Shake yourself from the dust and arise. Loose the bonds from your neck.
© Dario Bajurin/stock.adobe.com, and liberated from https://www.britannica.com/place/Pergamum To conquer:1: to gain or acquire by force of arms: subjugate (ex. conquer territory)2: to overcome by force of arms: vanquish (ex. conquered the enemy)3: to gain mastery over or win by overcoming obstacles or opposition (ex. conquered the mountain)4: to overcome by mental or moral power: surmount… Continue reading To the One Who Conquers
If The Well Community Church were to receive a letter from the Lord, I believe it would resemble the one addressed to the church in Ephesus in Revelation 2:1–7. We care deeply about sound doctrine and contending for the faith, but this sometimes leads us toward hardness rather than softness. A member once mentioned visiting… Continue reading The Ephesus Dilemma: Fighting Well Without Losing Love
When I was eight years old, I tried to draw a picture of Jesus from Revelation 1:12–16: Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe… Continue reading How to Read Revelation
“Armageddon” by Joseph Paul Pettitt (1812–1882), York Art Gallery. I used to be terrified of zombies. I grew up with the modern resurgence of zombie disaster movies, from Resident Evil and Dawn of the Dead (the 2004 remake turns 20 this year, by the way) to World War Z and The Walking Dead. Most of… Continue reading Revealing Jesus
What does it mean to be a worthy man? In Ruth 2:1, the narrator describes a relative of Elimelech named Boaz who was “a worthy man.” We must recall that the story in Ruth occurred during the time of the Judges, and then we must remember how some men at that time were described as… Continue reading Be Worthy Men
If Judges is a post-apocalyptic survival movie, Ruth is a romantic drama … set in a post-apocalyptic survival movie. Think The Book of Eli meets Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park. Like all good dramas, it opens up with hardship; the people of God in Bethlehem are experiencing a famine. Greta Thunberg wasn’t there to tell them… Continue reading Moving to Moab: Four Observations from Ruth
Meekness is the word of the month at the jiu jitsu gym where I train. Friends circled up after 30 mins of trying to choke each other, the concept of meekness went over our heads. At first glance meekness seems like weakness or submissiveness. One argues that it is not a masculine trait to be… Continue reading Blessed are the Meek?
Two weeks ago the Southern Baptist Convention gathered for its annual meeting and the shenanigans were meme-worthy. Last week I wrote about the Law Amendment and interacted with an article by venerable evangelical pastor J.D. Grear. This week, my gripe is focused on SBC presidential candidate David Allen and the Pledge of Allegiance. If you… Continue reading The SBC, the Nicene Creed, and the Pledge
The thesis statement for the Book of Judges is “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Jdg 21:25). This book of the Bible shows us what happens when people reject God. In those days, the only law acknowledged was the one enforced by the… Continue reading No King but Christ
Judges 19 recounts the horrific account of a Levite's concubine being brutally gang-raped to death by a mob of Benjaminites in Gibeah. Judges 20 details the vengeful response by the rest of Israel against the tribe of Benjamin. Brother fought against brother, tribe against tribe, in a civil war that united Israel against the injustice… Continue reading Contend for the Faith
Awake! Put on strength! 