There is this one part where The Big Advocate of Jesus of Nazareth finds himself doubting whether or not Jesus of Nazareth is actually Immanuel. The Big Advocate is suffering in prison, and he sends a query to Jesus – a raw, haunting question – “Are you really The One, or should we be looking […]

The Bible is a Full Disclosure/Radically Honest document. God has absolutely zero interest in airbrushing His “heroes.” Most religious texts and media outlets promoting certain people try to make their patriarchs look like porcelain statues; but the Bible reads more like a police blotter mixed with a messy family group chat. It’s not sanitized. It’s […]

Luke 10… Jesus is all like, “The harvest is plentiful!” Great, right? We’re thinking big yields, full barns, and spiritual abundance. But then, in the very next breath, He drops the kicker: “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves.” …That’s like saying, “The buffet is huge! Now go jump into that pit of […]

This actually happened! The government (an extremely powerful, and extremely non-Christian government) decreed that the the church be left alone, and free to conduct its business without interference or intrusion. AND… O baby, get ready for this! The government (an extremely powerful, and extremely non-Christian government) decreed that the expenses of the church should be […]

I just recently found out that the Hebrew word for “wrestle” is word used for “wrestled” is ye’aveq (יֵאָבֵק). The root is abaq (אָבַק), and it literally translates to “to get dusty” (a gritty, ground-based struggle). To “wrestle” someone was to “dust” them or to become covered in the dust of the earth together. THIS […]

First-of-all, let’s observe that John addresses this letter to Gaius. What was Gaius like? Was he like Willy Wonka? Was he like Master Oogway? Was he like Phil Connors? Gaius was a real person, so he certainly had a distinct personality, and a unique quality of character. Second, John says, “I pray that all may […]

John is writing to adults (and children), and YET he is very confident and comfortable referring to EVERYONE as Children. John says that he loves the recipients of his letter IN TRUTH. In other words, Jesus of Nazareth (who is the Truth) is the person who offers particulars and parables that specifically dominate and define […]

I have this friend named Dan. Dan is a rebel. In other words, Dan really reads the Bible. And this morning Dan said, “God stirred up the spirit of Cyrus (king of Persia) to build God a house in Jerusalem. And Cyrus imposed an edict saying that the entire project would be financed by the […]

Of course I’ve been thinking a lot about redemptive resistance because of the current ECPC Sunday School class. And of course I binge-watched Andor! And I figured I ought to share Karis Nemik’s manifesto with y’all – – – > There will be times when the struggle seems impossible. I know this already. Alone, unsure, […]

Peter says: “I exhort the elders among you—as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ (see 1 Corinthians 2:2 and Hebrews 12:2), as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed (see John 17:20-24)—shepherd the flock of God that is among you. Exercise oversight (see Hebrews […]