May 2015: Digging Deeper

My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding— indeed, if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and

You die twice if you aren’t a believer The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. Then death and Hades were thrown

The Biblical origin of the word: Christian Then Agrippa said to Paul, “Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?” Acts 26:28 The translation in Greek for Christ is “anointed one” and the ending means “follower of”. Put

Paul’s ability to reach any audience Then they took him (Paul) and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting?” Acts 17:19 Paul traveled to Athens, Greece, while he waited

Was the Apostle Paul nearly blind? See what large letters I use as I write to you with my own hand! Galatians 6:11 There is compelling scriptural evidence that Paul’s vision was significantly impaired for most, if not all of his years of ministry. In Acts Chapter

What does this gift really mean? All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Acts 2:4 It seems that in American culture, speaking in tongues is primarily practiced in charismatic and Pentecostal churches. The more

Do we take this at face value or is it an idiom? Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.

Jesus’ plea to God on the cross About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”). Matthew 27:46; also Mark 15:34 It was 3 p.m. when Jesus cried out

The place where Jesus was crucified They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). Mark 15:22 Jesus was crucified just outside the walls of Jerusalem at a place called Golgotha. This is an Aramaic word, which gruesomely means “the place

The horrific practice of flogging Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 2 Corinthians 11:24 In this passage in 2 Corinthians, Paul recounted a litany of the many ways he had suffered for the sake of the Gospel. Perhaps foremost on the