Moving Off Dead Center

Moving Off Dead Center

Acts 14:27 “They gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them and how He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles” (NIV). Observation: Paul and Barnabas have been on a preaching circuit, the fruit of which was anything but neutral....
Hot-Hearted Pursuit

Hot-Hearted Pursuit

Acts 10:33 “Now we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us” (NIV). Observation: Cornelius was a Roman Centurion who loved God. Generous to the poor, faithful in his prayer life, he had been visited by an angel...
Masks

Masks

Exodus 33:15 “Then Moses said to him, ‘If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here’” (NIV). Observation: Moses had come off Mt. Sinai to the devastating scene of Hebrews worshiping a golden calf. In fury, God told Moses to lead the people away...
Paying My Own Ransom

Paying My Own Ransom

Exodus 30:12 “When you take a census of the Israelites to count them, each one must pay the Lord a ransom for his life at the time he is counted” (NIV). Observation: God was establishing patterns for the Hebrews’ spiritual lives. After much detail, the text shifts to...
The Ultimate Bouncer

The Ultimate Bouncer

Exodus 23:22, 27 “If you listen carefully to all that he says and do all that I say, I will be an enemy to your enemies and will oppose those who oppose you. I will send my terror ahead of you and throw into confusion every nation that you encounter.” Observation: God...
His Deepest Longing

His Deepest Longing

Exodus 17:2 “Moses replied, ‘Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the Lord to the test?’” (NIV). Observation: The Hebrews had recently begun what would be a forty-year odyssey of desert wandering. Having satisfied their need for food, they then quarreled with...