Growing up, I heard lots of teaching on the gifts of the Spirit, and being Pentecostal/Charismatic; I saw lots of weird stuff under the guise of the move of the Spirit. As I was thinking about the extra emphasis on the gifts of the Spirit and the minimal focus on the fruit, the thought came... Continue Reading →
When Jesus rose from the dead, He stayed on earth for forty days. There is not a detailed record of what took place during those days, but there is one insight that is fascinating to me. Luke 24:44-49 LSB "And being in agony He was praying very fervently, and His sweat became like drops of... Continue Reading →
I pray everyone has enjoyed a wonderful Resurrection Sunday. The thing I love about Resurrection Sunday is that it wasn't a typical Sunday. I don't say that because Jesus rose from the dead, even though that is not typical in the least. However, the particular day had a significance of its own, which Jesus fulfilled... Continue Reading →
Today is Good Friday, the day we remember the sacrifice Jesus paid on behalf of our sins to redeem us and restore us to a right relationship with God. Many will attend Good Friday Communion services, and others will attend a Messianic Passover Seder, but all of our minds will be on Jesus, our Lord... Continue Reading →
Deuteronomy 6:6-7 ESV "And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise." Passover is a time to be... Continue Reading →
Passover is a time of deliverance. It is an invitation to examine our hearts and lives and get the leaven (sin) out. It is also one of three appointed Feasts of the Lord. Passover is the story of the Hebrew people being delivered from bondage and the fulfillment of our redemption from sin through the... Continue Reading →
Let there be is a phrase repeated in Genesis chapter one as God created all that the world contains. Colossians 2:6-7 LSB "Therefore as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him,7 having been firmly rooted and being built up in Him, and having been established in your faith—just as you were instructed—and... Continue Reading →
2 Timothy 3:16-17 TLV “All Scripture is [God-breathed]1 and useful for teaching, for reproof, for restoration, and for training in righteousness, 17 so that the person belonging to God may be capable, fully equipped for every good deed.” These are the two quintessential verses for the doctrine of the inspiration of Scripture. They are the... Continue Reading →
The Bible is a book about covenants from beginning to end, and God is a covenant, God. So Paul wrote to the Galatians that through Jesus, the blessing of Abraham comes to the Gentiles, and to the Romans, he noted that Abraham is the father of us all. To understand the new covenant fully, we... Continue Reading →
Throughout Israel’s history, we see neglect and return. Israel neglects the commands of God, repents, and returns to the ways of God. At times we catch ourselves judging Israel and thinking, how could a people who saw such great miracles so quickly turn from God? But in reality, we are no different; we often neglect... Continue Reading →
My first flight was From DFW to London, then London to South Africa. I remember looking out the window each time we would begin flying lower as we got closer to landing. Seeing land far away and getting closer and closer is an incredible thing to see. Life is like that at times, we tend... Continue Reading →
Growing up, I always heard "one word from God can change your life." Today as I was reading my Bible, that phrase came to mind, and I began to think about it and different characters in the Bible. Moses saw a burning bush, and when he turned aside to see, the Lord spoke to him,... Continue Reading →
"I felt my heart strangely warmed…I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone, for salvation; and an assurance was given me that he had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death." Those were the words of John Wesley after hearing someone read Martin Luther's preface... Continue Reading →
Tonight and tomorrow are joyous days of celebration for the Jewish people. Tonight marks the beginning of Purim, the celebration of the Jewish people being delivered from the murderous plot of the wicked Haman. Esther is a short book, and I encourage you to read it, as I will only be highlighting a few portions... Continue Reading →
Growing up in church during the late nineties and early two-thousands, I was simultaneously terrified of the end-times yet fascinated by the movies produced by Cloud Ten Pictures. If you’ve never seen a great low-quality end-times film, I highly recommend it; some of my favorites are; Left Behind, Judgement, Vanished, and The Mark. Last year... Continue Reading →
Casey D. Bell 