The Pneumatomachi were a sect of Christians in the fourth century who denied the deity of the Spirit. “Pneumatomachi” literally means “spirit-fighters.” Perhaps you don’t resist or deny the Spirit’s deity but are instead fighting against...

To be disregarded or rejected is painful. It can be devastating in so many ways. We all want to be regarded—to be accepted. But life is not always like that, and most of us can relate to the sorrow of being rejected. The greatest disregard that...

God dwelling with his people is a major theme that runs right through the Bible. When God dwells with his people, it is glorious—because he is glorious. But when God does not dwell with a people, his glory is not present, and those people will live...

Luke’s Gospel is particularly burdened to show us that Jesus was a man of prayer. When his disciples saw him praying, they asked him to teach them to pray. He taught them to pray corporately, humbly, believingly, and fervently.

Othniel is an example of the ideal judge. Everything about him screams “deliverer.” By comparison, Ehud comes out of left field. Commentators have called him “a bit of a shock after Othniel” and “a devious assassin,” which is...

Humans are, by nature, self-focused creatures, and when we think of the need to do better in certain areas, the first thing that comes to mind is often ourselves. But what if our New Year’s resolutions were others-centred? What if we committed,...

The branch was symbolic of a person: a servant of the Lord who would come to restore life to God’s beleaguered people. As you look closely at the character of the branch, it is clear that no servant or the Lord could fulfil this prophecy but Jesus...

This text is designed to help us wait for God’s full and final salvation. It serves to help us persevere through times of hopelessness. It equips us by scripture’s encouragement, and by the Spirit’s empowerment, to faithfully anticipate the...

In the text before us, we see the fulfilment of God’s promise of the good news of the birth of the Saviour. It was one thing to promise the incarnation, and another thing to believe that promise, but it was an entirely different thing for the...

Mary was a woman of faith, who believed God’s promises to her. But as with all believers, she found it helpful when others affirmed her faith. That is what happened when she went to visit Elizabeth, and the result was exultation: what would become...