Tag Archives: Gospel of Luke

God is Sovereign Over Your Life and Death

Opening thoughts: I love that God is Sovereign, don’t you? The thought of Him not being Sovereign, to me, is down right terrifying! Let’s think about that for a second… there has been an ongoing war in the middle East for what, ten years now? What if God is not in control over that situation? If all we can do is watch and wait as men and women battle it out, where is the comfort in that? If that is the case, we should be numb with fear. Have kingdoms not risen and fallen throughout the ages as a result of war? Have leaders not toppled due to other nations conquering and bringing them down? Is God not in control of all of that? The Scriptures are filled with assurance that God indeed is in control of all things, and is supreme over them all. The desire to take supremacy into our own hands [...]

Bent Down Toward Sin

Opening Thoughts: The other day I was in the bank and saw an elderly man who was all hunched over. His back was so bad that he was literally looking at his feet, and when this gentleman arrived at the counter it was all he could do just to raise his head enough to catch a glimpse of the teller. It looked so painful and uncomfortable, yet no matter how much he wanted to stand up straight, it was an impossibility. In Luke 13:10-17 Jesus addresses a woman in the temple who was in the same boat as the man I just described to you, only this woman was about to be changed for the Glory of God. Let’s take a look. Luke 13:10-17 ESV .. Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And behold, there was a woman who had had a disabling spirit for eighteen years. She [...]

Not Saved by Association

Opening Thoughts: How many of you ever read “The Jungle Book” growing up? The story of an orphan boy who was raised by wolves in the jungle. He grew up thinking he was a wolf, playing with the other wolf cubs as if they were his siblings. The problem was that although he lived with wolves, played like a wolf and ate like a wolf, he wasn’t a wolf. No matter what he did to adapt to this way of life, he would never be able to become a wolf. Thankfully though, he finds out that he is not a wolf and is in fact human. The same is true for the church. There are scores of people who have been born into a church going home, they grow up singing all the familiar songs, playing with other Christian kids, learning their Bible stories, praying at mealtimes and bedtimes, and [...]

Karma and the Gospel

Opening Thoughts: Karma Isn’t the Gospel; so in the rare chance that you just dropped in from another planet and you haven’t the slightest idea what Karma is nor what it means, here’s a brief summary taken from Wikipedia: “In Buddhism, karma (Pāli kamma) is strictly distinguished from vipāka, meaning “fruit” or “result”. Karma is categorized within the group or groups of cause (Pāli hetu) in the chain of cause and effect, where it comprises the elements of “volitional activities” (Pali sankhara) and “action” (Pali bhava). Any action is understood as creating “seeds” in the mind that will sprout into the appropriate result (Pāli vipaka) when met with the right conditions. Most types of karmas, with good or bad results, will keep one within the wheel of samsāra, while others will liberate one to nirvāna“. The main thing I want you to take notice of is the bizarre concept of the seed [...]

Are You Ready for the Return of Christ?

Opening Thoughts: Danae and I cross the border into the U.S. a lot, mainly because we are able to save around 50% on our grocery bill every month. It’s crazy, sometimes I think that here in Canada we must get out our food shipped from an entirely different planet judging by the cost. There is a catch though, in shopping across the line you must go through the dreaded border crossing and speak to the terrifying guards who ask you all kinds of insane questions like “Are you hiding drugs in your tomatoes?” they do this to see if they can stump a person up and possibly catch someone who actually is hiding drugs. I once had a guard ask me if I had drugs with me and when I told him NO, he said “why not?!” Funny right? Well it actually did stump me up a little because I wasn’t expecting him [...]

The Beating of Your Life

Someone Has to Die for Your Sin Who Will it Be, You or Jesus? You Earned Death Not Life: I LOVE the Bible! I am very thankful for the grace and mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ! I’m thankful that He took the severe beating for me, that He was cut in pieces for me, that He absorbed all of God’s (Just) wrath for me. Yes that’s right, you and I deserved nothing but God’s wrath, we actually earned it. Like a person who works very hard at their job with the expectation of a big fat check, so it is with our lives, the first instance we use our own will and pride to commit treason against God’s kingdom we begin to earn our pay-check. When Paul says “The wages of Sin is Death” he’s using the term wages so that we all understand that everyone of us deserves death, so when [...]

Jesus Brings Division

Opening Thoughts: Have you ever had a conversation with someone where you just know it isn’t going to end well? In fact it almost seems impossible that you’ll even come close to a peaceful resolve? I mean, it’s so bad that the only way you can properly release the tension is if one of the parties either changes their mind or someone gives in and goes along with the other way of thinking? I think this situation is at its worst when it involves family. As Christians we need to be peacemakers right? I mean, is it not our duty to bring resolve to situations and not cause division? Yes it is, but not at the cost of the Gospel. Though we must be sure that our offenses are only for the sake of Christ and His gospel and not simply because we’re argumentative, or opinionated, or crass. Jesus came to bring division not Peace. [...]

The Pursuit of Happiness and The Gospel

Opening Thoughts: The past two years of our lives have literally been challenge after challenge. Shortly after our eyes were miraculously opened to the biblical gospel we were briskly ushered right into 2 years of heavy fiery trials. Trials that would have permanently derailed us if it had not been for God’s grace. So it was both God’s grace that allowed us the trials and equally it was God’s grace that sustained us through them. If we had been left to ourselves Danae and I would have pursued the American dream right to our graves. We thank God every day that He did not leave us to ourselves in the Pursuit of Happiness. Luke 12:22-31 ESV … And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider [...]

The FOOL and the Prosperity Gospel

Opening Thoughts: What this post is not: it is not a post for calling out the men who I know preach this well known “Prosperity Gospel”, neither is it an effort to convince you to desire God over earthly things; that would be futile on my part. My hope and prayer for this commentary is that as you read the scriptures along with me that God would open your eyes to the reason you desire to be near Him. What I mean is, for what purpose do you associate yourself with Him? The Bible makes it very clear that trusting in Jesus for the wrong set of reasons is the same as not knowing Him at all. In fact, in Matthew 7 Jesus actually uses as strong of language as “Get away from Me“, in reference to people who presumed upon salvation simply for earthly blessing and supposed gifts. I’m praying that [...]

Jesus Says Preach the Gospel, We Say, Send Someone Else

Opening Thoughts: What a joy it is to be in Christ! Considering what we all actually deserve (hell) and yet God through His infinite mercy and grace rescued us, adopted us and placed His Spirit in us. We should be the most joyful people on the planet. We should be the most content people in this material world and the most joyfully motivated in declaring His fame. Colossians 1:27 ”To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” I love that passage for a couple reasons, it talks about how we are to make known to the Gentiles (the world) the riches “this glorious mystery”. What glorious mystery? That the God of the universe, who is entirely Holy, would choose to reconcile a criminal like me, not just saving me from hell but saving me from sin itself. He does [...]