Originally posted on April 8th 2020 THE OBEDIENCE OF ABRAHAM The fourth and last reflection is from Genesis chapter 22, the testing of Abraham. After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 2 He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”…
Originally posted on April 9th 2020 “And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.” Genesis 17:1 KJV If ever there was an inspirational text, this must be the one! Today, I want to start with Abraham’s walk with God, and compare it to our own. The principle governing Abraham´s walk with God was FAITH, NOT LAW! The principle…
Originally posted on April 7th 2020 The second thought I want to draw from the life of Abraham is from Genesis 15,1: “After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward. ” NIV God has elected Abram from all the families of the earth to know him, to walk before him, to be in a covenant relationship with him (Gen. 15,7-20), and to…
Originally posted on April 6th 2020 I want to look at the life of Abraham, in the next 4 posts. What can we learn from this man of faith, who in the New Testament is called “the father of all who believe”? Rom. 4,11 The first lesson is from Genesis 12,1 12 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. In the letter…
Originally posted on April 5th 2020 Up until chapter 8 of Mark´s Gospel, Jesus´ministry has been with the crowds and in the villages surrounding the sea of Galilee. In chapter 7 he travels with his disciples to the region of Tyre and Sidon (outside of Israel to the north), and in chapter 8, they end up in Caesarea Philippi. On the way, Jesus asks his disciples this question: Who do people say that I am? (Mk. 8.27) It is Peter who…
To all my readers! Throughout Easter; from Palm Sunday to Easter Day, I will publish a little blog; a little reflection, a little encouragement!😀 These have been published before, so you won’t receive an email, and they won’t show up on WordPress Reader. You will have to visit the website to find them.😀 I sincerely hope you are well, and wish you a great Easter – stay safe!😊 Karl😀
Originally posted December 2019 This is the last in a series of posts reflecting on biblical texts relating to the Christmas message! The gospels of Matthew and Luke have both in their narratives emphasised the same truths: That Christ was born a real human being, firmly planted in history, with genealogy and family; and at the same time pointing to his divine origin. In the words of Paul: But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his…
Originally posted December 2019 PART 1: THE WRITINGS OF LUKE Luke´s writings in the New Testament comprise Luke-Acts; a two-volume work, which in fact represents more of the New Testament than even the letters of Paul. Paralleling the 3 other Gospels in portraying the ministry of Jesus, this work goes further, recording the history of the early Church up until the time Paul reaches Rome. This is unique for Luke among Gospel writers, and will impact the way we read…
Originally posted December 2019 Matthew chapter 2, verse 1 starts with Jesus being born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king. Thus, time and place are given – and in agreement with Luke. Nevertheless, there are indications that the events recorded in Matthew, are not simultaneous with Luke 2, but are from a time somewhat later. In verses 9 and 11, Jesus is no longer a babe, but a child, and verse 7 indicates that the…
6 Then he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts. 7 Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain. And he shall bring forward the top stone amid shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!’” 8 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 9 “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also complete it. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you.10 For whoever…
Originally posted December 2019 I fear that it is necessary to have read Matthew 1-2 before you read my notes. They may turn out to be not just Greek, but double Greek, if you have not refreshed your memory of the story beforehand. I use the YouVersion Bible app which serves multiple purposes when studying the Bible – you can have the app read for you the biblical material – in the ESV or NIV translation if you want. I…
Originally posted November 2019 The word Messiah, is a Hebrew word, and means The Anointed One. The Greek word is Christ! In the term Jesus Christ, Christ is not a second name, but a title. Jesus The Anointed One! The word “anointed” refers to the fact that in the Old Testament, certain individuals could be endowed with the Holy Spirit to perform certain functions, for a specific time. Amongst these were kings, priests and prophets. Oil, symbolising the Holy Spirit…