-
Jonah and the Gentiles
Jonah means “dove.” The dove in the Bible can be a symbol of hope as in the story of Noah’s Ark. It can also be a symbol of thoughtlessness. “Ephraim is like a dove, easily deceived and senseless— now calling to Egypt, now turning to Assyria.” (Hosea 7:11) The book was probably written in the 8th century BC by the same circle of prophets who wrote down the deeds of Elijah and Elisha in 1 and 2 Kings and 1 and 2 Chronicles. This is not fiction, it is an inspired report of the prophet Jonah’s experiences in Nineveh of the Assyrians. Historical Background Jonah was a prophet during the…
-
The Meaning of Palm Sunday
Palm Sunday is a Christian celebrates Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, which occurs about a week before His Resurrection. It is mentioned in all 4 gospels, which makes it a very big deal indeed according to the Bible. Many churches across all Christian traditions celebrate the Triumphal Entry with palm leaves, sometimes tied into the shape of a cross. Churches without easy access to palm leaves may use other types of native trees as well leading to the occasional “Yew Sunday” or even “Branch Sunday.” Jesus rode a donkey into Jerusalem. The city was crowded with Passover pilgrims and the people lining the route lay down their cloaks and small…
-
Belief AND Action
In iGoogle I have boxes for “Success Tips” and a daily Bible verse. When I opened up Google this morning I read the Success Tips thing first. It’s usually pretty good but this morning it said “What we think or what we know or what we believe is, in the end, of little consequence. The only consequence is what we do.” I immediately said to myself “That’s dumb.” Because it absolutely matters what we believe — that we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and THEN we act on that belief. (Rom. 10:9) And then — get this — I read the daily Bible verse that I have beside it.…