In Luke 14:15-24, we are challenged to ask: How long can we reject the call to come into the kingdom of God?
Parable of the Great Banquet
Reply
Author Archives: James M. Arlandson
Parable of the Lowest Seat
In this parable (Luke 14:7-11), we must be careful about self-promotion, which is rampant in the American church.
Was Luke a Careless Historian? Three Accounts of Paul’s Conversion
There seems to be one tiny difference in two of the three accounts in Acts 9:1-9; 22:6-11; 26:12-18.
Parable of the Unfruitful Fig Tree
This parable in Luke 13:6-9 is about Israel and Jerusalem and judgment on both. But can we learn lessons about our own unproductive discipleship?
Parable of the Rich Fool
In this parable (Luke 12:13-21), we are called to ask ourselves this question: How attached are you to your possessions?
Muslim-Christian Marriage: Friendly Advice to Christians
Should you take the plunge? I remember hearing an interview on the radio with a Muslim, a few years ago.
Parable of a Friend in Need
In the Parable of a Friend in Need (Luke 11:5-8), Jesus teaches us to persist and be bold in prayer.
Parable of the Good Samaritan
In Luke 10:30-37 Jesus challenges his listeners to love their neighbor in need, when religious people ignore him.
Jesus Teaches on Marriage
Did Jesus indirectly endorse same-sex marriage by his silence on it? I teach briefly and realistically on sex in this post, so immature readers should not click on it. Parallel passages in Matthew’s and Mark’s Gospel are looked into here.
Parable of the Forgiven Debtor
Jesus forgave a sinful woman in Luke 7:39-50. This parable teaches us about gratitude for God’s forgiveness.
Parable of the Watchful Servant
Are you ready for the Lord’s return?
Jesus Teaches His Disciples about Eunuchs
What about eunuchs in Matthew 19:10-12? Does the Bible endorse trans surgery? Does being “born” a eunuch imply same-sex attraction?
Parable of the Growing Seed
Parables are purposed to challenge us (among other things). As a kingdom citizen, are you ready to allow the kingdom of God do its work, overseen by God? It is his kingdom after all. Mark 4:26-29.
“You Will Not Complete Towns of Israel until Son of Man Comes”
That’s a puzzling verse, spoken when Jesus commissioned his twelve disciples to go out on a short-term mission trip and then come back. It seems as though the Second Coming will happen before they preach in all the towns of Israel. Was Jesus a failed prophet? How do we solve this problem?
Don’t Make Excuses for Unsound Christian Leaders
The devoted followers of various leaders will post comments excusing the excesses and bad theology and defective Bible interpretation. Here are the most common excuses and my replies to them. I also cover where the unsoundness may come from.
“Some Shall Not Experience Death until They See Son of Man Coming”
Was Jesus a failed prophet? Matt. 16:28, Mark 9:1, and Luke 9:27 say that some standing there with Jesus would not experience death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom. How can that be true, when the Second Coming has not happened in the past two thousand years (and counting)? The answer will surprise you because it goes beyond the “standard” one.
What Jesus Told High Priest and Sanhedrin Now Makes Sense
Was Jesus a failed prophet? Critics seem to think so because he told Caiaphas the high priest and the Sanhedrin (the highest court and council of Judaism) that they would see him coming, sitting in clouds of glory.
Slavery and Freedom in the Bible
Critics of the Bible forget that it also advocates liberty. It’s the Grand Arc of the Biblical Narrative, from Genesis to Revelation. Let’s see if we can discover universal truths from these historical, culture-bound slave laws. I updated this post, which is a general introduction to a series on slavery.
Parable of the Sheep and Goats
Are you prepared for final judgment?
2. Torah and Slavery: Israelite Indentured Servants
Scriptures: Exod. 21:2-6; Lev. 25:39-42; Deut. 15:12-18. The Torah balances out fairness with generosity, yet it is still obviously situated in the ancient world–its own cultural context. It is always best to evaluate these ancient texts on their own terms and in their own times. Let’s see what we can discover. For comparison, this post includes the case of an indentured servant in colonial Philadelphia.
3. Torah and Slavery: Impoverished Father Sells His Daughter to Be a ‘Secondary Wife’
Scripture: Exod. 21:7-11. In a culture of arranged marriage and widespread poverty, fathers in the ancient Near East did this long before the Torah existed. Now the Torah has to intervene and tell the men what the daughter’s legal rights were. This post also looks at polygamy.
Twenty-Five Reasons to Leave Islam
You converted to Islam recently. Or you grew up a Muslim. Now what? Simple. Leave it behind and follow Jesus. Right now. There is a prayer at the end of this post.
Parable of the Bags of Gold (Talents)
This parable is often titled Parable of the Talents. Are you a productive kingdom citizen?
4. Torah and Slavery: What Happened When Masters Punished Their Slaves?
Scriptures: Exod. 21:20-21, 26-27; Lev. 25:43, 46. There were two cultural (and unpleasant) facts in the ancient Near East, long before the Torah existed: (1) Masters hit their slaves to punish them, and (2) slaves had secondary status. How does the Torah intervene and regulate those two pre-existing facts? (I also include cases of a servant girl dying allegedly from a beating and a servant boy who was flogged for theft, in colonial Philadelphia, just for comparison.)
5. Torah and Slavery: Protecting Slave Women from Injustice
Scripture: Lev. 19:20-22. One OT scholar says that this law protected a slave woman when she was caught in the middle between three men.
Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids
What kind of disciple are you? Wise or foolish? Are you prepared for the Second Coming?
6. Torah and Slavery: Foreign Slaves
Scriptures: Lev. 25:44-46 and Deut. 23:15-16 (and Exod. 21:16, again, with its parallel Deut. 24:7). As we have observed in this series, slavery was a cultural fact of the ancient Near East. This post also has two parallel cases in colonial Virginia.
7. Torah and Slavery: Marrying Captives of War
I updated this post. Scripture: Deuteronomy 21:10-14. I knew a kid named Carl at elementary school, my contemporary. He was half European-American and half Japanese. His dad had married a Japanese girl after WWII and brought her over here.
Parable of the Wise and Faithful Servant
Will you be faithfully serving God in your life when Jesus comes back? Will you do his will to the very end? If so, rewards are coming.
Islamic Jihad v. European Crusades
It’s time to educate the students at the campus protests in spring 2024 and even now. Do they know Islamic jihad continued without stopping for four hundred years before the Pope called for the first major crusade?
The West’s Struggle with Islam
It goes deeper than just the attacks in Paris, Brussels, San Bernardino, and Orlando and now the campus protests of spring 2024 (and the others that will follow). It will go past 2100. It’s the Second Hundred Years War.
The Truth about Islamic Jihad and Imperialism: A Timeline
Updated: The campus protests that turn Islam into an innocent party are shortsighted and wrong on the facts.
Twenty-Five Reasons Not to Convert to Islam
Here are the reasons why no one should convert to Islam, which are not placed in any particular order. At the end of this post, there is a prayer to follow Jesus.
Parable of the Fig Tree and Other Trees
Do you believe the signs Jesus talked about in the first century can carry over to our days?
Does Torah Really Order Girl to Marry Her Rapist against Her Father’s Will?
Scripture: Deuteronomy 22:28-29 and Exodus 22:16-17. Is the titled question true? Or are there circumstances that clarify what was really going on? A parallel case in colonial Philadelphia is also included here.
Warning to Evolving, Progressive Churches: Danger Signs
You may not see it, but Progressive Christianity is not the right path for you. Here are signs that you are putting yourself at risk of going past what is written in Scripture. Solutions are also offered here.
Parable of the Wedding Banquet
You have to be invited into the kingdom. God’s call to come in is going out to you right now.
Warning to Evolving, Progressive Churches: Authority of Scripture
Progressives deny the full authority of Scripture, particularly about sex and personal conduct. It restricts their style. They characterize a love for Scripture as “bibliolatry.” Continue reading
Warning to Evolving, Progressive Churches: Marriage and Sex
How much do progressive pastors and other leaders rule the church on these complex issues? How much are they changing the King’s original intent for his kingdom?
Parable of the Vineyard and Wicked Tenants
The Jerusalem and temple establishment may have rejected Jesus, but God calls him his beloved Son and made him the chief cornerstone of a new temple.
Warning to Evolving, Progressive Churches: Judgment Is Coming
I would be derelict in my duty as a teacher not to discuss this very biblical truth.
Calling Leaders by Name to Repent
Featured
Bad public leadership requires public correction and rebuke. I hope this post is redemptive, not condemning. It’s a call to repentance. After you read it, check back regularly. I update it, as issues come up.
Parable of the Two Sons
The temple establishment and religious leaders get their comeuppance, in contrast to the commoners and expendables.
Three Sources of Prophecy
Only one is the right source.
Parable of Workers in the Vineyard
This is a story about God’s generosity. Do new converts get more grace than long-serving Christians, or does everyone get an equal amount of grace?
Messianic Prophecies
This a table of Messianic prophecies, which go a long way in building up our faith and the reliability of the Bible. It also answers the question: How does this post help me grow in God?
11. Do I Really Know Jesus? He Was Resurrected from the Dead
It goes a lot deeper than just coming back from the dead. Christ is our example and leader. Here are the basics about his resurrection.
Matthew 27:52-53 and Appearance of Holy People: Pious Fiction or Fact?
Those two verses say that “many” bodies of holy people who had “fallen asleep” (i.e. died) were raised from their tombs and entered Jerusalem and appeared to many. Is this fact or pious fiction?
Parable of the Unforgiving Servant
This parable will be a challenge for some of us. You must forgive, or your Father in heaven won’t forgive you. Serious!
Did the Centurion or His Emissaries Approach and Speak to Jesus?
Three options can solve the puzzle. Scriptures: Matthew 8:5-13 and Luke 7:1-10.
Triumphal Entry: Did Jesus Straddle Two Animals?
The critics have such disrespect and low regard for the Gospels that they believe Matthew actually wrote that Jesus straddled two animals during his triumphal entry. But maybe a Greek noun and a pronoun can clarify the problem for openminded readers,
Parable of the Lost Sheep
God is searching for you, out of his love. He sent his Son to look for you. That’s how much he loves you.
A Defense of Martin Luther
Updated 19 March 2024. Or at least an explanation. He is included at this website because he renewed Christian doctrine.
Solving Passover Chronology Problems Between John and Synoptics
How are the chronological differences to be reconciled?
Did the Prophets Predict That the Messiah Would Be Called a Nazarene?
Once again, the hostile critics pounce on Matthew’s perfectly legitimate and culturally acceptable use Old Testament themes and words.
Parable of Householder
We need the New Testament and the Old Testament.
Did Matthew Mistakenly Attribute Verses from Zechariah to Jeremiah?
Did Matthew commit an error? What does this mean for inerrancy, if he did? If ….
When Was the Temple Curtain Torn in Two?
Wow. Now we have entered the realm of nitpicking to the nth degree. We have to move grains of sand one at a time with tweezers.
Parable of the Net
After God’s great harvest, you will be judged. Are you a follower of Jesus? Are you found in union with him or away from him?
Jairus’s Daughter in Three Gospels: Do the Differences ‘DESTROY’ the Truth of the Story?
There are definitely differences in the three accounts of Jairus’s daughter being raised from the dead, in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. But do these differences blind us to the central truth of the story?
Jesus Calls Certain Disciples in Four Gospels. Do the Accounts Contradict?
Are the four Gospel writers all that clumsy, or do they employ the story teller’s art to narrate the story of these disciples from the writers’ own point of view?
Parable of Priceless Pearl
If you have to, sell everything you have to get into the kingdom. Don’t let your possessions prevent you.
A Leper in the Hands of an Angry Jesus?
Would Jesus show indignation or anger towards a leper, a needy man? Hostile readers pounce on some ambiguity.
Why Did Luke Switch the Sequence in the Temptation Passages?
Scripture: Matthew 4:1-11 and Luke 4:1-13. The second and third temptations were switched in Luke Gospel from the sequence in Matthew’s Gospel. Hostile critics and readers pounce on the differences and conclude that the Gospel are unreliable. Are the critics right?
Parable of Hidden Treasure
Don’t miss out on the kingdom of God. Dig for it.
Was Luke’s Report about a Worldwide Census Wrong?
Luke records that Caesar ordered a worldwide census, during the governorship of Quirinius, in Syria (Luke 2:1-2). Critics have spotted some chronological problems. Luke may have been wrong. Is the problem solvable with sound reason and historical digging?
Common Details in Matthew’s and Luke’s Birth Narratives
Did Matthew really believe that baby Jesus was never circumcised?
Parable of the Yeast
You must be born again to enter the kingdom of God (John 3:3, 5). When you do, your life a radical turn for the better.
Families in Genesis + The Messiah’s Lineage
The Book of Genesis is the story of the families of earth, as the author narrows them down to one family in particular. This one major family, whose patriarch is declared righteous for his faith, will lead to the Messiah about 2000 to 1800 years later, about seventy years before the destruction of the temple in A.D. 70. Six tables of family charts are included here.
Differences in Gospel Parallels = Differences in OT Parallels
Hostile critics turn molehills into mountains. They apply unequal weights and measures to the Old Testament and the synoptic Gospels and John. That’s unfair. The Gospel writers were conforming to Old Testament precedence. Here’s the evidence.
Parable of the Mustard Seed
The kingdom starts off small and grows slowly. Then it grows in your life and in millions of lives around the globe, individually. Through changed lives after the salvation of each person, the kingdom can influence society for the better.
What Is Middle Knowledge (Molinism)?
I only briefly discuss this model / theory of knowledge. This is philosophical theology (in which I am not an expert). But this particular theory has, believe it or not, Scriptural support. (Yes, I was surprised too.)
Generosity in the New Testament
Is tithing demanded of the New Covenant believer after the cross? Or does the New Testament teach something better? This is an old-fashioned Bible study.
Parable of Weeds among Wheat
This parable is about counterfeit disciples, satanic attacks by planting them inside the kingdom of God, yet we must not render ultimate and final judgment on them before God does. It also speaks of Jesus’ view of the end-times. It is not as complicated as the teachings of popular, end-time Bible prophecy teachers.
Ten Characteristics of a Healthy Disciple
What makes a healthy disciple? This list is simple and uncomplicated.
Sixteen Characteristics of a Healthy Church
These events happened a mere few years after the Great Commission and the Ascension. The earliest church is the gold standard. Let’s see what we can learn from them in two passages, Acts 2:43-47 and 4:23-31.
Check Out What Two Genuine Apostles Did and How They Lived: Close Look at Acts 13-14
Apostles are appearing everywhere in modern American churches and around the globe, particularly in Africa and Latin America. What are apostles? What are they supposed to do? Do churches today misapply the title, or are they correct?
Parable of Sower and Soils
Will you let persecution or the anxieties of life steal or crush the word out of you? Or will you allow God to change your heart to become good soil? This is the most important parable for challenging our hearts to be receptive to Jesus and his gospel.
Sixteen Characteristics of an Unhealthy Church
Not every corner of the American church, but large sections are unhealthy, particularly in the Renewal Movements.
God’s Signs and Wonders versus Satan’s Signs and Wonders
What are they? What are their motives and purposes? How do we discern the differences, when they seem so similar?
Parable of New Cloth and New Wine
We could title this post: “God Is Doing a New Thing through Jesus.” That’s the basic meaning of this parable.
What Happened to Judas Iscariot’s Body?
Another seeming Bible contradiction disappears, when we look closely at the accounts in Matthew 27 and Acts 1.
Who Were the Nephilim?
Life is getting strange with the onslaught of Artificial Intelligence (AI). The issue of the Nephilim is “enormous” and “gigantic” in the American church right now. Can giants be edited through AI and faked and published on youtube and other platforms? Some youtube teachers and prophets claim that they actually do appear, apart from AI.
Ancient Heresy of Gnosticism and Its Postmodern Teachers
Gnosticism is alive and well today, disguised in various forms of postmodernism. It is being taught today. Let’s see if we can see through the disguises and get to the truth.
Gnosticism: An Introduction
What are gnosticism and Gnostic writings? This post gives you the basics about those writings, and how they veer off from the New Testament.
New Testament Restricts Authority of Modern Prophets
This post covers questions like, who were the OT prophets, contrasted with the prophets of today? Does America have a special covenant with God, as ancient Israel did? How did the NT writers handle prophets and their prophecies? What about inaccurate prophecies? Is decreeing the same as prophesying? Can we decree Scriptures at will? (I updated this post.)
Parable of the Wise and Foolish Builders
How do we know whether we are a wise of foolish builder in the kingdom of God? How do we become a wise one?
Do New Testament Prophets and Prophecy Exist Today?
Many Renewalists say yes for prophecy. The biblical evidence favors them. Now what about prophets? (I have recently updated this post yet again, on December 11 29, 2024.)
Gifts of the Spirit in 1 Corinthians 12:7-11 and 12:28
Renewalists believe these gifts are for today. This is an old-fashioned Bible study, word by word. line upon line. I thoroughly revised this post.
Are Women Allowed to Teach Men? A Close Look at 1 Timothy 2:11-15
Certain interpreters of those verses in the title have restricted women’s full participation in the teaching ministry. But are these restrictions truly biblical? Let’s take a deeper look at the verses. (I updated this post yet again.)
Replacement Theology: True or False?
Does the church replace Israel? Or is replacement theology partly true and partly false, depending on definitions and contexts? After exegeting a key passage in Romans and looking at others, I finally made up my mind (for what it’s worth).
Are Older Women Restricted to Teaching (‘Only’?) Young Women? A Close Look at Titus 2:3-5
How restrictive are those verses in the title? Does the Greco-Roman household offer any guidance for reading them? What about other verses in the New Testament relating to women’s ministries? (I updated this post yet again!)
Parable of Lamp under a Bowl
What does light mean in the kingdom of God? Does it produce good works? What is its source?
The Church Fulfills and Replaces Old Testament Temple
Let’s allow the clarity of Scripture to overturn needlessly complicated eschatological (end-times) interpretations that have dominated American Christianity for many decades. Further, is this replacement the same as the church replacing Israel? Read the post to find out. And look at the photos, too! (I updated this post with verses from Acts.)
How to Forgive Adultery and Fornication
Sometimes the church can be self-righteous and condemn a sinner in the name of holiness, ignoring mercy. Or it can be permissive in the name of mercy, ignoring holiness. I updated this post.
1. Gifts of the Spirit in Early Church Fathers
These are the written testimony of the church fathers before or a little after the council of Nicaea in 325 A.D. They teach that the gifts were for their days, after the apostles died.
2. Healing and Deliverance in Early Church Fathers
These are the written testimony of the church fathers before or a little after the council of Nicaea in 325 A.D. They teach that the healings and deliverances (exorcisms) were for their days, after the apostles died.
3. Prophecies, Visions, and Hearing from God in Early Church Fathers
These church fathers flourished before or a little after the Nicaean Council in AD 325. They believed in prophecies, dreams and vision. Some even got them, after the apostles died.
What Is Redemption in the Bible?
This is an easy-to-follow word study in Hebrew and Greek, with all the words transliterated into English. And then redemption and ransom are applied to our lives today. Also, was Christ sent to ransom “many” or “all”?
A Misunderstood Biblical Command: “Don’t Judge!”
This is an easy-to-follow word study of key terms in the New Testament and a close look at Matthew 7:1-5. Let’s understand what it really means in context. (I updated this post.)
Healings in Paul’s Ministry on Island of Malta
Scripture: Acts 28:7-10. What was flowing here was the gifts of healings which Paul listed as one of the nine gifts of the Spirit in 1 Corinthians 12:7-11.
Justification: Bible Basics
What is justification? Can God declare a guilty man not guilty? How? I updated this post.
Bible Basics about the Final Judgment
God’s judgment scares people, and in a sense they are right. Reverential awe and fear are appropriate. But there is a solution for them to escape a negative judgment. I updated this post.
Paul Is Unharmed by Viper Bite
Scripture: Acts 28:1-8: This passage is included in the category of Healing and Deliverance because Paul got a sustained healing, a divine inoculation (of sorts).
Is Belief in the Creeds Necessary for Salvation?
A commenter asked if a person can be saved without believing in the Athanasian Creed.
Bible Basics about Salvation
This is an old-fashioned Bible study. Let’s learn the basics of this major theme in all of Scripture. It’s the most important one of all. It is definitely multi-faceted!
Paul Restores Eutychus Back to Life
Scripture: Acts 20:9-12. This is a restoration of a boy who fell from a window and was taken up dead.
Bible Basics about Grace
Grace is multi-faceted in Scripture. So together let’s study what it means. We also review some basic theology.
Is the Atonement for ‘Many’ or ‘All’ People?
This is a study on “many” in Matthew 20:28 and Mark 10:45 (The Son of Man ” gives his life a ransom for ‘many'”). We can further ask, did Christ die only for the elect (limited atonement) or for all and everyone (unlimited or universal or general atonement)? To answer those questions, I also review other atonement passages.
Extraordinary Miracles through Paul
Scripture: Acts 19:11, 12. God worked miracles through Paul’s facecloths and work aprons.
Does Regeneration Precede Faith?
Since it is a Calvinist doctrine of salvation and it is growing, I have decided to cover this topic. I write to learn.
Watch God Work When We Pray, Command, Believe, Receive.
Yes, Jesus really did teach us to pray like this. His teaching was clear and simple. Let’s follow his instructions.
Paul Expels Demon from Slave Girl
Scripture: Acts 16:16-18. Paul expelled it in Jesus’s name, not by his own name.
With Faith Command Your Obstacle to Go. Then Watch God Work
The disciples asked Jesus to increase their faith. His answer was startling (as usual). Yes, Jesus really did teach us to pray this way.
Jesus Teaches Us How To Fast
Matthew 6:16-18: Fasting is a powerful spiritual weapon like no other. Let’s learn from the Lord who fasted forty days and forty nights. I also include a brief study of fasting in other verses.
1. The Kingdom of God: Was Jesus a Pacifist?
To answer that question, we must separate the Kingdom of God from the Kingdom of Caesar. Part One in a four-part series.
What Does ‘Binding and Loosing’ Mean?
Some Christians bind Satan and loose angels. They base this on Matthew 18:18. But is this verse correctly interpreted? Also, how does the church discipline wayward members? And what does it mean when Jesus taught that where two or three are gathered in his name, he’ll be there among them? (Bonus: watch how a careful reading of the Greek text takes down word-of-faith, decree-and-declare exaggerations.)
2. The Gospels: Was Jesus a Pacifist?
To answer that question, we look at four episodes in the Gospels: John the Baptist and some soldiers; Jesus and a centurion; an apparent command to use a sword against a disciple’s family; and two swords during Jesus’ arrest.
Lame Man Is Healed during Paul’s First Missionary Journey
Scripture: Acts 14:8-18. I will focus on vv. 8-10, the healing itself.
3. Were the Early Christians Pacifists?
Did they pick up swords to stop the persecution and control nonconformists? Or did they teach that the state should lay down its swords to have peace, kind of like “defund the police” in the first century?
4. Can Christians Join the Military or Police Force?
The question is really asking whether they can kill in the name of the law or the Constitution. What do the Scriptures say?
Sorcerer Struck with Blindness
Scripture: Acts 13:6-12. He was not your average magician. He was also a false prophet and deceiver.
Apostle Paul Traveled on Cargo Ships
Why is this biblical fact so important? Short post here.
Peter Raises Tabitha (Dorcas) from the Dead
Scripture: Acts 9:36-43. This section of Scripture also holds key lessons for those of us who believe in healing and raising the dead today and even seeing people get healed—and some Renewalists have seen the dead raised.
Jesus in Iran
We could use some good news nowadays. The following news links certainly count as the best.
Muhammad’s Atrocity against the Qurayza Jews
He beheaded the men and pubescent boys and enslaved the women and children.
Muhammad and the Jews
The tensions come from the Quran itself.
Peter Heals Aeneas
Scripture: Acts 9:32-35. Renewalists believe miracles of healing do and should happen everywhere because 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 opens the doors for every believer to do them, as the Spirit distributes the gifts to meet the needs of people.
Philip Works Great Signs and Miracles
Passage: Acts 8:5-13. Philip was not an apostle but a deacon and evangelist, yet he too worked miracles and signs and deliverances.
Rapture = Second Coming and Happens at Same Time, on Last Day
UPDATED. Have you been taught all your life that the rapture and Second Coming are distinct events, years apart? Is it difficult to change your cherished belief? The teaching about the Second Coming in the earliest apostolic community was unified and without complications. Here’s the plentiful biblical and nonsymbolic and direct evidence. In the Second Addendum, I tell you my recent decision.
Qital (Warfare) Verses in the Quran
Qital simply means military or physical slaughter or violence. Nearly every verse that has the word qital is quoted here.
All the Jihad Verses in the Quran
Jihad means to struggle or strive, sometimes with weapons (lesser jihad), other times with inner force against vices in the soul (greater jihad).
Apostles Perform Many Miracles
Passage: Acts 5:12-16. Those verses are a summary of the miracles that the apostles worked, including by means of Peter’s shadow.
Jesus Called It ‘Israel’
The Palestinian media say that Jesus was a Palestinian. A Dutch film says the same. Would the so-called “historical” Jesus recognize the label? How did he refer to his homeland, even under Roman occupation? Clarity and historical accuracy, not politics, is the purpose of this article.
Ten Sharia Laws that Oppress Women
The old laws need to be studied today because they’re still being practiced right now.
Lame Man Is Healed at Gate Called Beautiful
Passage: Acts 3:1-10. Peter and John followed Jesus in their healing ministry, for he too healed the disabled and paralyzed (e.g. Matt. 9:1-8 // Mark 2:1-12; John 5:1-14). They saw him do this.
Widow’s Only Son Is Raised from Dead
Passage: Luke 7:11-17. Jesus issued a command, and the boy responded.
Jesus Raises Lazarus from Dead
Passage: John 11:3-4, 11-15, 23-26, 38-44. Jesus listened to his Father and obeyed him. He did not act alone and on a whim, with this resurrection.
How Does New Testament Define Demonic Control?
This post is an old-fashioned Bible and word study, with a brief, practical application for ministry.
Ten Big Differences between Christianity and Other Religions
These are the “big ten” reasons that go a long way to explain why Christianity is still the fastest growing religion in the world and why it gains converts from the other religions.
Jairus’ Daughter Is Raised from Dead
Passages: Matthew 9:18-19, 23-26; Mark 5:21-24, 35-43; Luke 8:40-42a, 49-56. Never forget that Jesus followed his Father in working miracles. He did not act presumptuously.
Your New Identity in Christ
People struggle with their identity in Christ. Satan and their own minds tell them they are no good, because they have sinned too many times for God to forgive them. They are worthless and useless to God and his mission for them. However, here are verses that proclaim who you are “in him” or “in Christ”. (I often also include other prepositions.) Let these biblical truths enter your heart and mind and reject the self-destructive thoughts. Renew your mind with Scripture!
What Is Biblical Confession?
Despite the abuse, confession is still a biblical practice, whether for sins or for salvation in Christ. Make it part of your prayer life.
Who Is Mankind and Womankind?
What does the Bible say? It has the best revelation on the sexes, clearer and superior than any modern worldview. (I updated this post to answer the gender confusion.)
Official’s Son Is Healed with Word from Distance
Passage: John 4:46-54. We can watch and learn from Jesus.
What Is the ‘Anointing’?
Renewalists use the term all the time, but do we know what it means? What does the Bible say?
New Testament Must Always Filter Old Testament
American Bible teachers appear confused about biblical interpretation between the Old Testament (OT) and the New Testament (NT).
Centurion’s Servant Is Healed with Word from Distance
Passages: Matthew 8:5-13 and Luke 7:1-10. In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus commended only very few people with great faith. One of them was this Roman centurion. Who were the others?
Did Jesus Forbid the Title of ‘Teacher’?
The Scripture is Matthew 23:8-12. Some translations make it seem as if Jesus forbids calling men ‘teachers’ in his kingdom community. But what did he really say?
Why Doesn’t Divine Healing Happen One Hundred Percent of the Time in This Age?
This post is a biblical theology discussion. If you are fighting for your or someone else’s healing, I advise you to skip this post. Read it later when the outcome of your fight is final, and you need to understand what the Bible really teaches about healing. (I updated this post yet again. In this post, I also answer whether healing is in the atonement.)
Dr. Jim's Essential Bible Teaching 