The Keys of the Kingdom

In Matthew 16:19 Jesus taught his disciples about the keys of the kingdom: I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven (NIV). Because the teaching of the keys of the kingdom …

Eating & Drinking [Eternal!] Judgment on Ourselves? (Henry)

  In 1 Corinthians 11:29, in the middle of Paul's discussion of the Lord's Supper debacle in the Corinthian church, he wrote this: "For the one who eats and drinks without careful regard for the body eats and drinks judgment against himself" (NET). It's not uncommon for Christians to read this text and think: "If …

On Disciplining Your Children: Do It!

It seems that from one perspective disciplining our kids isn't a kind or nice thing to do.  Think about it.  If your child disrespects you, you might take his dessert away for a week.  If company comes over, they'd all get dessert, but your kid won't.  Seems mean.  Or maybe your teenage daughter was terribly …

One of the Marks: Christian Discipline

 One of the three marks of a true Christian church is discipline.  That is, a true Christian church will follow Christ's command in Matthew 18 and discipline an unrepentant sinner (see also 1 Cor. 5:1-5).  Now, not every church disciplines unrepentant sinners.  Some churches are ignorant of Christ's command, others are afraid to discipline because it …

When Sin Turns into an Affliction (Bunyan)

Israel's complaining and grumbling began early on in the wilderness years. In fact, if my count is correct, they complained around 5 times in the first year or so after God rescued them from Egypt.  In one instance of their grumbling, God gave Israel what they whined for: meat to eat.  In fact, God said …