February 28, 2018
For many the Holy Spirit is an impersonal, imperceptible, and indiscernible force. Cloaked in mystery, many find it difficult to “get a handle” on the Spirit. The Spirit has no “face” like Jesus nor any personal metaphors, such as parent, mother, or husband, like Israel’s God. Our desire, of course, is not so much to […]
4 Comments |
Spirituality, Theology | Tagged: Communion, Fellowship, Gifts, Holy Spirit, Pneumatology, Sanctification, Spiritual Gifts, Transformation |
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Posted by John Mark Hicks
April 23, 2016
“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” Acts 2:42, NRSV. “Our greatest trouble now is, it seems to me, a vast unconverted membership. A very large percent of the church members among us seem to have very poor conception of what a Christian ought […]
3 Comments |
Biblical Texts | Tagged: Acts 2:42, Communion, Eucharist, Fellowship, Lord's Supper, Prayer, Teaching |
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Posted by John Mark Hicks
February 26, 2013
God tests Jesus in the wilderness and Satan tempts him to satisfy his desires by inappropriate means. One need is hunger. It would seem that satisfying hunger should not be characterized as inappropriate. Food is a created good to be enjoyed. The Slanderer (Diabolos) suggests that Jesus should create his own food. If he really […]
3 Comments |
Theology | Tagged: Bible-Luke, Communion, Fasting, Feasting, Jesus, Lent, Luke 4:3-4, Mission, Temptation, Testing, Wilderness |
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Posted by John Mark Hicks
July 12, 2012
Some seventy years, more or less, after the rebuilding of the temple, Malachi directs his attention to the priests of the Second Temple. Twice, in Malachi 1:6-2:9, addresses them directly which the NRSV translates as a vocative, that is, “O Priests” (1:6; 2:1). This divides Malachi’s oracle for the priests into two obvious sections (1:6-14 […]
2 Comments |
Biblical Texts | Tagged: Communion, Eucharist, Malachi 1:6-14, Prophets, Sacrifices, Table of the Lord |
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Posted by John Mark Hicks
July 28, 2009
The “Son of Man” is Jesus’ own self-description—he uses the title twelve times in the Gospel of John (1:51; 3:13, 14; 5:27; 6:27, 53, 62; 8:28; 9:35; 12:23; 13:31; in 12:34 his language is quoted back to him). It ranks second behind “Son” (in the sense of Son of God) as Jesus’ favorite self-description in […]
20 Comments |
Biblical Texts, Theology | Tagged: Ascension, Bible-John, Christology, Communion, Cross, Eschatology, Eucharist, Fellowship, Gospel of John, Intimacy, Judgment, Lord's Supper, Resurrection, Son of Man |
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Posted by John Mark Hicks
May 18, 2009
[Note: I am attempting to keep these SBD installments under 2000 words each, but that is–of course–quite inadequate for the topics covered. Consequently, these contributions are more programmatic than they are explanatory or defenses of the positions stated. You may access the whole series at my Serial page.] The divine ontology is Being-in-Relation—the Christian narrative […]
10 Comments |
Theology | Tagged: Bible-John, Bible-Paul, Christology, Communion, God, Holy Spirit, Incarnation, Intimacy, Pneumatology, Relationality, Relationships, Rublev, Trinitarianism, Trinity |
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Posted by John Mark Hicks
March 26, 2009
On the first day of the week, when we met to break bread, Paul was holding a discussion with them; since he intended to leave the next day, he continued speaking until midnight. There were many lamps in the room upstairs where we were meeting. A young man named Eutychus, who was sitting in the […]
50 Comments |
Biblical Texts, Theology | Tagged: Acts 20, Assembly, Bible-Acts, Bible-Luke, Breaking Bread, Communion, First day of the Week, Lord's Supper, Luke 24, Sunday, Table |
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Posted by John Mark Hicks