Exegetical Comments on John 4:19-30 The passage at hand falls after the prologue, within the Book of Signs in John’s gospel after the Cana cycle of chapters 2 and 3. Here, Jesus breaks two essential first-century Jewish taboos: he was a man talking with a woman, and the woman was a Samaritan. As the …
Evangelism Part 7 – Three Unexpected Evangelists #3: The Healed Blind Man
Evangelism Part 7 Three Unexpected Evangelists #3: The Healed Blind Man Continuing our discussion on evangelism, I turn now to the third unexpected evangelist in the gospels. Like the woman at the well in John 4 and the formerly demonized man in Mark 5, the man born blind in John 9 has a fantastic encounter …
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A Reflection on 2 John
2 John This word starts with the author identifying himself as the elder (πρεσβύτερος), and this has been traditionally assigned to the apostle John (Jobes, 440). Having the form of a letter instead of a sermon (which is more appropriate for 1 John), 2 John starts with John offering a greeting to his audience. He …
Women’s Teaching Roles in the Church
Introduction Recently, there has been significant discussion on the women’s teaching role in church operation. Beth Moore’s leaving the Southern Baptist Convention signified a final break with their restrictions about women teaching. John McArther’s address on Beth Moore was telling: “It is a state of disobedience on a massive level.”[1] On the other side, …
Vatican II On the Nature of the Church Lumen Gentium
Introduction The Second Vatican Council was an earthquake that started the process of the Roman Catholic Church awakening from its medieval slumber. The Lumen Gentium, promulgated by Pope Paul VI and delivered on November 11, 1964, brought clarity to Roman Catholics on the nature of the Church and how they deal with those of other …
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John Wesley’s Sermon #2: The Almost Christian
Introduction The foundation for all flavors of Wesleyan theology (United Methodists, Nazarene, Free Methodists, and the newly formed Global Methodists, among others) is the sermons of John Wesley (1703-1791). In these sermons, Wesley spells out the distinctiveness of his approach to holiness, salvation, evangelism, and many other areas of doctrine. In the sermon The …
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Evangelism Part 6 – Three Unexpected Evangelists #2 The Demoniac of Mark 5
Evangelism Part 6 – Three Unexpected Evangelists #2 The Demoniac of Mark 5 Continuing with our discussion on evangelism, I am looking at three unexpected evangelists in the Gospels. Last month we looked at the women at the well in John 4. This month we will look at a man whom none would ever think …
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A Reflection on Jude 5-23
Jude 5-23 This passage follows an introduction (vss. 1-4) in which Jude calls out persons that have “have come in by stealth” to spread teaching that is “ungodly, turning the grace of our God into sensuality and denying Jesus Christ, our only Master, and Lord” (vs. 4 CSB). Jude progresses to reminding the audience …
A Reflection on James 2:1-13
James 2:1-13 The passage at hand comes from the sermon from James, the half-brother of Jesus. The passage's context is in James' discussion on hearing and doing the word and controlling what we say (the tongue) (1:19-27). James enters chapter 2 with a discussion on favoritism. James' thesis is that the faith of Christ levels …
A Reflection on Hebrews 7:11-22
Hebrews 7:11-22 The passage at hand falls in the middle of the sermon to the Hebrews. Chapter seven starts with the author discussing the priesthood of Melchizedek referencing Genesis 14:17-20 when Abraham encountered the priest/king of Salem (Jerusalem). The author of Hebrews points out that Melchizedek had no lineage (instead of the Levitical line …
Justification by Faith and the New Perspective on Paul
Introduction Since the early 16th century, the doctrine of justification by faith (JBF) has been a center point of Protestant / Reformed faith and a bane to the Roman Catholic theologians. In the era of Johann Tetzel and his monetary form of salvation, the reformers rediscovered the force of JBF and the books of Romans …
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Evangelism Part 5 – Three Unexpected Evangelists #1: The Woman at the Well John 4
Evangelism Part 5 – Three Unexpected Evangelists #1: The Woman at the Well John 4 Continuing my look at Evangelism this year, I will spend the next three devotionals dedicated to some unexpected people who encountered Jesus and then went and told others about their experience of the good news – the gospel. The first …
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My Ecclesiology
Introduction My class in ecclesiology comes at a fortuitous time. Currently, my wife and I are looking at planting a church in our area. Although I have been a part of several churches and have a good deal of experience in multiple roles, this would be the first time we would be starting from …
Sermon Mark 14:66-72 Failure is the Beginning of Restoration
Hi all! Here is a sermon I delivered at Grace Community United Methodist Church July 11, 2021. https://youtu.be/YzEafSA4s-k?t=2258
Evangelism Part 4 – The Gospel of Boldness
Evangelism Part 4 - The Gospel of Boldness 2 Cor. 3:7-18 I am on Reddit quite a bit. I haven't posted there for a while, but I try and keep up with the "Ask a Christian" subreddit. In this discussion board, non-Christians ask a question to Christians. The goal is to be respectful and …
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The Eucharist and the Church
Introduction On the eve of his crucifixion, Jesus celebrated a meal with his most intimate friends. Based on the Passover Seder that would have been observed the following night, Jesus spoke the liturgy of the Seder while at the same time preaching the Gospel. After he had broken the bread, he told his disciples, …
The Covenantal Nature of the Church
Introduction When the people of God gather in worship and proclamation, there is an agreement that is understood. The corporate gathering of believers links the individual with the church. The Holy Spirit is the common linking denominator between believers. However, there is also a standard agreement of doctrinal beliefs, culture, worship style, and more. …
Evangelism Part 3 – Speak the Language Acts 17:16-34
Introduction When my wife and I were married in 1988, we embarked on a honeymoon that was a bit different than most folks. We decided to go on a student trip to Europe, visiting and studying in England, Western Europe, Scandinavia, Poland, East Germany (as it was known then), and the Soviet Union (back …
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How To Study The Bible Part 3: Exegesis and Hermeneutics
How To Study The Bible Part 3: Exegesis and Hermeneutics In this video, I get into the guts of Biblical exegesis and hermeneutics. I mention a 4th class in the video but I will not post a video for that. The 4th class focuses on doing exegesis and hermeneutics together focusing on a specific passage. …
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Exegesis Acts 14:8-20
In Lystra a man was sitting who was without strength in his feet, had never walked, and had been lame from birth. He listened as Paul spoke. After looking directly at him and seeing that he had faith to be healed, Paul said in a loud voice, “Stand up on your feet!” And he jumped …
Exegesis Acts 13:13-43
13 Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia, but John left them and went back to Jerusalem. 14 They continued their journey from Perga and reached Pisidian Antioch. On the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down. 15 After the reading of the Law and the Prophets, the …
Exegesis Acts 10:34-38
Peter began to speak: “Now I truly understand that God doesn’t show favoritism, but in every nation the person who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. He sent the message to the Israelites, proclaiming the good news of peace through Jesus Christ—he is Lord of all. You know the …
Evangelism Part 2: Speak their language
Introduction When my wife and I were married in 1988, we embarked on a honeymoon that was a bit different than most folks. We decided to go on a student trip to Europe, visiting and studying in England, Western Europe, Scandinavia, Poland, East Germany (as it was known then), and the Soviet Union (back …
Exegesis Luke 18:35-43
Exegesis Luke 18:35-43 As [Jesus] approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the road begging. Hearing a crowd passing by, he inquired what was happening. “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by,” they told him.So he called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Then those in front told him to keep quiet, but …
Evangelism Part 1
Evangelism Part 1 When I was a member of the CMA Danvers, MA chapter, New Life Riders, our chaplain was a special guy. Pastor Dick May was the kind of guy you wanted to hand around if you were a Christian. He had a deep love for those who did not know Jesus, and he …
The Wandering Wesleyan 