Posts by John Staiger (Page 58)

In my youth I heard an old lady say, “When you get married, it becomes a battle of the wills. It’s a matter of ‘Who’s will wins!’” One had to wonder in her case, “Who won and was it worth it?” Church automatically places us in close proximity to one another. It’s not a choice, it’s what family is. So, all those ‘wills’ in one place are surely going to want to express themselves. And believe it or not, they…

What do you think is the most asked question concerning one’s legacy? I would say: “What will I be remembered for?” But I pose that the amount of time given to this question is probably a lot less than imagined. It just doesn’t really strike me that many people think that hard about their post-life reputations. The way a man sees his life in light of its impact after his death says a lot about him. A quick survey will…

Jesus needed a pulpit. The crowd was pressing around him on the shore of Lake Galilee, so he asked Peter, Andrew, James and John if he could sit in their boat. Though these fishermen had been packing up after an unsuccessful night of fishing, they obliged him. When Jesus’ sermon was complete, he directed his attention to apostle making; He further requested that they launch out into the deep to go fishing. Peter replied, “Master, we worked hard all night…

Jesus not only told us to pray, “Thy will be done” (Mt.6:10), he also told us “that if we ask anything according to His will He hears us” (1Jn.5:14). Think about it! If our prayers are centred on asking for things in line with the will of God, “we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him” (1Jn.5:15). Which begs the question: “Why do we waste so much time and effort praying for things outside of…

The church at Rome was promised a visit by the apostle Paul and he was going to honour his word. He had written to them and told them to expect him on a planned missionary trip to Spain. He had even asked them to prepare to assist him with expenses; something that would not happen. On Paul’s return to Jerusalem after his third missionary journey, he and Luke visited the home of the evangelist Philip. While there a prophet named…

God reigns sovereign! For millennia Super-Powers have risen to glory, but given time, decadence, and a fiercer foe, have sunk back into obscurity. Ask your friends if they have ever heard of Cyrus the Great or Charlemagne. If they haven’t, don’t be too hard on them, for even Elizabeth I is slipping from memory. National security is no small matter. For citizens to feel safe to go about their business, their enemies must understand the consequences of crossing their borders.…

Paul was disinterested in tabulating a personal baptism count. “I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius” (1Cor.1:14), he told the Corinthian church. Then he remembered, “Now I did baptize also the household of Stephanas” (1Cor.1:16). It is strange how the best of the brethren can be so easily forgotten amongst the noise of the church troublemakers. However, Paul pushes Stephanas and his household back to the front of the minds of the Corinthian church…

Two thousand years ago, the Romans ruled in every place. However, they did allow local puppet kings some local autonomy. Jesus was born into Israel, the jurisdiction of Herod the Great. Herod had no redeeming qualities. His “Massacre of the Innocents” (Mt.2:16–18) in Bethlehem, says everything about his character. As each day dawned, Jerusalem’s Temple Courts filled with priests, religious zealots, merchants and pilgrims. While the visitors marvelled at the architecture, and the bored locals shared the latest Royal gossip,…

Simeon was an old man carrying a promise in his heart. God had vowed that he would not see death until he saw the Lord’s Christ. How many days he woke wondering, “Is this the day?” we don’t know. He was one of the last recorded Old Testament prophets. Here in Luke 2:25-35 Simeon meets his heart’s desire. Taking the 8-day-old Jesus in his arms he proclaimed to all who could hear that this baby was “a light for revelation…

Quiz Question: “What were the first words in scripture spoken by Jesus?” If you answered, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Mt.4:17), you are in good company. But, sorry, even good company are not always correct. Luke 2:42-51 records Jesus’ trip to Jerusalem with his parents at age twelve. On the return trip, he was assumed to have been among the other travellers, but was nowhere to be found. When Mary and Joseph returned to Jerusalem, they…