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The Temptations of Jesus: Worship and Glory

...also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate. Contrast that with what John writes in his first epistle: 1 John 2:15-16 The love of the Father is not in those who love the world; for all that is in the world—the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eyes, the pride of life (or in riches) comes not from the Father but from the world.   The sin that separated Adam and Eve from God in the beginning is the same in essence as what John says comes from the world and not the Father. These are the same areas of sin and temptation that the devil was using on Jesus in the desert too — and no wonder since Satan is the god/prince of this world,...

The Historic Practice of Abortion and How Ancient Christians Responded

...g towards something good or right. I don’t think that disregarding the value of life, and especially that of unborn children is necessarily progressing in the right direction. It baffles me that people think we are taking a step backwards by desiring to preserve the sanctity of life by viewing abortion as a moral issue, not a religious one. Humans as icons of God First and foremost, Christians have always held high respect for life and creation, a worldview inherited from Judaism. This is rooted in creation in Genesis where God has made humans in his image, and how we are called to be image-bearers of God; representatives of Him on Earth. But this “imagin...

7 Ways Jesus Reverses the Curse From Eden

...rings you some hope and excitement about what Jesus has accomplished and given us through his death and resurrection and how he has made all things new (including us who are born again)! Revelation 21:5And the one who was seated on the throne said, “See, I am making all things new.”  I want to close this off with one of my favourite quotes from the early church, from a second century bishop called Melito of Sardis, who writes of this reversal concept in a really great and poetic way that I think really hits it home: He that hung up the earth in space was Himself hanged up; He that fixed the heavens was fixed with nails; He that bore up the earth wa...

My new book, available now! Take a journey through the first 400 years of Church History in only 40 days!

...Take a journey through the first 400 years of Church History in only 40 days! "40 Days with the Fathers" is a daily reading plan/devotional spread out over forty days; and over the course of this reading plan you will read extracts and commentary on 23 different early Church texts from a selection of some of the most influential Church Fathers, such as: Didache, Diognetus, Polycarp, Ignatius, Justin Martyr, Cyprian, Athanasius, Cyril of Jerusalem, Ambrose of Milan, and Leo the Great. These people who came before us, those great men of faith, many of whom suffered persecution and martyrdom to preserve the Church and Christ's mission, bridge the gap between th...

Ancient Amulet Rewrites History Of Christianity In Europe

...ish, with some of the missing/damaged words added in brackets to help make sense of the inscription: (In the name?) of St. Titus.Holy, holy, holy!In the name of Jesus Christ, Son of God!The lord of the worldresists to the best of his [ability?]all seizures(?)/setbacks(?).The god(?) grants well-beingAdmission.This rescue device(?) protectsthe person whosurrenders to the willof the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God,since before Jesus Christbend all knees: the heavenly ones,the earthly andthe subterranean, and every tongueconfess (to Jesus Christ). The amulet’s exclusive Christian content, devoid of polytheistic elements common in similar artefacts from that ti...

Doubting Defying Jihad: Questioning the Popular Conversion Story

...at least some of the scholars she engaged with. Security concerns being taken into account, of course. I have no wish to unfairly damage Esther’s reputation or hinder whatever ministry she is involved with for the sake of Jesus, but I encourage a healthy and sensible degree of skepticism until further verification surfaces. ^ The Changing Roles of Women in Violent Islamist Groups by Devorah Margolin ^ I enclose a couple of links about this for your information. Note that the scholar giving the ruling is from the Hanafi school of thought, which dominates throughout Pakistan, not that there is any difference between schools about this anyway. Can a...