The Gentiles in Jesus day made prayers not to God but to false gods. These prayers consisted of long repetitive phrases (v. 7). The principal here is that a believer should not make a show of prayer or pray in such a way that it draws unnecessary attention to himself. God is not impressed …
This passage gives an introduction to the terms of the covenant (vv. 10-26) It starts out with the Lord promising to perform miracles that have never been seen before (vv. 10-11). He promises to display many wonders so that the people will see His power. These wonders include His…
Notice that John says it is love “perfected” which gives us confidence in the day of judgment (v. 17). The day of judgment is that time when all people will appear before Christ and be held accountable for their actions in this life. With God living in us through Christ …
The enemies who bring God’s judgment on Israel were as evil as Sodom and Gomorrah (v. 32). This points out the depth of evil into which Israel had fallen. Through this detailed analysis of the law, it has been made clear that God’s standards are absolute and that He will not tolerate sin. Even …
Paul wrote this letter to the Church in Corinth while he was visiting Ephesus during his third missionary journey (Acts 19:1- 20:1). While in Ephesus he had heard about problems in the Corinthian Church. He knew it well because he had spent 18 months there during his second …
As we read this passage we need to understand that the Jews had become comfortable and complacent in their captivity and did not want to leave. They had followed Jeremiah’s suggestions (Jer. 29:4-7) and had families, houses and gardens and it was not easy for them to pack …
As Paul comes to the close of his letter, he talks about some of his friends who have helped him in the ministry. Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus were part of a committee sent from Corinth to Ephesus to confer with Paul about church problems. However, these men did more than share …
Two days before the Feast of the Passover, which was about the 14th of April, the Sanhedrin was gathered at the house of Caiaphas to discuss when and how they might put Jesus to death (v. 1). This last act of Jesus’ life was to take place in a city crammed with Jews who had …
The Ephesian believers were Gentiles. Paul tells them to make a clean break with their old ways of life and stop living by the standards of the unsaved people around them (v. 17). These pagan Gentiles had given themselves to a lifestyle without any personal standards. Their minds …
John, who presents Christ as the Son of God, begins his gospel in eternity past. He says that when time began, the Word (Christ) was already in existence (v. 1). Having established the eternity of the Word, John then pro¬ceeds to give a witness about Jesus’s involvement in creation …