Hope in the Bible: Jesus Raises from the Grave

We all need hope and the greatest hope comes in Jesus Christ.  He provided hope for his followers when he rose from the grave. The other day, we discussed how uncertain times were for the disciples and women who followed Jesus. He had been crucified and was gone. Their hearts heavy as they celebrated the sabbath. Mary Magdalene and some […]

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The Seven Deacons: Prochorus

Prochorus is one of the Seven Deacons.   His name is Greek meaning leader of the dance. He was chosen to care for the poor of the Christian community in Jerusalem. {Acts 6:5} Tradition states he was the nephew of Stephen. He accompanied the Apostle Peter, who ordained him as the bishop to the cit of Nicomedia, which is an ancient […]

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The Seven Deacons: Philip

Philip was the second mentioned of the seven deacons. After Stephen, he is the best known. The name Philip is Greek and means friend of horses. Philip is listed several times in the book of Acts.  He is first mentioned as being chosen as one of the seven deacons.   The deacons were chosen to attend to the poor of the […]

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Women Followed Jesus: Mary Magdalene

In addition to his disciples, Jesus had many others who followed him. I found 34 references about “a large crowd who followed Jesus”. Women were part of the crowd who followed him, support him and the disciples and were part of his inner circle.  “oon afterward Jesus began a tour of the nearby towns and villages, preaching and announcing the […]

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The Disciples: Matthais, the 13th Disciple

Judas Iscariot has betrayed Jesus, who has been crucified and risen from the grave.  Judas was remorseful for his actions and killed himself. Jesus has ascended to heaven and the disciples gather in the upper room waiting for the Holy Spirit to descend. Here were are introduced to two followers of Jesus, who have been following him since his baptism […]

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The Disciples: Judas Iscariot

Judas Iscariot is the most reviled of the 12 disciples, after all he was the one who betrayed Jesus. The name Judas is Hebrew and means praise or the praised one, while Iscariot is Greek and means man from Kerioth. Today the name means traitor. We are told early in the gospel accounts that Judas betrayed Jesus.  “Judas Iscariot, who also […]

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The Disciples: Thomas

The disciple Thomas is commonly known as doubt Thomas, but we’ll get to that in a moment. In the first three gospels {and book of Acts}, Thomas is only mentioned as one of the disciples of Jesus and nothing else is mentioned about him. The name Thomas is Hebrew and means twin.  The name Didymus is Greek and means twin. […]

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The Disciples: Simon the Zealot

Simon the Zealot is one of the most obscure of the disciples. The name Simon is a Greek name meaning to listen. Luke listed in the list of the apostles, “Simon called Zelotes.”  {Luke 6:14-16} The Zealotes were a political movent in the Jewish temple of the first century. This group sought to incite a rebellion against the Roman Empire. […]

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Hymn Story: Surely Goodness and Mercy

Surely Goodness and Mercy is another beautiful hymn that I grew up singing but only recently did I read the amazing story behind this hymn. The hymn was the collaboration of two well known gospel music writers, John W. Peterson and Alfred B. Smith. In 1958, the two men collaborated to write a song based on Psalm 23. Mr. Smith […]

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The Disciples: Matthew Levi

Matthew once again is a disciple we do not know much about.  Many scholars believe he is also the tax collector Levi and as with Simon Peter and Judas Thaddeus, his name is interchangeable. The name Matthew means gift of God, while Levi means joined and attached. “And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, […]

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The Disciples: Judas Thaddeus

We first meet Thaddeus in the list of disciples of Jesus.  “…Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddeus.”  {Matthew 10:3} The name Thaddeus is believed to be a Aramaic form of the Greek name, which means a courageous heart. The name Lebbaeus is a form of Judas or Jude, to which it is believed he is often referred to later in scripture. […]

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Names of God: Shepherd

The Lord is referred to as the shepherd.  A shepherd is a person who guides or directs in a particular direction and tends or rears sheep. A shepherd stays with his sheep to guide them, while going after the lost sheep. The best known verse is “The Lord is my shepherd” in Psalm 23:1.  The verse speaks of all the […]

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The Disciples: Philip

Philip is a Greek name meaning friend and friend of horses.  Many believe the disciple Philip may have spoken Greek. We first meet Philip right after Jesus has called Andrew and Simon Peter to follow him.  It is possible that Philip was one of two {the unnamed} disciple who was following John the Baptist.  When John the Baptist saw Jesus […]

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