In Ephesians 6:15, we are told that peace is like the sandal of a Roman soldier that enabled the solider to stand his ground. The phrase "having put on" (hypodesamenoi) is found in the middle voice and indicates the part we play in having peace that comes from God's Word.
In Matthew 5:10 it says Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake. The word “righteousness” here is dikaiosynes. Here it means a whole life that is oriented toward God. It is set against the establishment of the systems of this world. And, because of this, it is easily noticeable and stands out. Because of this, it attracts persecution.
In Matthew 5:4, Jesus says, “blessed” (well off) are those who mourn. The Greek word for “mourn” here is “penthountes” which means passionate grief that leads to action. It entails weeping over sin, being saddened by the loss of our own innocence, and being distraught by the wickedness in the world.
Being "poor in spirit,” as in Matthew 5:3, means feeling our need for God and reaching out to himwith the total trust that he alone can supply what we lack. This term “poor in spirit” (ptochoi to pneumati) comes from Ps. 33:19 in the Greek Old Testament. It means one who humbly trusts God in their impoverished state.
In Matthew 5:3-11, we find the Beatitudes. The beatitudes display the attitude of a true disciple of Jesus, one who has chosen the way of the Kingdom over the way of the world. A disciple who practices this will be “makarioi.” This is often translated “happy,” “blessed,” and it describes one who is well off, has a deep inner joy, and is even to be envied.
As believers, we should endeavor to partner with the Holy Spirit so that he can point out potential hazards along the way. This is so essential to our victory as Christians that God commands us to do this in a very strong way. In Philippians 3:2, the apostle Paul tells the Philippian church to be on the “look out” for harmful things three times. He repeats the command “blepete” back to back to back. It’s like saying “beware! Beware! Beware!” The force of this would caution any reader that there are going to be traps that come along the way and, unless we are paying attention to the Holy Spirit, we might miss them and fall into them.
When you pray, are you interceding on the behalf of just your closest and favorite people or are you fervently praying for others outside of your social sphere as God leads? In Romans 1:9-10 Paul said that he prayed for the Roman Christians “without ceasing” and “always.” The Greek words “without ceasing” adialeiptos and “always” pantote intensifies the statement and expresses intense, personal, and heartfelt prayer. The interesting thing is that the Roman Christians were not part of Paul’s social interaction or those under his apostolic responsibility. Yet, he genuinely cared for them and had their best interest at heart when he prayed.
Is Greek something you want to begin studying in 2020? One of these three texts books can help you. Chris gives his favorite three textbooks to start learning the language of the New Testament.
Do you want to pray accurately? Let the Holy Spirit help you! In Romans 8:26, we are told that the Spirit “intercedes” for us. The Greek word for intercedes is “hyperentynchanei.” It means “to hit a target really well.” It was used to describe lightning striking a person or a tree and a crocodile attacking its prey with force.
In Jude 16, God’s Word calls those who complain against his moral Law “malcontnets.” Here the Greek word is mempsimoiroi. This word actually describes a character that appeared in Greek comedies, known as “the Grumbler” or "the Complainer."
What do you do when other Christians in your same fellowship have different convictions about certain things that aren’t forbidden or condoned in Scripture, such as dietary issues and traditions? Romans 15:7 tells us that we should “welcome” one another as Chris has “welcomed” us. The Greek word for “welcome/welcomed” is proslambano. It is a two part Greek word from “pros” (“near”) and “lambano” (“to take in hand” or “grasp”).
In 2 Timothy 4:6, God’s Word calls death a “departure.” This is the Greek word “analyseos.” It once meant “to untie,” and “to loose.” It was used to describe loosing a ship from its moorings so it could set sail. When we live our lives for eternity, death is a glorious departure from this life into the next.
God’s Word encourages us that we can still love the Lord even in spite of our uncertainties. We see this in Luke 1:3-4. Luke writes his Gospel to Theophilus, telling him the purpose of sharing the account of Jesus was so that he would have more certainty about his faith. Interestingly enough, the name “Theophilus” means “lover of God” or it can mean “beloved by God.”
Ephesians 3:8 says that the riches of God's grace are “unsearchable.” The Greek word for “unsearchable” is “anexichniastion.” This comes from a word that meant "a trail of footprints." The idea is one of exploration, like tracking something out or going over a landscape. The alpha privative in front of the word tell us that God's grace can't be totally explored or tracked out.
In Philippians 4:6, it tells us, “do not be anxious about anything.” Here, the church in Philippi was experiencing all kinds of problems and it was making them anxious. The greek for for anxious is “merimnate.” It means to be distracted, mentally, by trouble. It implies a fixed intentness on the concern, to the point of following it with intensity.
The gifts of the Spirit reveal the Spirit of God is present. This is emphasized by the Greek word, phanerosism which was used in ancient Greece to mean “publicity.” When the gifts of the Spirit are at work, they shine a bright light on the Holy Spirit and bring HIM attention. And When he has everyone’s attention, he points people to Jesus Christ.
In Revelation 3:15–16, Jesus indicts the Laodicean church for being “lukewarm” (chliaros). The best way to describe “lukewarm” is to describe what it doesn’t mean: cold or hot. “Cold” (psychros) often refers to “freezing” and “hot” (zestos) often refers to “boiling.” Used together, they present being extreme. To be effective for the kingdom, we have to be 100%.
Philadelphia was located in the Lydian valley where earthquakes were abundant. It wasn’t unusual for people in Philadelphia to cower in fear and to bolt from the city into open spaces when they felt shaking. Despite their trials and circumstances, God promises them a future of peace and security that would come from being in his presence. Jesus illustrates this by comparing them to “a pillar in the temple of my God.” The Greek word for “pillar” (stylos) refers to an extremely strong supporting beam.
Jesus tells the church in Sardis to, “Wake up!” (ginou grēgorōn) in Revelation 3:2. The word “wake up” (gregoreo) means “to be watchful; to be in constant readiness; to be on alert.” The Sardians needed to stop being apathetic like the Sardian King, Croesus; otherwise they’d be overtaken by the sinful culture and they'd lose God’s presence.
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The believers in Thyatira were faced with a choice: if they didn’t participate in pagan feasts risked losing their place in their guilds; if they did participate, they would let God down. To instruct the Thyatirans about this, Jesus described His feet. He says they’re like “burnished bronze.” The Greek word for “burnished bronze” is chalkolibano. It was a remarkable alloy, unmatched in purity, more valuable than gold. Jesus was saying he walks in holiness and moves in virtue and the believers in Thyatira needed to as well.
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