A Word From The Word: Fellowship
When I came to the Lord in the Jesus movement, there was a hunger in that movement—and in the traditional church—for Christian fellowship. There were churches, coffee houses, outreach ministries and bookstores all using one word as their name—“Koinonia”. We were told the word meant fellowship—which of course is a word no one used outside the church. So, we basically didn’t know what this fellowship was supposed to be. But the Bible is very clear about fellowship. It described the lifestyle the earliest Christians led…
Read MoreHow Do I Love?
A Word from The Word: Love One of the most often quoted words in the Bible is “love”. I find this word to be one of—if not the most misunderstood–words in the Bible. I have written of it before, but in other contexts, and a recent experience has reminded me of why it is so important. First, we have to admit that when we say “love” we can’t be certain what it means without knowing which word it is. In the New Testament, there are…
Read MoreA Word From the Word: Know
Have you ever had a relationship that was so close that you actually knew the other person? Not knew ABOUT, but actually knew that person? A marriage, siblings, close friends—this relationship can happen in many settings. You experience the other’s personality and see it interact with others, and in different situations. You get to know their desires, drives, even thoughts and feelings. And as you come to really know the other, you find that you not only know, you are known. In our society we…
Read MoreA Word From the Word: Anxious
Everyone gets anxious. Some seek help and receive a diagnosis—nearly one in four adults according to some studies. Others simply experience the anxiety. Some rarely experience windows of time without anxiety, while for others, the anxiety is a rare occurrence. But everyone gets anxious. We may experience anxiety more today than in years past. We definitely talk about it more. We have more ways of dealing with it, though it is not clear we deal with it more successfully. In fact, people have been dealing…
Read MoreA Word From The Word: Repent!
The word “repent” has become a church-word—a word used only in church circles, often without much meaning. Not only has it become a church word, it’s a very unpopular church word. The most popular preachers in the world avoid talking about repentance because, as one said in an interview, “People don’t want to hear that.” When someone in the world hears the word, it often raises the image of a strange person carrying a sign downtown reading “Repent, the end is near!”. Repent just isn’t…
Read MoreWhat is a “Lord”?
A Word From The Word: Lord For Americans, the word “Lord” has come to be synonymous with Jesus. Since the rebellion against England, we don’t refer to other humans as “Lord”. Whatever the political advantages of this, it has come with the price that we no longer understand what the word actually means. Jesus is Lord. Not chairman or leader or governor or even President. Not someone we follow so long as we agree with him or believe we will get what we want from…
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