Put two humans together and there is bound to be conflict. As a result of the Fall, conflict is in our DNA. If you put a whole bunch of humans together in a local church the potential for conflict greatly increases. If the conflict escalates, the … [Continue reading]
Matthew 5:3 reads: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (NASB) One must assume that Jesus knew what he was doing when he put this Beatitude first in the list. Blessed are the poor in Spirit. Luke's record shortens … [Continue reading]
A pastor friend recently referred to the sum of all the activities at his church as "the wheel." Hearing him say this, a vision of a large hamster wheel came to mind. There often is a sense in a church body that things need to happen and that … [Continue reading]
Before examining the Beatitudes in Matthew 5:3-11, it would be helpful to offer a few words on the meaning of the word translated "blessed" in our English Bibles. The word in the original is makarios, which in Homer denoted the "transcendent … [Continue reading]
