Are You a Barnabas?

Barnabas, his real name was Joseph, but the other disciples nick-named him Barnabas in Acts 4:35. Barnabas was the guy that sold his property and brought all the proceeds and laid it at the feet of the Disciples. This led into the story of Ananias and Sapphira selling their property and withholding a portion of the proceeds.

The name Barnabas means “son of encouragement”. And the name fit him very well. We can see this through a few examples. Paul or Saul of Tarsus as he wa

Remember Me

“23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you

Effective Prayer

“In the days of His flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to Him who was able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverence (Hebrews 5:7 ESV).”

There has always been a lot of debate among Christians from all backgrounds, in particular about what it is that makes a person's prayer effective. Some think that, to be effective, a prayer must be very specific, stating in great detail exactly what the praying person is a

Jesus and Jonah

“17 And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.” (Jonah 1:17) The Bible’s most famous “fish story” has been the target of skeptics for hundreds of years, but it was confirmed by none other than the one who Himself prepared the great fish: “40 For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of

The Greater Eliakim

15 Thus says the Lord God of hosts, “Come, go to this steward, to Shebna, who is over the household, and say to him: 16 What have you to do here, and whom have you here, that you have cut out here a tomb for yourself, you who cut out a tomb on the height and carve a dwelling for yourself in the rock? 17 Behold, the Lord will hurl you away violently, O you strong man. He will seize firm hold on you 18 and whirl you around and around, and throw you like a ball into a wide la

Send Me

8 And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.” 9 And he said, “Go, and say to this people: (Isaiah 6:8-9).

In chapter six Isaiah has a vision where he sees God high and lifted up on His throne and the train of His robe fills the Temple. He is surrounded by angels worshipping God.

Isaiah feels totally inadequate, broken, and ashamed of his sinful self being in the presence of God. He is a “man of unc

Strengthen My Faith

Lamentations 3:15-20 (ESV)

15 He has filled me with bitterness;     he has sated me with wormwood.

16 He has made my teeth grind on gravel, and made me cower in ashes; 17 my soul is bereft of peace; I have forgotten what happiness is; 18 so I say, “My endurance has perished;     so has my hope from the Lord.”

19 Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall! 20 My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me.

Have you ever fel

A Dot is Connected

Read Genesis 39-40 and Luke 22:14-23

Everyone that knows me, knows my passion in Bible study is connecting the dots, or connecting the Old Testament and the New Testament. We know from the Bible study I did at the Chapel entitled “Connecting the Dots”, that Joseph was a type of Christ. So, if you believe the Bible was just written by men and was not inspired by the Holy Spirit, then read on.

First let’s look at the Old Testament passage where Joseph was in prison in Egypt in

The Proposal

Luke 22:14-23

14 And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. 15 And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 16 For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” 17 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. 18 For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God com

Watchout for the Stumps

11 Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. 12 Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. 13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it (1 Corinthians 10:11-13).

I boug

Jesus Sings

And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives (Matthew 26:30).

When they had sung a hymn: We don’t often think of Jesus singing, but He did. He lifted His voice in adoration and worship to God the Father. We can endlessly wonder what His voice sounded like, but we know for certain that He sang with more than His voice, and He lifted His whole heart up in praise. This reminds us that God wants to be praised with singing.

“These words, interpreted by a re

God's Glory Departs

Ezekiel 9:9-11, 10:18-19

9 Then He said to me, “The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great, and the land is full of bloodshed, and the city full of perversity; for they say, ‘The Lord has forsaken the land, and the Lord does not see!’ 10 And as for Me also, My eye will neither spare, nor will I have pity, but I will recompense their deeds on their own head.”

11 Just then, the man clothed with linen, who had the inkhorn at his side, reported back and s

The Veil Lifted

In my daily Bible reading this morning were two passages that struck me when I read them. The first was Isaiah Chapter six and more specifically the last verse, verse thirteen.

“And though a tenth remain in it, it will be burned again, like a terebinth or an oak, whose stump remains when it is felled." The holy seed is its stump (Isaiah 6:13 ESV).”

Here Isaiah is describing the vision YAHWEH is showing him of the coming destruction of Israel by their defeat and ensuing capti

The Anointing Kiss

28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[a] have been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. (Romans 8:28-30)

When Judas arrives at Gethsemane, he tells the accompanying

Greater Plans

Jeremiah 29:4-14

4 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. 6 Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. 7 But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the L