What Do You Have?

Posted on 2014/07/07 by Shawn Thomas

In II Kings 4:2, the prophet Elisha asked a widow an important question: “What do you have in the house?” His question may hold the key to God’s solution for the situations some of us face today as well:

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Music and the Spirit

Posted on 2014/07/03 by Shawn Thomas

We find an obscure but telling episode in II Kings 3, where Elisha is going to prophesy to the kings. In verse 15 he says: “‘But now bring me a minstrel.’ And it came about, when the minstrel played, that the hand of YHWH came upon him.” This is a very revealing verse regarding the way that God’s Spirit uses music.

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Evidence of Discipleship

Posted on 2014/07/02 by Shawn Thomas

In II Kings 3:14 the prophet Elisha addressed the king of Israel, and he began his sentence with the phrase: “As YHWH of hosts lives, before whom I stand …”. This expression is significant for a couple of reasons, one of which challenges us regarding discipleship:

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Menial Training For Ministry

Posted on 2014/07/01 by Shawn Thomas

In II Kings 3:11, when Jehoshaphat asked for a prophet of Yahweh, someone responded: “Elisha the son of Shaphat is here, who used to pour water on the hands of Elijah.” This is a revealing statement, with some telling implications for those who would go into ministry:

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A Word About Worship Songs

Posted on 2014/06/30 by Shawn Thomas

Colossians 3:16 opens by commanding: “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you …” — and then instructs us that one way that is to happen is through our music and worship: “… with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”
This verse teaches us some important things about our worship songs:

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God’s Perfect Word

Posted on 2014/06/27 by Shawn Thomas

Psalm 12 contrasts the flattering words (:2-3) and boastful word-faith (:4) of men with the perfect words of God. Verse 6 says “The words of the LORD are pure words; as silver tried in a furnace on the earth, refined seven times.”
Here we find a 3-fold emphasis on the purity of God’s word:

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Is There No God In Israel?

Posted on 2014/06/26 by Shawn Thomas

In II Kings 1, King Ahaziah, who had fallen and become ill, sent messengers to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, whether he would recover. In :3, Elijah confronts the messengers and proclaims: “Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron?”

This question surely applies to many of us today as well:

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The Missing Ingredient

Posted on 2014/06/25 by Shawn Thomas

There is a vital missing ingredient in the lives of many American Christians today. Colossians 3:16 says: “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another …”. Those words “one another” are a key.

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What God Says I Shall Speak

Posted on 2014/06/24 by Shawn Thomas

I Kings 22:14 should be the commitment of every Christian preacher and teacher: “But Micaiah said, ‘As the Lord lives, what the Lord says to me, that I shall speak.'” He spoke these words in the specific context of :13, where King Ahab’s messenger told him to “go along” with all the other prophets and tell the king what he wanted to hear: something favorable.

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“Putting Up” With Each Other

Posted on 2014/06/23 by Shawn Thomas

You might not think that just “putting up” with someone was a very godly thing to do — but it is actually the literal translation of a Bible word in Colossians 3:13. The New American Standard translates it “bearing with one another, but the Greek Bible word is “anexomenoi” — literally, “putting up” with one another”. Yep, sometimes that’s just what you have to do!

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