Category: CONNECT THE TESTAMENTS

  • WORDS AND ACTIONS

    Connect The TestamentsEzekiel 12:1–13:23; Revelation 3:14–4:11; Job 33:19–28 Leading by example is a simple principle to understand, but it’s a very difficult one to live. The prophets were often called to lead by example, though doing so usually meant enduring suffering for others. “And the word of Yahweh came to me [Ezekiel], saying, ‘Son of…

  • DEFRIBILLATORS FOR SARDIS

    Connect The TestamentsEzekiel 9:1–11:25; Revelation 3:1–13; Job 33:8–18 We cover up the dead places in ourselves with all sorts of regalia. We fill the emptiness with fine clothing, once-in-a-lifetime experiences, or relationships in which the other is set up as god. Underneath the trappings, though, we’re decaying. Of all the churches addressed in Revelation, the…

  • WHEN LOVE IS LOST, LABOR IS IN VAIN

    Connect The TestamentsEzekiel 3:16–5:17; Revelation 2:1–11; Job 32:11–22 When zeal lacks love, faith is rendered useless. Love is the crux of faith. We can study the Bible like a scholar, pray like a warrior, evangelize like the world is ending tomorrow, but we still might miss the mark of faith. God desires our love. The…

  • THE REAL REALITY

    Connect The TestamentsEzekiel 1:1–3:15; Revelation 1:1–20; Job 32:1–10 John and Ezekiel open their prophetic books in a similar fashion—to prepare us for an unexpected view: “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his slaves the things which must take place in a short time, and communicated it by sending it…

  • KEY PLAYERS AND MAIN NARRATIVES

    Connect The TestamentsMalachi 2:10–4:6; Acts 28:1–31; Job 31:23–40 The book of Acts ends on a somewhat unsatisfying note. After all that Paul has been through—imprisonment, trial, shipwreck—we expect a showdown with Caesar or mass conversions of the Jews. Instead, the plot seems to sputter out. Paul arrives in Rome and appeals to the Jews living…

  • REBUILDING IS NOT ALWAYS WISE

    Connect The TestamentsMalachi 1:1–2:9; Acts 27:1–44; Job 31:9–22 Who can rebuild what Yahweh tears down? The prophets articulate this message again and again. Yahweh tears down evil things; evil people rebuild them; the prophets insist that He will just tear them down again. God tolerates evil for a time, waiting for people to repent, but…

  • TURNING THE TABLES

    Connect The TestamentsZechariah 12:1–14:21; Acts 26:1–32; Job 31:1–8 When Paul presents the gospel before King Agrippa, we expect him to be defensive. But Paul is ready to shift the spotlight. He offers a surprisingly simple explanation of recent events and a testimony of his faith, and then he describes how the resurrection of Jesus changes…

  • THE TRUE SOURCE OF LEADERSHIP

    Connect The TestamentsZechariah 10:1–11:17; Acts 25:1–27; Job 30:16–31 When leaders latch onto power, considering it their right, it’s destructive. God holds leaders to a higher standard because their words and actions cause others to rise or fall. When leaders of corporations, churches, or other organizations take their authority for granted, entire communities may end up…

  • UNEXPECTED OPPORTUNITIES

    Connect The TestamentsZechariah 8:1–9:17; Acts 23:23–24:27; Job 30:1–15 When we are busy doing the work of the kingdom, how do we respond to obstacles that get in our way? Do we expect God to blast a path straight through so that we can proceed? We might read the drama of Paul’s life through this lens,…

  • SPEAKING THE TRUTH WITH LOVE

    Connect The TestamentsZechariah 3:1–5:11; Acts 21:27–22:21; Job 29:1–12 Read today’s headlines and you might conclude that Christian boldness is a thin disguise for defensiveness, anger, and demeaning behavior. Believers who feel voiceless in their society sometimes respond by becoming adamant “defenders of the faith” in ways that can be destructive. In an age of instant…