Something Greater

Psalm 9: Forever Enthroned "To the choirmaster: according to Muth-labben. A Psalm of David. "I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High. "When my enemies turn back, they stumble and perish before your presence. For you have maintained my just cause; you have sat on the throne, giving righteous judgment. "You have rebuked the nations; you have made the wicked perish;   you have blotted out their name forever and ever. The enemy came to an end in everlasting ruins; their cities you rooted out;   the very memory of them has perished. "But the Lord sits enthroned forever; he has established his throne for justice,   and he judges the world with righteousness; he judges the peoples with uprightness. "The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. And those who know your name put t

1 Timothy 4: The Value Of Godliness 1 Timothy 4:1-16 (ESV) What's gone before... Paul described our faith in Christ as a mystery, urging the church in Ephesus to make Christ the foundation of their godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world and taken up in glory. Moving on... "Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer. "If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Chri

Jesus: All Authority And All Power Mark 1:21-34 What has gone before... Mark 1:14-20 - Jesus began his preaching ministry, urging people to repent and believe in the gospel, the good news of God's kingdom. He called four fishermen as his disciples: Simon, Andrew, James and John. Moving on... "And they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath he entered the synagogue and was teaching. And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes. "And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are...the Holy One of God. "But Jesus rebuked him, saying, Be silent, and come out of him! "And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying out with a loud voice, came out of him. And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, What

The Mystery of the Faith 1 Timothy 3:9 What has gone before... Paul described a second level of church leadership: deacons. The definition of the word, as well as the context, imply that the early church had appointed specific people to assist or act as "waiters", supporting whatever was needed to be done. Deacons were to have some, but not all, of the character qualities listed for overseers. The term "deacon" was applied to a wide variety of people, implying that nearly every one in the church who helped or served could be called a deacon. Moving on... Paul describes our faith in Christ as a "mystery": 1 Timothy 3:9 (ESV) "They [deacons] must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience." MYSTERY: mysterion "moos-TAY-ree-on" (a secret or "mystery", through the idea of silence imposed by initiation into religious rites); from muo (to shut the mouth) Early in His ministry Jesus referred to &quo

Psalm 8: How Majestic Is Your Name! To the choirmaster: according to The Gittith. A Psalm of David. O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger. When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas. O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! Psalms 8:1-9 (ESV) What do y