Munus Triplex and the Crucifixion

The geography was made for the moment. Caesarea Philippi, located 25 miles north of the Sea of Galilee, was a place of unusual significance. No mere spot on the road, this city had been built up by Philip II, the son of Herod the Great. In honor of Caesar Augustus he called it Caesarea, and READ MORE

For Kings and All in High Positions

After President Obama was elected in 2008 I penned these words for my blog. They are as true today as they were then, as they were 2,000 years ago when the apostles were weighing in on such matters. Here they are again, slightly adapted for the events of the past twenty-four hours: Whether you went READ MORE

Safety & Satisfaction: A Man’s Legacy

The sages tell of a famous king whose selfishness created much harm for those who followed him. The story goes that he made a vow that no one in his army could eat any food until dusk had come and he himself was avenged on his enemies. This was disastrous because the army was already READ MORE

Write This Down: Power Lunch Notes

“Write This Down…” provides a restatement of selected points or observations from various teaching venues at which Pastor Matthew speaks, and particularly from the weekend messages at Bethel Church. The following material is from Pastor Matthew’s presentation at the Fargo-Moorhead Power Lunch, September 9, 2010: For too many kings of Judah faithfulness is mere expedience on READ MORE

How the Mighty Fall

With apologies to Jim Collins, who I think is one of the world’s greatest leadership thinkers, and who has written a terrific book about the failures of great companies, entitled How the Mighty Fall, I cannot help but wonder why it is that the mightiest and greatest kings of Judah fell . . . and READ MORE