A Pastor in The Northwest

I've been thinking about two big moments in the writings of the New Testament accounts of Jesus.  Both of these involve the deceiver or the evil one or, as other renderings go, the devil or satan (both not proper names).  So in Luke 4, Jesus is directly confronted by the evil one tempting Him with power, fame, and pleasure, and to use His strength for Himself.  Jesus, being very hungry and tired at this point, refuses to play the deciever's game.  So, the deceiver goes away to figure out another attempt to take Jesus down. This leads to the second encounter, but this time, the evil one doesn't go directly but indirectly through one of Jesus's inner 3 disciples, Simon Peter. For some reason, Luke leaves this out of his account, but it is recorded both by Matthew (16:23) and Mark (8:33). Toward the end of Luke's account (chapter 22), the deceiver apparently gives up on attacking Jesus, so he switches to others in Jesus' life, like Judas Iscariot and Simon Peter, t...

Jesus answered, “My Kingdom is not an earthly kingdom. If it were, my followers would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish leaders. But my Kingdom is not of this world.” -John 18:36 NLT Jesus said this to a Roman governor to make it clear that competing with empires like Rome was not His mission. In contrast, Jesus spoke of the new "called-out people" of His kingdom as unstoppable by any force (Matthew 16:18). I find it interesting that the spread of the early church throughout the Roman Empire was at least in part successful due to Roman roads, a common language (koine Greek), and a viable legal system. The Roman Empire ended after an almost 500-year run.  However, the Kingdom of Messiah Jesus is still going and will never end! 10 So, dear brothers and sisters,[a] work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Do these things, and you will never fall away. 11 Then God will give you a grand entrance into the eternal Kingdom of o...

Noah, Daniel, and Job - The Faith Trifecta? In Ezekiel 14:14, 20, we find mention of Noah, Daniel, and Job together. In context, God is condemning the Judean elders for continuing to worship idols, and that judgment would inevitably come upon them. But why this grouping of individuals? These were certainly key characters in the Hebrew people's collective imaginations and men who had experienced some incredible ups and downs in their lives. These men fought temptations and struggles and worked hard to save the people they loved. All true, but I've got more questions... Why are they in that order? Why those three together specifically? Neither Noah nor Job was technically an 'Israelite', so why are they highlighted? Was the Daniel mentioned THE Daniel we all know and love? Ezekiel and Daniel were actually historic contemporaries...hmmm? Well, more study is needed, but overall, in context, we can learn from Ezekiel's prophecy here that a few righteous men interced...

First week of Advent 2025 is upon us.  This is the formal liturgical term for this time of year marking the arrival of Messiah Jesus into human history in the first century. How is this season celebrated?  Well, other than the usual Christmas traditions, from a faith perspective, we embrace the four pillars of hope, peace, joy, and love. How would you rate these 4 in your life right now?  How is your hope?  Do you have peace in your life?  How about your joy?  Are you enJOYing life?  And, last but not least, how is your love?  Are you growing in your love for the Lord and for the humans around you?  "Dear Lord, increase our faith, enlarge our hearts, and move us into a people filled with all kinds of hope and peace, and joy and love!" Amen indeed! Photo by Gilbert Ng on Unsplash