response ⁽¹⁴⁹⁾

Isaiah 7:1–9; Philippians 4:4–9 Ahaz received encouraging words from God through Jeremiah. Jeremiah, often called the weeping prophet, was not exactly known for positive words. Ahaz, not altogether faithful, received a positive message. In many respects, Christians in the United States are like Ahaz. Far…

Matthew 13:1–23; 2 Corinthians 9:6–15; James 1:5–8 One of the arguments against God and the saving work of Jesus Christ is that people can’t see God. And there isn’t much to say against that. What often goes along with that is seeing the “work” of…

Matthew 14:1–23 Jesus’ cousin and herald was dead. He was murdered. Why was he murdered? He called the powerful to account. Herod’s marriage to Herodias had some issues. Herod had visited Herodias while she was still married to Herod’s brother, Philip. They decided they like…

Luke 5:1–11; Luke 6:12–16; Luke 9:1–6; Luke 9:28–36; Luke 24:44-49; Acts 2:14 (read online ⧉) What’s your 6-month plan? What’s your 12-month plan? What’s your 3-year plan? What’s your 10-year plan? Some variation of this question is often asked of high school students, college students,…

Galatians 3:1–9; Galatians 5:16–18; James 2:18–26 (read online ⧉) Is it faith or works? What saves you? That’s a pretty important question. From a historical Jewish perspective, it was works. The entire sacrificial system seemed to be about works. This meant that from their perspective,…