PHall | July 23, 2010
Fascination soars and interest deepens when people hear about “the lost books” of the Bible. Add to that secret codes for unlocking hidden messages and all of a sudden, the Bible is once again interesting to the dull of hearing. “For over two thousand years the church has tried to hide from humanity the spiritually […]
Category: Acts |
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PHall | July 20, 2010
“I need to believe that….” How would we finish that sentence? In the depths of the core of our being, what makes our “being” worth being? Is it that God loves us? Or that someone has truly forgiven us? Is it that we make a difference? Do we need to believe that God is not […]
Category: I Thessalonians, I John |
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PHall | July 19, 2010
Reading in public is becoming a lost art. The Bible is not meant solely for reading, but for listening too – “He who has ears to hear” (Matthew 11:15). God’s word is just like music which is created to be performed, and heard. Even if the player is alone, he is hearing the sounds and […]
Category: I Timothy |
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PHall | June 30, 2010
If we were to write a history of our home church, or of Christianity in our area, what would it look like? That would be determined by why the history is being written. Purpose decides which facts are included and excluded. Seldom if ever is history written to simply record facts – even the simple […]
Category: Acts |
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PHall | June 9, 2010
The human soul yearns for freedom from its pain. Existentialists open their minds to the possibility of meaningless as the answer, allowing themselves to live with the pain as pain is the only true reality. For all of us, whether philosophically inclinded or simply searchers, the balm and relief comes down to two choices. Believers find this […]
Category: John, Philosophy, Theology |
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PHall | June 2, 2010
We are often our most arrogant when defending our own humility. What made me think of that little thought is the various translations of 1 Timothy 1:13. The NASB reads, “violent aggressor” which suggests at least in my mind, physical and bodily force. However the HCSB and ESV read quite differently: arrogant man (HCSB) and […]
Category: I Timothy |
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PHall | May 26, 2010
Church Growth – Church Health Reproducing the Thessalonian Church Elected by God 1 Thessalonians 1:4 HCSB (4) knowing your election, brothers loved by God. I. RELY ON GOD’S TIMING Acts 16:9-10 HCSB During the night a vision appeared to Paul: a Macedonian man was standing and pleading with him, “Cross over to Macedonia and help […]
Category: I Thessalonians |
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PHall | May 23, 2010
Prepare to be bored…and then surprisingly enlightened and excited by the very facts that bored you. I am not a big fan of counting how many times a word occurs just to force us to carefully read the text. That might force me to also take off my shoes to enable me to count that […]
Category: I Corinthians |
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Tags: Communion, Sermon
PHall | May 18, 2010
The Gospel is not just words, parables, philosophies, or platitudes; although the gospel is told in all those forms. The gospel is flesh (John 1:14; Titus 2:11-14), lived in the flesh, suffered and triumphed in the flesh; the purpose to be ultimately imitated by us in our flesh. That is the real transforming power of […]
Category: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Titus |
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PHall | May 7, 2010
Most men within history are famous for what they did. The annals of time record their accomplishments, heroics, inventions, or possibly their words. Seldom is someone remembered for what they did not do, and yet that is exactly why we remember Enoch. What didn’t Enoch do?
Category: I Corinthians, I Thessalonians, Hebrews, Jude, Genesis |
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