Small Things Are Great

Let's talk about tables for a while. I had a dream this night, and in it I saw tables. Tables being flipped over because they were standing where they should not stand, serving the wrong meal, and stabilizing the wrong ministry. These are the tables in the temple that Jesus overturned when He entered Jerusalem (Matthew 21:12–13; Mark 11:15–17). Matthew captures the transition of the story beautifully. Immediately after Jesus entered Jerusalem to the cries of "Hosanna!"—which means, "Save us!" or "Liberate us!"—He went straight to the temple. Many of the Jews had misunderstood the prophecies concerning the Messiah. They had placed the military conqueror before the suffering Servant (Isaiah 53) and expected Him to overthrow the Roman government before the sun went down. To their astonishment, Jesus turned toward the temple instead of the tax office. Perhaps they imagined He was going there to give the "tunaenda Kanaani" speech, rally His troops...

One of the joys of reading Scripture chronologically is discovering that books written centuries apart are actually participating in the same conversation. Yesterday, while reading Isaiah, my mind wandered back to the opening chapters of Genesis. It struck me that the creation account unfolds in a beautiful sequence of creation, proclamation, then formation . God first creates the heavens and the earth. He then proclaims the rest of creation into existence. Finally, He forms man from the dust of the earth and breathes into him the breath of life. That thought came to me as I read chapter 1 verse 2. The Lord said, " Earth and sky, listen to what I am saying! The children I brought up have rebelled against me ..." (GNB) I found myself pausing over that line. God isn't addressing Israel first. He summons the heavens(sky) and the earth as though they are capable of hearing, seeing, and bearing witness. Naturally, I expect people and animals to respond to a voice—but the sky?...

A few days back, a sophesticated friend reached out with this concern: "If Numbers 23:19 says that God is not a man that He should change His mind, then how do we explain the story of King Hezekiah? Wasn't Hezekiah told he would die, only for God to add fifteen more years to his life after he prayed? Doesn't that mean God changed His mind?" It's a thoughtful question and one that has been asked by many over the years. My response to them was as follows. Inasmuch as your question sounds valid, it isn't. Here are my reasons for saying that. 1. The question is almost always asked out of the context of the passages in question. A text taken out of context becomes a pretext. 2. The question often seeks to justify men while accusing God of inconsistency. Men will always lose in such an undertaking. I'm not here to defend Him though. He can do a better job at that. So let's leave the texts for a moment and first look at the contexts in play. To note: A. Two i...

 Mic testing... excellent! We are in the book of Amos in our journey through the Bible this year. As you may remember, this year we chose to focus on the Old Testament because we came to appreciate an important truth: if we understand the Old Testament, we will understand what shaped and guided the writing of the New Testament. The New Testament is not a story detached from the Old; it is the fulfillment of everything God had been revealing from the beginning. It is the story of God's promises reaching their climax in Christ Jesus, the man through whom people from every nation are drawn into the worship of the one true God. As we have walked through the Old Testament, we have also discovered something fascinating about its structure. The historical storyline is carried primarily by ten books. It begins with the five books of Moses (the Pentateuch): Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. They are followed by Joshua, Judges (with Ruth fitting naturally into the period ...

One of the questions many people struggle with is this: What is the point of life, death, and eternal life(in heaven or hell)? A while back, I had a fellowship with one of my friends. During our conversation, they asked a simple but profound question: " Will there ever be a time when we can start over again like in a new earth ?" I believe they asked that question because life has not been easy. Like many people, they has experienced disappointment, confusion, and uncertainty. They longs for a better world, a place where things are finally made right. I was grateful for the question because Scripture gives us an answer. The Bible tells us that there is indeed a day coming when God will REVEAL a new heaven and a new earth. " Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away... " (Revelation 21:1) A few verses later John realized something: " Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, an...

Mention the book of Jonah, and almost immediately two things come to mind: a giant fish and a stubborn prophet. Yap! Jonah was stubborn towards God on his second and last mission engagement as a prophet as recorded. He might have been involved as a prophet other times, but not all were recorded. Parents don't even name their sons Jonah. His name is a close relative to Judas, but if you study this document closely, you might realize that this brother was a good friend of God. He and God talked freely and he expressed his real emotions and feelings with no fear. God seems to have fun with it and goes to the extent of giving him a shade for a moment and then a scorching heat in the next. More like a prank a friend would pull on another. In the end, they exit the scene together happy and walking into the sunset. For many people however, Jonah is little more than a children's story or a piece of ancient fiction. They struggle with the miracles. How can a man survive inside a fish fo...