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THE CUP OF THE LORD

In the tenth chapter of St. Mark, we read about Jesus leading His disciples to Jerusalem where He would face His final passion.   Starting at the 32 nd verse, we read, “And they [Jesus, along with His twelve Apostles] were in the way going up to Jerusalem; and Jesus went before them: and they were amazed; and as they followed, they were afraid.  And He took again the twelve, and began to tell them what things should happen unto Him…” (Mark 10:32).   Scripture tells us that Jesus’ Apostles were both “amazed” and “afraid” .   Why was this?   To begin with, we need to understand that the political climate had turned ugly against Jesus and against the things that He taught.   The Pharisees and the Sadducees, the two main religious factions of His time, along with the High Priest and the doctors of the Law, were clearly plotting to kill Jesus.   Jesus’ followers knew this very well.   They also knew that the seat of their power was at Jerusalem....
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ABRAHAM AND LOT

“Then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the LORD.” (Genesis 13:18).   “And the LORD appeared unto him [Abraham] in the plains of Mamre.” (Genesis 18:1).   Abram (whose name means “exalted father” ), who God later named Abraham ( “father of a multitude” ), is considered to be the father of Jews, Arabs, and Christians alike.   Jews and Arabs both trace their natural lineage back to him – the Jews through Abraham and his wife Sarah, and the Arabs through Abraham and his wife’s maidservant Hagar.   To Christians, however, he is the father of faith through his spiritual seed Jesus Christ.   It was the fact that Abraham believed God that set him apart from others in his generation.   Faith, therefore, and not natural lineage, is the thing that qualifies a person to be a child of Abraham.   As the scripture teaches, “...Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to h...
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THE UNITY OF THE SPIRIT

“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!  It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments; as the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.” (Psalm 133).   As we read in the Book of the Acts of the Apostles, we find that an important feature of the early church was their love and unity.  The Greek word “homothumadon,” which occurs 10 of its 12 times in Acts and is translated “accord,” means “of one mind, or, of one passion,” and is used to describe the bond that existed between the believers.   This unity in the Spirit that the early church enjoyed was like the blend of instruments in a great orchestra: each sounding their various parts, but all blending harmoniously into a mighty symphony, each note complementing every other. ...
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