Recent History Andy Stanley famously (well, Christian-famously) mentioned that we need to “unhitch” Christianity from the Old Testament. He tried to walk back the statement afterward but, well, that’s hard to do even if had he had a good explanation. Garrett wrote about it here, and I commend that to you. Regardless of what Stanley really […]
Jesus
Book Review — Passionate About The Passion Week (Part 4: Final Thoughts)
If you have not read Parts 1 -3 concerning The Good, The Odd, and The Concerning, please do so first. In this section, I want to reiterate that this book is worth getting for its historical value. Varner is also an experienced exegete, and I praise God that he has challenged his readers to think […]
Book Review — Passionate About The Passion Week (Part 3: The Concerning)
If you have not read Parts 1 and 2 concerning The Good and The Odd, please do so first. Anyone who knows me knows that nothing makes me sit up and listen more discerningly than when dealing with the atonement. It is in my experience that most (if not all) heresies, at some point lead […]
Book Review — Passionate About The Passion Week (Part 2: The Odd)
If you have not read Part 1 of this review concerning The Good, please do so first. While there is much to be praised about this work historically, there are some oddities in some sections. This isn’t necessarily negative per se, although it may seem that way. For the most part, the oddities come down […]
Book Review — Passionate About The Passion Week (Part 1: The Good)
Dr. William Varner is a well-established Master’s University professor and experienced linguist. His exegetical and historical skill is fairly known among those within the biblical linguistics community, and those who have heard him speak at the seminary, or as a guest speaker. Nevertheless, as skilled as Dr. Varner is, this book has some theological concerns […]
Jesus in the Garden
Jesus went to a garden once. In Gethsemane, He prayed to the Father as He anticipated His crucifixion. But long before that garden, there was another garden where the Son of God was. The triune God made this garden for His beloved creation, mankind. This garden’s name was Eden. The land of delight. Paradise on […]
Jesus Wept. But Not For Lazarus
Jesus wept (John 11:35). Perhaps one of the most memorable verses in the bible next to John 3:16. Not because of content, but word count (and certainly not because of context). When teachers ask students to learn a memory verse, they humorously remove this one as an option. But in another context, typically at funerals, […]
2019 Advent Devotionals – Christmas Eve
Whether or not the liturgical calendar is even on your radar, we hope these devotions give you an opportunity to think about the incarnation, the reason Jesus came, and afford you the opportunity to dialogue with your family and others about the glory and greatness of Christ our treasure and King. This is week 5 […]
2019 Advent Devotionals – Week 4
Whether or not the liturgical calendar is even on your radar, we hope these devotions give you an opportunity to think about the incarnation, the reason Jesus came, and afford you the opportunity to dialogue with your family and others about the glory and greatness of Christ our treasure and King. This is week 4 […]
2019 Advent Devotionals — Week 3
Whether or not the liturgical calendar is even on your radar, we hope these devotions give you an opportunity to think about the incarnation, the reason Jesus came, and afford you the opportunity to dialogue with your family and others about the glory and greatness of Christ our treasure and King. This is week 3 […]
2019 Advent Devotionals — Week 2
Whether or not the liturgical calendar is even on your radar, we hope these devotions give you an opportunity to think about the incarnation, the reason Jesus came, and afford you the opportunity to dialogue with your family and others about the glory and greatness of Christ, our treasure and King. This is week 2 […]
2019 Advent Devotionals — Week 1
Whether or not the liturgical calendar is even on your radar, we hope these devotions give you an opportunity to think about the incarnation, the reason Jesus came, and afford you the opportunity to dialogue with your family and others about the glory and greatness of Christ, our treasure and King. Our Routine Christmas is […]
Stubborn as a Mule
I played Donkey Basketball one time. After that experience, I can say I have firsthand understanding of what the phrase “stubborn as a mule” means (Yes, I know. A donkey and a mule are two different animals, but you get the illustration). The whole reason “donkey basketball” is funny is because you can’t really make […]
God’s Sovereignty Over Evil
A typical atheist mantra seems to be something along the lines, “God doesn’t exist and I hate Him.” One of the reasons cited for this hatred is because we live in a world with pain, suffering, and evil. A few years ago British comedian Stephen Fry was asked what he would say if he was […]
All The More They Were Eager
It is the law of God, held before a sinner, that exposes and even entices the indwelling sin. Remember Romans 7? Consider verse 8: “But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead.” There is something about God’s correction which actually livens up the sin that at times lays dormant in our flesh.
The picture that Zephaniah provides to us is a picture of sinners who purposed in their hearts to make all their deeds corrupt. It wasn’t enough that they had fallen short of God’s commands, broken His covenant, and lived in rebellion. Upon hearing of their own deserved judgment, their response is eagerness to make all their deeds corrupt.
Answered Prayers – Ministry Report for Sept 21, 2019
On September 21, 2019, I was joined by a faithful group of evangelists and an old friend. Andrew Jones, Jason Roberts, Miri Roberts, and Wesley Coughlin are regulars at Ohio State football games. Cory Wasmus, an old friend was able to come as well! It was a great day of evangelism as the Lord answered […]
Suicide Thoughts
Thus, we need to be careful when we are talking about folks who committed suicide. Too often I think we skirt around the issue of calling it sin, or even murder. Most people who commit suicide do it as the result of some sort of depression and I think we almost excuse it a little in our minds. It seems rather callous to call a guy who was so depressed he took his own life a murderer. But truth is worthless if it is hidden (Matthew 5:15).
The Active Obedience of Christ (book excerpt)
I’ve given up on a particular timeline for finishing my evangelistic book. The manuscript word count is now at 29,183. My plan is to release more excerpts as time passes so that I’m able to combine my effort on the book and here at Things Above Us. Here’s a chapter portion I just wrote. As […]
The New Covenant: Unmixed, Unbreakable, & Unconditional (Part 2)
An Unbreakable/Unconditional Covenant Building on point #4 in the previous article about who are the unmixed members of the NC, if it were possible that NC members could break Christ’s covenant through apostasy, or keep it through perseverance, then this causes some problems. Let’s reiterate again what Jeremiah 32: 38-40 says: “And they shall be my […]
The New Covenant: Unmixed, Unbreakable, & Unconditional (Part 1)
Reread the title again. Let those words burn into your memory like a branding iron. The New Covenant (NC) that our LORD Jesus Christ inaugurated with his own blood (Hebrews 9:14-15) is unmixed, unbreakable, and unconditional. For some, this may seem obvious. But for the many, perhaps these words have yet to be considered in […]