Digging in Deeper – Page 126

Digging in Deeper: Jeremiah 29:7

March 27, 2019March 26, 2019Leave a comment

“Pursue the well-being of the city I have deported you to. Pray to the Lord on its behalf, for when it thrives, you will thrive.”‬‬ (CSB – Read the chapter)

As I said back when we started looking at this verse, we live in the midst of a culture that is increasingly more like Babylon than Jerusalem. Followers of Jesus are becoming, if not a numerical minority, at least a cultural minority. And we are not just a cultural minority either. We are increasingly a hated minority by the cultural elite. So then, what do we do when the cultural elite actively opposes and even attempts to legislate against us at every turn? We listen to what Jeremiah says here.

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Digging in Deeper: John 20:19

March 25, 2019March 21, 2019Leave a comment

“When it was evening of that first day of the week, the disciples were gathered together with the doors locked because they feared the Jews. Jesus came, stood among them, and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.'”‬‬ (CSB – Read the chapter)

How do we know Jesus rose from the dead? That’s one of those big questions that doesn’t seem so big until we really think about it for a minute. If Jesus didn’t rise from the dead, then the whole of the Christian faith collapses into a giant heap which, frankly, isn’t worth even trying to rebuild. Of all the apologetic questions people ask about the faith, this one is by far the most significant. So again, how do we know?

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Digging in Deeper: 2 Corinthians 5:6-8

March 22, 2019March 19, 2019Leave a comment

“So we are always confident and know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. In fact, we are confident, and we would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.”‬‬ (CSB – Read the chapter)

Last time we looked at this thing Paul said about being away from the body and at home with the Lord being preferable to remaining here. It’s the kind of statement that naturally draws some attention to itself. What’s it mean?

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Digging in Deeper: 2 Corinthians 5:5

March 20, 2019March 19, 2019Leave a comment

“Now the one who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave us the Spirit as a down payment.”‬‬ (CSB – Read the chapter)

We’ve been talking for a few days about Paul’s thoughts on life after death now. We’ve talked in particular about this sense of eternality that dwells in the hearts of people. We’ve also talked about the fact that we only gain any substance for this otherwise empty hope in Christ. Apart from Him, we don’t have anything to go on but wishful thinking that plays itself out in a variety of mostly ultimately harmful ways. In Christ, though, things get very much more solid. The reason for this is the Spirit.

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Digging in Deeper: Joel 2:12

March 15, 2019March 12, 2019Leave a comment

“‘Yet even now,’ declares the Lord, ‘return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;’”‬‬ (ESV – Read the chapter)

Have you ever been so deep in a mess of your own making that you figured you were just going to have to ride it out and endure it until the end? That’s an awful place to be. Is there anything we can do there other than to simply hang on for dear life? As a matter of fact there is. We can repent.

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