Jesus would not permit God’s adversaries from preventing God’s beloved entering God’s holy house. Jesus had opened the portal, and no one could shut it.
Fall Bible Study: The Gospel of John
John takes a dramatic departure in his gospel in several ways, not the least of which is in his depiction of Jesus with women. If you would like to study this gospel with us, please register here.
Share this:
Isaiah 9: The Ban
It is the lonely office of every anointed-by-God’s-Holy-Spirit prophet to speak the words God has given that prophet to say. As so often happened in the scriptures, the message from God’s lips was not received with much joy or enthusiasm by the ears of God’s people.
Share this:
Isaiah 9: The Wrath of God
Isaiah must have been gazing with such joy into the glory of that far away day of promise, and then lowered his eyes to the reality of what was going down around him
Share this:
Revelation 3: Sardis
Spiritually, the assembly in Sardis was like a slumbering city even as invading armies (of sin, perhaps) were gathering outside the walls.
Share this:
Revelation 2: Thyatira, Jezebel
Jesus was not concerned that Jezebel was a woman overseer in the church. Jesus was concerned that Jezebel was a bad leader, one who falsely claimed God’s anointing, and led God’s own astray.
Share this:
The Essential Writings of Christian Mysticism
I think I had heard about Christian mysticism, but I was not sure what it was, or what mysticism meant. Either way, I did not think of myself as a likely candidate to read mystical literature, or be interested in mystics. The irony is that the Gospel of John, the letters of John, and the Revelation of John are among my most cherished and beloved books of the Hebrew scriptures!
Share this:
Isaiah 9: To See a Great Light
can still be a note of hope.
Share this:
Isaiah 8: Utter Darkness
Trying to control the future leads to anxiety, and trying to get around God leads to darkness.
Share this:
Revelation 2: Thyatira, Two Influential Women in the Church
In the longest of His seven letters, Jesus’s words to Thyatira hold—at least to my ears—grief over Jezebel and her adherents, and concerned warning over those who were not repenting of what Jesus called porneia and debauchery.
Grace and Peace, Joanne 