Kidnapped, enslaved, and forgotten—until God spoke in a dream. The story of Patrick isn’t just history; it’s an invitation. What happens when we say yes to God, even when it leads us back to the places we’d rather avoid?
It weirded me out the first time I realized it. I was familiar with the concept of Jesus being “the light of the world,” but I was less familiar with the Bible passage that identified Christians as “the light of the world.” But sure enough, there it was, staring me in the face the whole…
People often mix politics and Jesus together. I do the same, but with a specific understanding of how to blend the two together: (1) Jesus is my King and I am a citizen of his Kingdom. (2) I follow his politics whether or not it meshes with the kingdoms of this earth. (3) I prophetically…
They left their dad in the boat. People always make the disciples out to be stupid fishermen who gave up a crappy life for something better, but you actually had to be a pretty successful (if not shrewd) businessman to survive the thriving fishing market on the Sea of Galilee. This is where Jesus found…
I’ve run into an enigma here and there where people want to keep the idea of God, but they don’t want to agree with him. And so some find themselves venturing down a path where God can still exist, but his opinion doesn’t really matter. With nothing really to guide their opinion about him other…
A few years back, an artist grafted a tree together that was capable of growing 40 different kinds of fruits. This is a more extravagant picture of what Paul presents in his letter to the Romans. There he pictures the Jewish people as an olive tree that God grew and non-Jewish people as wild olives…
Israel was elected by God to bear his name in the world. Everywhere they went, they were to be a representation of who God is, what he’s like, and how the people under him should live, govern, speak and act. Israelites we’re literally born as the elect, chosen people of God and his salvation. Except…
Christians have long asked the question of, “What happens to those who have never heard the gospel?” Paul answered this question by quoting an old prophetic Psalm to make the point that, “The Heavens have already told everyone about Jesus.” And all God’s people said, “What?” Bible scholar Michael Heiser blends this passage with a…
Since forgiveness is such a central Christian topic, I thought I’d write up a few quick pointers to help us understand it a little better. 1. Forgiveness means someone owes you a debt. Forgiveness is not an emotional conversation about sin, but a tangible one we can all see in a physical dollar bill. Consider…
Because of Paul’s excellent teaching on “salvation by faith,” Christians often view this doctrine as a uniquely New Testament movement. “In the Old Testament people were saved by obedience to the law, but in the New Testament we are saved by faith,” we often say. But if you pay close attention, you’ll see that this…
Jamin Bradley 