Let us get back into the book of Philippians. When we left off the last time we were in verses 12 and 13 of chapter 2 so I am not going to go back very much there. Just a small amount of review. He says, Philippians 2:12-13 Therefore, my …
Abstinence has long been associated with religious asceticism. This practice of strict self-denial as a measure of spiritual discipline conjures up the picture of plainly clad monks or nuns refraining from all pleasures of life as they …
John 15:4-5 in the Phillips translation gives us a great deal to consider: You can produce nothing unless you go on growing in me. I am the vine itself, you are the branches. It is the man who shares my life and whose life I share who …

(2) But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months.
Revelation mentions three different periods that are all the same—1,260 days, 3½ years, or forty-two months. If we do the math, they all come out within a day or so of one another. If we use 30-day months (as many …
In Part One, we saw how many Old Testament heroes of faith responded to God’s call to service with “Here I am,” a frequent translation of the Hebrew word hinneni. The same response occurs in the New Testament, with faithful men answering with idou, its Greek counterpart: Ananias: The man whom God used to heal and baptize Saul of Tarsus does not receive enough credit for his faith and courage. Ananias knew that this Saul had been persecuting followers of Jesus. But when God summons him to be His emissary to Saul, he responds immediately with “Here I am, Lord.” Notice Acts 9:10-11: Now there …
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