Word by Word Weekly

Lust, Idolatry & the Power of a Stronger Desire By Elyse Fitzpatrick When you saw that this article was going to be about lust, which Bible verses came to mind? My guess is that you started out with the command about adultery and then remembered Jesus's words about lusting after women (and cutting off your hand). And while those passages and others like them are indeed important, they address a very small part of God's words about lust. That's because, although lust in modern parlance is usually thought of in terms of inappropriate sexual desire, scripturally the word means far more than that. Read more Ministry Corner Top Preaching Tools & Resources That Belong in a Pastor's Library By Kirk Miller   In his classic work, The Christian Ministry, Charles Bridges opens his section on sermon composition with these words: How much responsibility attaches itself to the subject matter and the mode of our pulpit addresses! It cannot be of light moment, whether our people are "fed with knowledge and understanding," or with ill-prepared and unsuitable provision. […] Read more What's the Fear of the Lord Really? And Why Does It Matter? By Wendy Widder   If someone or something has ever put the fear of God in you, it likely wasn't a positive experience. And you'd be happy if it never happened again. That cultural idiom is resoundingly negative. But the Bible calls the fear of the Lord the beginning of wisdom—making this fear an incredibly positive, even necessary thing. Read more Lecture Hall What Does the Bible Say about Sexual Immorality? 3 Key Questions By Donald C. McIntyre   What does the Bible say about sexual immorality? How does God, through Scripture, comfort the sexually struggling, engage the skeptic, and provide a template for those exasperated by their attempts to live a holy sexual life? Common ethical systems When it comes to sexual ethics, the major philosophical schools are probably hedonism, utilitarianism, Kantian deontologicalism, […] Read more Defiled Defined: What "Defiled" Means in the Old Testament By Ken Casillas   You probably don't use the word defiled in everyday conversation. But if the synonyms dirty or unclean come to mind, you're on your way to understanding the key Old Testament theme of defilement. It's just that in Scripture, defilement isn't limited to physical uncleanness. Often it's ceremonial and symbolic, and the symbolism points to the most serious kind of uncleanness—moral and spiritual uncleanness. Read more Reading Nook Being a Christian in a Non-Christian World: 7 Tips from Church History By Robert Elmer   even beyond the earliest examples in the book of Acts, Christians throughout history have experienced many of the same challenges and frustrations we face. They wrestled with materialism and obedience to God, with sharing their faith and worries and distractions and more. Read more © 2023 Faithlife. All rights reserved. 1313 Commercial St. Bellingham, WA 98225 US Faithlife, LLC

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A Word Of Encouragement: Go; But Wait

Are you moving and operating at the impulse of the Holy Spirit?

Go; But Wait      Are you moving and operating at the impulse of the Holy Spirit? Do you regularly ask for and wait for His empowerment before you begin a task? Or is it more common for us to move ahead by our own designs—possibly under our own steam?      It is easy and natural for us to rely upon our own strength, especially for familiar tasks we feel we have mastered. "I've got this!" But is that the right approach? Or what our Lord really desires? Perhaps this is the step we should take instead: Go; but wait.   Click here to read more and download a free MP3 of Derek's message, "Vocal Gifts: An Unknown Tongue" Copyright © 2022 Derek Prince Ministries, Int., All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: P.O. Box  19501 Charlotte, NC 28219-9501

 

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The Tree Of Life as explained by the Faithlife Study Bible

Gen. 2:9 The wider garden imagery in the ancient Near East helps in understanding the tree of life. The tree of life refers to two concepts: one earthly and the other symbolic of divine life and cosmological wellness. The tree is described as being located in Eden, which is a garden with abundant water and lush vegetation, paradise for those living in agrarian or pastoral settings. In the ancient Near East, garden imagery was used to describe the abodes of deities, representing luxury and abundance. The divine abode also represented the place where heaven and earth met. The ot often connects trees with divine encounters and sacred geography (Gen 21:33;Gen 35:4; Josh 24:26; Judg 4:5; 6:11, 19). The temple of Israel exemplifies this as it was decorated in the fashion of a lush garden (1 Kgs 6:1-38 1Kgs 7:1-51). The idea of a divine tree was commemorated structurally through the ancient Near East, such as in the building of ziggurats in Mesopotamia. The ziggurat was believed to be the temple where gods and humans met. Idolatrous worship was associated with trees for the same reasons (Exod 34:13; Deut 12:3; Judg 3:7). It was even common to bury the dead at or near a sacred tree (Gen 35:8; 1 Chr 10:12). Cosmic Garden and Mountain Imagery in the Old Testament Sacred Trees in Israelite Religion The Tree of Life LRC:G111 Tree of Knowledge and Tree of Life AYBD

John D. Barry et al., Faithlife Study Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016), Ge 2:9.

 

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Religion in Malta - Wikipedia

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_Malta 

Formerly Gay Man Could Go to Jail After Sharing Testimony of Finding God, Embracing Bible

 

Something is not right here. Malta is a "Christian" country.  

 

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