Jim’s Blog

Key Verse: 2 Corinthians 2:17a “For we are not, as so many peddling the word of God…” A relative of mine, who is a television producer, called me recently from Washington D.C. He’d been watching 100 Huntley Street in Boston a few days earlier. “Your program is so unlike typical televangelism,” he said. “Sometimes I […]

Key Verse: 2 Corinthians 1:21, 22 “Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set His seal of ownership on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” (NIV) I think a lot of us suffer from “performance […]

Key Verse: 1 Corinthians 16:18 “For they refreshed my spirit and yours; therefore acknowledge such men.” There is a difference between being driven and being committed. Commitment springs from conviction, whereas “drivenness” is the product of some sort of neurotic compulsion. One can never be driven and sleep well at night — because drivenness betrays […]

Key Verse: 1 Corinthians 15:17 “And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! What does your faith stand on? Personal experience? Anything else? The Gospel? What is the Gospel? For those of us who need a refresher course, let’s analyze the basic ingredients of the “Good News”. […]

Key Verse: 1 Corinthians 14:33 “For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.” Fruitfulness, however, is not an end in itself. There’s a greater end in view: God’s glory. Even the “common good” is subject to this greater end. The ultimate goal of spiritual […]

Alms, Prayer, & Fasting 6:1-18 Our Father in Heaven v. 9 (Part 3) “Your name” is a subject all of itself. I’m tempted to write an essay here, but space won’t permit. Rather I’ll make a few summary observations. In the biblical view there is nothing more holy on this space/time spaceship we call earth […]

Key Verse: 1 Corinthians 13:13 “And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” Fruitfulness, as distinct from giftedness, is what this chapter is about. Generally, we tend to take the “love chapter” out of context. It is important in Bible interpretation to remember context — and in this […]

Key Verse: 1 Corinthians 12:7 “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.” (NIV) Unity in diversity: that’s the story on the body of Christ. We’re all different, and we’re all one — or, at least, we’re supposed to be. Paul begins a three-chapter dissertation designed to dispel […]