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The Temptations of Jesus: Worship and Glory

...5-16 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, that he would use the same tricks and things that are of this world against us. In the passage from Luke which details the temptation...

It's no longer about land!

...owing his love to all and welcoming any and all into the Kingdom. Likewise, our focus should be less about where others are from or where they fit into society. Our Kingdom is a new society, and race of people filled and led by the Spirit to conquer this world and it's corrupt systems with the power of God's love and Spirit within us! The small mustard seed which grows into something large, overshadowing all else.   As Christians it is no longer about physical boundaries, race or nation for we are all one in Christ, born again into a new creation — a new race and people of God to worship in spirit and in truth!...

Melchizedek to Jesus: The Divine Thread of Bread and Wine

...crificial love. The Eucharist is a means of grace, a tangible encounter with the divine. It unites us with Christ and with each other, as we become one body through this sacred and sacramental meal. Paul explains this mystery further by contrasting with the people of Israel, and how they become “partners in the altar” (v.18) when they eat of the sacrifices, and also how those gentiles who sacrifice to idols become “partners with demons” (v.20). This is to say that it is more than mere symbolism going on when we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, and partaking in an unworthy manner can mean you are profaning the body and blood of Christ, and is the reason som...

The Temptations of Jesus: Complacency

...those who love Him. This is why we mustn't get complacent in our situations just when it seems, or feels, like we have it all together. We must always “put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11) and make as little “opportune” times as possible for the enemy to strike at us. Remember, Jesus lived as a human to know what it was like to be a human; he went through these temptations, and others no doubt, as he lived out his life. That is why the writer of Hebrews says that he is able to “sympathize with our weaknesses” and has “in every respect has been tested as we are” — y...

Before The Pumpkins: Faith In The Flames

...Perfect love casts out fear,” Polycarp lived those words before the watching empire. His witness reminds us that true faith is not merely spoken; it is embodied, even unto death. He stands among that great cloud of witnesses described in Hebrews 12 — those whose lives now surround us like a living testimony to God’s faithfulness. They show us that the Christian life is not one of comfort, but of costly grace. Polycarp’s courage calls us to hold fast to the faith we have received, to endure our trials with peace, and to love Christ more deeply than our own safety. Most of us will likely never face the threat of martyrdom. But the world still tes...

Before The Pumpkins: The Day Two Women Defied Rome

...r, out of love for me, tried to turn me from my faith, I said to him: ‘Father, do you see this vessel here — a water pot or whatever it may be? Can it be called by any other name than what it is?’ He answered, ‘No.’ Then I said to him, ‘So too I cannot call myself anything other than what I am — a Christian.’ A few days after this they were all baptised while imprisoned under house arrest awaiting their trial before being moved to the more restrictive Roman cells once they were formally condemned to die by wild beasts. After her baptism, the Spirit spoke to Perpetua and told her that she must “pray for nothing else after that water sav...