There are a few puzzling statements that Jesus makes in the synoptic Gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, regarding faith . In Matthew 17:20, Matthew 21:21, Mark 11:23, Luke 17:6, Jesus told His disciples, if they had just a little faith then they would be able to move and command mountains and trees. That is, they would do impossible things with just minuscule faith. Such statements capture our attention…

Jesus said in Matthew 10:34 "Do not think that I came to bring Peace on the earth; I did not come to bring Peace, but a sword." We might retort "Who said what?!" when we hear or read something like this especially in the Bible! Jesus? the Prince of Peace, the One Who gives Peace which passes all understanding, the One Who gives Peace which is not as the Peace given by the world, the One Who…

Matthew 5:39, what does it mean? The phrase "Turning the other cheek" is often cited as one of the weak points and impractical teachings of the Christian faith. Such conclusions are not without reason. Naturally, we instinctively respond with a counterattack or preemptive strike in self-defense whenever we are attacked or feel threatened. Because we want to preserve ourselves, we are always on the…

King Saul was appointed by God to be His hand for judging Amalek. So God instructed Saul to utterly destroy Amalek without sparing anyone or anything for any reason at all. Amalek was the nation which waged war against Israel, impeding Israel's journey from Egypt to the promised land. At the time He had determined, God sent Samuel to King Saul and instructed Israel to go to Amalek and completely annihilate…

"The love of money is the root of all evil", wrote Paul to his son in the spirit, Timothy, as he drew his first letter to a closing with very important insights. If asked point-blank whether our thoughts and behavior are shaped by the "love of money", most of us would feverishly reject such inquiries as offensive. In that case, the real question to ask is, is this denial or is the "love of money"…

Psalm 37 exhorts us not to "fret" over anything at all. This simple but profound admonition may sound to us quite unrealistic, given all the struggles we face daily. We struggle with such exhortations because we are victims of our personality types. We always respond the way we know how. No! Life is not that easy. In the world of the natural and the familiar, we only do what we know to do. But there…

In Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus commissioned His disciples to Go into Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth and make disciples, baptizing and teaching all nations everything He taught and commanded them. When one looks at the discussions around the Great Commission, the question which is often raised is whether Jesus launched His disciples into a missionary journey as He did two-by-two…

In Matthew 21:31, Jesus told the Pharisees that tax collectors and prostitutes wil enter heaven before they ever will. Using a parable of a father with two sons, Jesus revealed to the pharisees that, the condition of the heart and the choices made by such heart are significant to the relationship of sinners with God. The father instructed his sons to do something. The first son reacted in anger and…

Romans 10:17 tells us that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the preaching of the Word. We read in verses 14 and 15 that preachers must be sent and those who believe can only call upon the name of the Lord after they hear the Word preached. Doesn't sound complicated, does it?Misunderstandings arise when we react to the text based on our own personal opinions, trying to read into the text issues…

It is commonly held by most of us Christians that all that Romans 8:28 promises is that things will somehow turn out eventually for the better. All we need to do is wait, and if we can muster up some faith along the way, it might help.However, a Spirit-led meditation upon the entire eighth chapter or starting with verse 25, reveals that the truth is, as the children of God called unto salvation according…