Ken Winter
Whose Counsel Will We Seek?

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Though the term “fake news” was coined in the late 1800s and the birth of the digital age has greatly multiplied its prevalence in our day-to-day world, the reality is that it dates back to the Garden of Eden. Satan was the original editor-in-chief of “fake news,” and he still is! That’s why there is only one reliable source for all that we need to know in making our decisions.

Whose Counsel Will We Seek?
Ken Winter
No Matter Where We Are

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Two Israelite men, Eldad and Medad, were part of a group of seventy elders that God had directed Moses to assemble.(1) We don’t know from which tribe these men originated. There is no further information about them other than this one reference in Scripture. For some unknown reason these two men, who were probably brothers, had not gone to the Tabernacle with the rest of the elders; they were still in the camp. However, when the Holy Spirit came upon the elders, He came upon all of the elders, including these two who weren’t in the tabernacle. Oh, and isn’t it interesting that theirs are the only names we know out of that group of seventy? Perhaps the Lord has a lesson for us to learn from these two men.

No Matter Where We Are
Ken Winter
Put to the Test

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Every student knows that once you have been given instruction, you will be given an opportunity to apply that instruction or demonstrate how well you have retained it by putting it to the test. Those tests come in a variety of forms.

  • There are pop quizzes—a few short questions placed before you unexpectedly to test your grasp of an idea, principle, or fact soon after it has been presented to you.

  • There are tests—periodic exams given at the conclusion of a defined period of teaching, i.e. weekly, end-of-chapter, etc.

  • And, there are exams, including the mother of all exams—the final exam—through which you are tested on instruction you have received over an extended period, i.e. a semester or academic year.

The teachers i always appreciated the most were the ones that forewarned…

Put to the Test
Ken Winter
Love Your Neighbor

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“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind. And love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew and Mark both write that this was Jesus’s response when the expert in religious law asked Him which was the most important commandment in the law of Moses.(1) Luke writes that the expert in religious law told Jesus that they were the most important commandments in response to Jesus’s question, and He affirmed him. If the Spirit of God impressed all three Gospel writers to include this dialogue, it is well worth our paying attention.

Interestingly, Luke goes on to include the continuation of that conversation between the lawyer and Jesus.(2) Knowing that he was to love God without  limitation and love his neighbor to the same degree that he loved himself, the lawyer found the need to define who his neighbor was. i believe there are two reasons why he sought that clarification.

Love Your Neighbor
Ken Winter
The Power of God Can’t Be Bought

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Four years had passed since the Holy Spirit had been given to the Jews.(1) “A great wave of persecution” had begun on the day that Stephen was killed.(2) It swept over the church, causing many believers, except the apostles, to scatter throughout Judea and Samaria. Despite this dispersion, the church continued to grow. The apostles remained in Jerusalem for a season to shepherd the still-growing church through her infancy, despite threats from the religious leaders and the persecution directed toward the other believers. It is very possible that the initial persecution was primarily aimed at the Hellenistic Jewish believers, as was the case with Stephen.

Philip, the second of the seven Hellenistic Jewish leaders selected to minister to the widows, was directed by God to go to Samaria.  Jesus had previously prohibited His apostles from going there.(3) However, now the Lord was inviting Philip to enter into the labor He had begun about seven years earlier through His encounter with the woman at the well.(4) Philip was not only to declare God’s Word but also to demonstrate God’s power through miracles.

The Power of God Can’t Be Bought

Jesus

Love Your Neighbor

Love Your Neighbor

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“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind. And love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew and Mark both write that this was Jesus’s response when the expert in religious law asked Him which was the most important commandment in the law of Moses.(1) Luke writes that the expert in religious law told Jesus that they were the most important commandments in response to Jesus’s question, and He affirmed him. If the Spirit of God impressed all three Gospel writers to include this dialogue, it is well worth our paying attention.

Interestingly, Luke goes on to include the continuation of that conversation between the lawyer and Jesus.(2) Knowing that he was to love God without  limitation and love his neighbor to the same degree that he loved himself, the lawyer found the need to define who his neighbor was. i believe there are two reasons why he sought that clarification.

Who Dared to Anoint Jesus?

Who Dared to Anoint Jesus?

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Our actions are often an accurate reflection of our thoughts about Jesus and the nature of our relationship with Him. But an even more telling indicator is our inaction or our failure to act. Such was the case one night in the home of Simon the Pharisee, who had invited Jesus to dine with him.

We’re not told Simon’s purpose for inviting Jesus into his home. We don’t know if Simon was a sincere seeker like Nicodemus—wanting to truly get to know Jesus, or whether he had some ulterior motive in mind. Regardless, he extended an invitation to Jesus, and Jesus chose to accept. Remember, nothing about Jesus’ journey was random; it was a part of the Father’s plan for Jesus to dine with Simon that night.

The Greatest Commandment

The Greatest Commandment

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As we begin this new year, let’s be reminded of the commandment which Jesus declared to be the most important.

Some of the greatest teachings from Jesus were in response to questions that were intended to trap Him. This particular day was no exception. The Sanhedrin had already put forth the Herodians and the Sadducees, both of whom had failed miserably in trapping Jesus. So they sent out a lawyer – an expert in religious law.

The Time Has Come

The Time Has Come

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As 2024 approaches and begins, many of us are taking time to revisit our priorities for the new year. It is often a time when we make new resolutions and new – or renewed – commitments. It can also be a time when we decide to take action on those things we’ve been putting off.

For the past several weeks, we have all been celebrating the advent of the Baby in the manger. But today, let’s fast forward about twenty-nine years. At some point during the intervening years, Joseph died. Jesus assumed the role of the oldest son and carried forward the family carpentry trade, while caring for His mother and his younger half-siblings. However, the time had now come according to His Heavenly Father’s timetable for Him to step out from obscurity . . . and Jesus would not delay.

Sermon of Sermons

Sermon of Sermons

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Over the years, God has used many preachers to teach me His Word. Some were at a distance, like John Piper, Warren Wiersbe, Chuck Swindoll, John MacArthur, and Tim Keller. Some have been close and personal, like Henry Blackaby, Keith Thomas, Mark Becton and David Platt. Some have spoken through the ages, like Charles Spurgeon, Jonathan Edwards, D. L. Moody and A. W. Tozer. Others date back to the New Testament, like Paul, John, Peter and James, as well as the Old Testament prophets like Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah and Zechariah. But as greatly as the Father has used each and every one of these men – and so many more – to be heralds and teachers of His Word, all of them pale in comparison with Jesus.

One day He gathered the multitude that had come out into the countryside to hear Him, and He began to teach… the greatest sermon that ever was – the sermon of all sermons. Jesus taught….

The Lesson of the Fig Tree

The Lesson of the Fig Tree

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It was the day after Jesus’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem. He knew that in four days He would be nailed to a cross. There was much He wanted to teach His disciples in those remaining days – and there is much He wants to teach us through them.

He and His disciples had more than likely been lodging with Lazarus, Martha and Mary in Bethany the night before. On that Monday morning they were headed to the temple in Jerusalem. En route, Jesus was hungry. Apparently, Martha hadn’t fed them breakfast that morning. Or more likely, He had forgone breakfast to spend time with the Father in prayer. He saw a fig tree beside the road and it was in “full leaf”. Both Matthew and Mark in their Gospels tell us that Jesus “went over to see if He could find any figs.”

Let’s stop and consider that for a moment.

A Journey to Our Well

A Journey to Our Well

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There is a journey that each of us take most every day. It is a journey to a “well” where we go to meet a need in our lives. Its purpose may be to fill an emotional emptiness, provide mental stimulation, meet a spiritual need, or satisfy a physical hunger. The needs we feel may vary and the places we go to appease them may look different, but we all have a “well” to which we go.

Sometimes we go to our well not even recognizing what our need truly is. We go to meet a perceived need, when in reality our need is something entirely different. It may be a need that we openly acknowledge and embrace, or it may be one we deny and reject. It may be a need that leads to our being built up, or it may be a need that leads to our being torn down. Whatever it is, we think the well to which we are going will meet the need.

Such was the case with the Samaritan woman …

We Are Family

We Are Family

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In 1979, four sisters from Philadelphia, who together formed an R&B vocal group, released what immediately became their breakthrough album, We Are Family, featuring their Grammy Award winning single under the same title. The Sledge sisters celebrated in song what it meant to be family. If you were around in that era, i would venture to say that the song immediately began to play in your head as soon as you read the title of this post! Even if your own family experience wasn’t as joyful as the lyrics in the song, you found yourself celebrating the idea of family when those notes began to play.

Our pictures of family may in fact look very different from one another in many ways, but in the way that i would say is the most important, i would hope it looks the same!

Matthew Wasn’t Looking For Jesus

Matthew Wasn’t Looking For Jesus

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i don’t know about you, but i can’t say i found God because i was pursuing Him. Rather, He was pursuing me. And in that regard, i have a lot in common with Matthew. And perhaps, you do as well.

Most of the disciples that followed Jesus were people who were seeking the Messiah. They knew the Scriptures. They knew the prophecies. They were watchful and expectant that the Messiah would one day come – perhaps in their lifetimes. They had been greatly influenced by the ministry of John the Baptist. Most were influential members of their fishing villages. And though they were not religious leaders, they were respected and trusted within their local religious communities. Though they may not have been learned men,(1) in many respects they had a great pedigree to be followers of Jesus! Besides – as fishermen, they had great early training on how to be fishers of men!

But that wasn’t the case with Levi. He was a tax collector….

In the Shadow of Peter

In the Shadow of Peter

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Whose shadow did you grow up under? Was it an older sibling? Was it a parent? Was it someone you looked up to and hoped to reflect? Everyone has been touched by someone’s shadow at some point in their life … even the brightest stars! And each of us casts a shadow of our own. A question to consider is what kind of shadow are we casting? There was one apostle of Jesus who grew up under the immense shadow of another but still learned how to cast his own – and it was pretty impressive.

Andrew was significantly younger than his brother, Simon. Together, they had grown up in Bethsaida on the northern coast of the Sea of Galilee. Andrew had always lived his life in the shadow of his big brother. He was often referred to as Andrew, the brother of Simon. But that fact never seemed to bother him. He loved, respected and looked up to his brother.

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