Serious About Scripture

Mentoring and motivating Christ’s people to live his words

You Know This All: A Letter From Jim

Dear CCW family, When Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, what were they thinking? If we could have interviewed them just before their sinful action, when their desire was still unfulfilled, what would that have revealed? More importantly, what did God know about their sin — and what does he know about our sin? Thinking this through can aid our endeavors to hate sin, a critical tool for rejecting it. Just the thought that God is not only aware…

7 Brief Reflections on Pastoring ALL the Flock

Acts 20:28 is one of the most memorable verses of Paul’s charge to the Ephesian elders: “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for [to shepherd; to pastor] the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.” These leaders (elders/pastors/overseers) of the church in Ephesus were responsible to pastor “all the flock.” What follows are seven reflections on that concept. First, the elders are…

Ephesians Riches and Blessing Diagram

This is a simple diagram to help me consider how God’s riches relate to his blessings in Ephesians. See what you think. Doing this in my meditation on books and larger passages of the Bible has been a sincere joy to me. It slows me down and forces me to think. I hope you will try it, even if it’s imperfect like mine. A side note: notice the second funnel called “Christ’s Inheritance.” Like the others in the diagram, it…

DO Something When You Are Maligned

When stressed through the ill-will or stinging insults and persistent opposition by someone who wants to cause you trouble, we know there is something to think. We are to think the truth about God and ourselves. We don’t take their evaluation as true, but only God’s. Also, we are to think of God’s loving and purposeful sovereignty over his children, meaning that difficulties can bring about good results in character and progress for the gospel. But there is also something…