Simson and the women. A tragic story. Not much time had passed since the Holy Spirit began to write something about this man – and already now He is “compelled” to point out that Samson had his eye on a woman (Judges 14:1). Samson must have been so fascinated by this lady that he immediately…
Someone stated, “Thus the unity of the body includes all believers, while the unity of the spirit is unfortunately often much, much smaller.” I think what is meant is that this unity is, unfortunately, no longer visible in practice. But this unity has not changed! The unity of the body and the unity of the…
God gives wonderful assurances and promises to the fearful here: His presence: “I am with you“. When we have the feeling of being alone, or when we are actually alone, when no one understands us or feels with us – He is there! His faithfulness: “I am your God“. We do not need to look…
Some people have difficulty seeing the Lord Jesus as the Jehovah (Yahweh) of the Old Testament. But there are some passages that clearly prove this. One impressive passage can be found in John 12, where the evangelist John complains that the Jews did not believe in him despite the many signs that Jesus performed. He…
Commandments? In the New Testament? Whenever people hear the word “commandments,” they immediately think of legalism. But the two expressions are by no means synonymous. No one spoke more about commandments than the Lord Jesus, and yet no one was less lawful than He was. What is legalism? Although the word itself does not appear…
The prophet Isaiah calls the Lord Jesus the “Man of Sorrows and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3). He Himself laments: “I am troubled; I am bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long” (Psalm 38:6), and yet says devotedly: “Woe is me for my hurt! My wound is severe. But I say, ‘Truly…
There are tensions in the still-young church/assembly in Philippi. Two squabblers – Euodias and Syntyche – are at loggerheads. Pastor Paul writes a letter in which he also deals with this situation. How does he proceed? Surely, he would address the reason for the conflict, listen to both sides, weigh up the arguments, and propose…
Freedom is something that people in general and young people in particular long for. To be free from external constraints, develop, do, and not do what one wants. That seems worth striving for! To put it elegantly, freedom is the ability to say “no” to constraints and “yes” to opportunities. Or you can put it…
God’s instructions in the Old Testament do not abolish the difference between rich and poor. In the same way, the gospel of grace does not call for the social differences in this world to be abolished. To this day, we have to live with the fact that there are rich and poor. But in the…
Jacob is about to take a really big step. Going to a distant country at age 130 – without knowing whether you will even make it that far or what you will encounter there – can be really scary. Jacob, in particular, who always wanted to have control over his life situations and had often…
Question: All denominations worldwide give themselves a name. Many people ask for the name of the assembly where we gather. Why don’t we have a name? Answer: There are indeed many denominations of Christianity that have different names. But I think that this is not scriptural. The following four questions may help to understand this:…
In professional life, many young and older people find themselves unemployed “on the street.” In the spiritual realm, every Christian has a task, a job. Actually, unfortunately, some positions remain unfilled. At least understaffed. This also includes the “task” of the missionary. It is therefore worth considering some aspects of this special task. This article…
So that should take away the fear in our Bible verse: Thinking about the great God. If we get to know our God more, deeper and better, this will have a huge impact – also on our fear. Daniel writes: ”The people that knows His God shall act strong“ (Dan 11:32). And indeed, living in…
There is probably no topic that has been dealt with as often in literature and films as love in relationships. Love stories are interwoven everywhere, even when they are not the main theme. This alone shows that we humans long for love. Natural love But what is love actually? Most people would probably answer: being…
Have you noticed that “hell breaks loose” in the department store just before Christmas? Did you “go through hell” with your last illness? Have you ever wanted to “give someone hell’? Many idioms that play down hell’s seriousness have crept into our language. A few people have said, “Oh, in hell, I can play cards…
Who glories in tribulation? Most of us would run miles to escape it; however, if we know the grace in which we stand, if the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost given to us, and if we know the end to be secured by the tribulation, we shall…
The eternal state – so after the Millennium and the destruction of this planet – is described in the first eight verses of Revelation 21. We could emphasize the following points: Concerning Creation There will be a new earth, which will be of a completely new kind. Every trace of sin has disappeared. The curse…
The letter of Jude is one of the shortest and, at the same time, one of the most serious and weighty letters in the New Testament. We would do well to apply it to us in its full scope. No one who prayerfully reads this letter in its context can avoid the impression of…
“Then Job answered and said: ‘Oh, that my grief were fully weighed, and my calamity laid with it on the scales! For then it would be heavier than the sand of the sea” (Job 6:1-3). Job is obviously thinking of a balance here. On one side, he puts his grief and his misfortune, and on…
What does it mean to be led by the Spirit of God, and what does this leading by the Holy Spirit have to do with our sonship? We want to explore these questions a little. Pay attention to the context It is undisputed that the guidance of the Holy Spirit plays a major role in…