testament, and it contracts the way we like to center our world around ourselves. We want to be a big fish in a little pond. We want to leave a mark, a name for ourselves. In Genesis 24, we are introduced to an unnamed servant of Abraham who helps Isaac find a wife. He is an incidental character who plays an important role in these events. He is a small fish. He is pious and faithful. He is devoted to… Continue reading

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