1 Corinthians 16: Loving the Saints, Loving the Lord
The final chapter of Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians is an exhortation to love and ends with “My love be with you all in Christ Jesus”. In what sense is love is the greatest (Ch 13),…
1 Corinthians 15: “Love Crucified” Arose!
Chapter 15 might seem abrupt when Paul switched from exercising spiritual gifts to the gospel. Unless we follow his train of thought from chapter 13 – it’s all about love. Love crucified Love does not seek its…
1 Corinthians 14: “Barbarians” & “Idiots”?
Language evolves. Barbaros in ancient Greece simply meant one whose speech is rude, rough and harsh, often used to describe foreigners. Hence Paul advised the Corinthians who flaunted their glossolalia to not use their tongues meant for…
Nehemiah Chapter 6 – Work of God, Words of Men
The wall of Jerusalem was worked on by human hands, but it was clear even to adversaries that completing the wall in 52 days was the very work of God (15-16). Amid the building, and after the…
John Chapter 21 (2) – A Blessed Assurance
The last chapter of John is a reassuring appendix to the Fourth Gospel, and reads like a recommissioning or a graduation ceremony. The main character Peter first met Jesus by the Lake of Gennesaret, another name for…
John 10: “And Other Sheep I have”
How blessed are we to be in the fold of God with Jesus the Good Shepherd! We have abundant life because He gave His life for us (Jn 10:10-11). Speaking to the children of Abraham in His…
John Chapter 4: Importance of Knowing
It is interesting that the Gospel of John attributed Jesus leaving Judea to Samaria to the Pharisees – that they heard that He made and baptised more disciples than John. After talking to a prominent Pharisee about…
John 3: Do you know what you don’t know?
“Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things? (Jn 3:10) Nicodemus, one of the Pharisees, came to Jesus by night. After addressing Him “Rabbi”, the first thing he said was “we know”. Jesus…
John 2: Messiah Invited, Merchants Expelled
When Jesus enters into the lives of people, two seemingly opposite things can happen – enhancing pleasure or rebuking error. In either case, it’s a matter of alignment to the will of God for our ultimate good.…
John Chapter 1 – The Word & the Voice
In the beginning was the Word, who was God Himself. When the Word came into the world, there was a voice going before Him (v23). The Word created the world. The voice bore witness to the Word.…