ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJuly 11, 2020Scripture: Philippians 1:1Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons: Thought for the Day: This is the opening of our text for tomorrow. Scholars have debated over the language of “bishops and deacons,” as that was not terminology used in the life of the church at the time of the
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJuly 10, 2020Scripture: Acts 16:29-31The jailer called for lights, and rushing in, he fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them outside and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They answered, “Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” Thought for the Day: Paul was still in Philippi when his jailer asked the question, “What
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJuly 9, 2020Scripture: Acts 16:25-28About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was an earthquake, so violent that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened. When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open, he drew his sword and
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJuly 8, 2020Scripture: Acts 16:14-15A certain woman named Lydia, a worshiper of God, was listening to us; she was from the city of Thyatira and a dealer in purple cloth. The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul. When she and her household were baptized, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJuly 7, 2020Scripture: Acts 16:9-10During the night Paul had a vision: there stood a man of Macedonia pleading with him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” When he had seen the vision, we immediately tried to cross over to Macedonia, being convinced that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them. Thought for the Day: It was about this time last
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJuly 6, 2020Prayer for the Week: News reports, statistics, graphs and charts — they can so easily be dismissed as nothing more than a bunch of irrelevant numbers. Forgive us, God of All Creation, when we choose to live with a narrow vision of how sisters and brothers are being impacted this day. Though we may not know the stories behind every number, let us respect every
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJuly 5, 2020Scripture: Galatians 6:1My friends, if anyone is detected in a transgression, you who have received the Spirit should restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness. Take care that you yourselves are not tempted. Thought for the Day: Paul placed a lot of responsibility on the community. There is a tendency to suggest it isn’t our place or it’s not polite to involve ourselves
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJuly 4, 2020Scripture: Galatians 5:25If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit. Thought for the Day: As we read this verse, let us place the emphasis on the most important word in the passage. It is not the word SPIRIT, but the word IF. If we live by the Spirit, we should also be guided by the Spirit. But is it
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJuly 3, 2020Scripture: Galatians 5:14For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Thought for the Day: If you were to sit in and listen to Board Meetings from a dozen different churches, how do you think you’d summarize what you heard? Would it be entirely focused on love? Or would the energy and passions give the appearance
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJuly 2, 2020Scripture: Galatians 5:6For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything; the only thing that counts is faith working through love. Thought for the Day: Do you ever want to scream at the top of your lungs, “You’re missing the point!” I have… often. In fact, I have felt those words forming in my mouth a lot lately. For Paul, the folks in