Sermon and Worship Resources

Synonyms: touch, feel, sense of touch, tactile sense, tactility, contact, using one's hands, sensation, sense, suspicion, sneaking suspicion, notion, inkling, hunch, fancy, apprehension, presentiment, premonition, foreboding, love, care, affection, fondness, tenderness, warmth, warmness, emotion, sentiment, emotional state, compassion, sympathy, empathy, fellow feeling, understanding, concern, solicitude, solicitousness, tender-heartedness, brotherly love, sensibilities, sensitivities, self-esteem, ego, pride, opinion, belief, view, impression, intuition, instinct, estimation, guess, theory, hypothesis, thought, way of thinking, point of view, atmosphere, ambience, aura, air, mood, climate, character, overtone, undertone, tenor, spirit, quality, flavour, colour, aptitude, knack, flair, bent, talent, gift, skill, art, trick, faculty, ability, propensity, inclination, sensitive, warm, warm-hearted, tender, tender-hearted, caring, soft-hearted, sympathetic, compassionate, empathetic, responsive, receptive, intuitive, thoughtful

Antonyms: bad feeling, acrimony, animosity, animus, antagonism, antipathy, aversion, bitterness, detestation, disgust, dislike, disrelish, enmity, friction, grievances, grudges, hatred, hostility, loathing, malevolence, malice

Showing 2726 to 2750 of 4947 results

2726. Aeneas and Dorcas

Acts 9:32-43

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... it was something he had been unable to do for eight years (see disc. on 3:2). As a result of this miracle, many (the sense in which all is used) in both Lydda and Sharon turned to the Lord [Jesus]. The Plain of Sharon stretched from Carmel to the ... ), Dorcas, meaning, like Tabitha, “a deer.” Luke describes her as “full of good works and acts of mercy” (v. 36), where the sense is that her life had been devoted to these things. Her loss was deeply felt by the Christian community. Among the Jews three ...

2727. Peter’s Miraculous Escape from Prison

Acts 12:1-19a

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... mystery of the divine will that has been repeated countless times from that day to this (cf. John 21:18ff.). 12:11–17 According to Luke, Peter was quick to recognize the hand of the Lord in all this (v. 11). But having been handed his freedom, he had enough sense to get away quickly and made off at once to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark (v. 12; see note on 14:27). A late tradition names this as the house of the Last Supper, but this identification is rendered uncertain by the fact ...

2728. Barnabas and Saul Sent Off

Acts 13:1-3

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... the context was one of prayer and fasting, and their calling was given formal expression by the laying on of hands, presumably by the elders on behalf of the people. This was not so much an “ordination” as an act of identification by which the church went, in a sense, with those who would go in their name. It was also a token of the church’s prayer for blessing upon them (see disc. on 6:6). It is not actually said that this would be a missionary work, but that is clearly implied. Nor is anything said ...

2729. The Council at Jerusalem

Acts 15:1-21

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... met with Peter and John and James the Lord’s brother. Nor can it be supposed, in light of those passages in which the elders are clearly distinguished from the apostles (e.g., 15:4, 6; 16:4), that the term “elder” is used in Acts 11:30 in a sense that includes both. Second, it is not easy to fit Titus into the visit of Acts 11:30, since Barnabas and Paul are alone mentioned as the delegates of the church in Antioch. But Titus is included in Galatians 2:1. Third, if the incident of Galatians 2:11–14 ...

2730. Lydia’s Conversion in Philippi

Acts 16:11-15

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... went outside the city gate to the river in search of any Jews who might have met there for worship. The Greek text has them simply going “out of the gate,” and as long as we understand “the gate” to be that of the city, NIV has given the sense of it. But another identification is possible. A little over a mile to the west of the city, on the Via Egnatia, stood a Roman arch, now in ruins; and a little beyond this ran the river Gangites, a tributary of the Strymon. The erection of an arch of this ...

2731. In Corinth

Acts 18:1-17

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... the imperfect tense to be inceptive: “he began to devote his whole time …”—it may mean that they had brought gifts for the support of his work (cf. 2 Cor. 11:9; Phil. 4:15). Luke’s description of this new phase is a striking one. NIV gives the sense of it, but the actual expression is that Paul “was seized by the message,” as though it had overpowered him and he was no longer master of when he would preach but the servant of a message that would be preached “in season and out” (2 Tim. 4:2 ...

2732. The Riot in Ephesus

Acts 19:23-41

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... officials of the province, friends of Paul, added their voice to the others, begging him not to venture into the theater (v. 31). These officials were the asiarchs (see disc. on v. 1). They were not strictly officials of the province, but in a broader sense were very much part of the establishment, and it is noteworthy that these men were to be found among Paul’s friends. An asiarch’s term of office was one year (reappointment was possible), but a retiring asiarch was evidently permitted to retain the ...

2733. Eutychus Raised from the Dead at Troas

Acts 20:7-12

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... rose to nine and ten stories. The boy was apparently killed by the fall. The treatment that Paul immediately gave suggests artificial respiration (cf. 1 Kings 17:21; 2 Kings 4:34). His words, literally, “his life is in him” (v. 10), should probably be understood in the sense that the boy’s life would be restored, though they are sometimes taken to mean that he was only concussed and unconscious. But that is not how Luke saw it. He spoke of the boy as dead (v. 9, not “as if dead”) and alive (v. 12 ...

2734. On to Jerusalem

Acts 21:1-16

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... house of Mnason (v. 16; see disc. on 9:6ff. and 15:3). This man was a Cypriot with a name common among Greeks, though we cannot doubt that he was a Jew, for he is described as one of the early disciples (v. 16)—the phrase almost has the sense of “a charter member”—which may take his conversion back to the Pentecost of chapter 2. The same expression is used by Peter in 11:15 with reference to that event (cf. also 15:7). Mnason appears to have been a man of property, with a house in Jerusalem large ...

2735. Paul Speaks to the Crowd

Acts 21:37--22:21

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... address to the council (7:2), and it may have been that some members of the council were now present to see what was going on—hence the “fathers” (but in 23:1 Paul addressed the Sanhedrin simply as “brothers”). Paul felt that he was in a sense on trial, so he spoke of his defense (this term keeps recurring, 24:10; 25:8, 16; 26:1f., 24). In Acts the word means more than simply answering charges; it includes the thought of witnessing to the Lord. Defense becomes, as it were, attack, and the gospel ...

2736. Festus Consults King Agrippa

Acts 25:13-22

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... they are simply an outline of events that were well known to Luke, with a portrayal of Festus’ bewilderment, which was evident to all. 25:13 Not long after Festus had taken office, King Agrippa [Herod Agrippa II] and Bernice arrived at Caesarea—the verb has the sense of “came to stay” (see disc. on 16:1)—to pay their respects to the new governor. As a Roman vassal, involved to some extent in Jewish affairs, it was only proper that the king should do so. The aorist participle that is found in the ...

2737. Paul Sails for Rome

Acts 27:1-12

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... , may stem from Jesus’ habit of calling the disciples his friends (cf. Luke 12:4; John 11:11; 15:13ff.). But the definite article in Greek is frequently used in a possessive sense, which seems the more natural interpretation here—“his friends.” 27:9 The fast: Attempts have been made to identify this fast with other events. There seems little doubt, however, that it was the Jewish fast associated with the Day of Atonement. Paul usually reckoned by the Jewish calendar (e.g., ...

2738. Ashore on Malta

Acts 28:1-10

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... was still evident in the first century A.D. in the Punic dialect of the Maltese. This is attested in coins and inscriptions and is noticed by Luke in his description of the Maltese as “barbarians” (vv. 2, 4; NIV “islanders”)—not in the modern sense, but as the Greeks used the word of those who did not speak their language (the foreign tongue sounded like “bar-bar” in their ears). This may indicate, incidentally, that Luke was a Greek. The name Malta (or Melita) is Phoenician, meaning “refuge ...

2739. Accusations

2 Corinthians 10:1-18

Understanding Series

James M. Scott

... :13 In contrast to the self-recommendation of the opponents and their boasting in their own self-appointed apostolic status, Paul stakes his claim based on divine assignment. Although in the Greek text this sentence is somewhat convoluted, the basic sense seems relatively clear: Paul has a mission field or “jurisdiction,” which has been apportioned to him by God. This jurisdiction reaches even to you. In other words, the Corinthian church falls within the swath of (Japhethite) territory from Cilicia to ...

2740. Hagar and Sally

Galatians 4:21-31

Understanding Series

L. Ann Jervis

... question “but what does the Scripture say?” (v. 30) indicate that now Paul takes his primary task to be scriptural interpretation. He faces the challenge of undoing the rival evangelists’ interpretation of the passage, which most likely made more plain sense than the one he presents. This may be why he speaks of his interpretation as figurative (4:24). The rival evangelists could point to Genesis 21 in support of their argument that inheriting the promise of Abraham entailed circumcision. Only Isaac ...

2741. Doing Good to All

Galatians 6:1-10

Understanding Series

L. Ann Jervis

... we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. The Greek word translated here as opportunity (kairon) is the same word as was translated “time” in the previous verse. The sense is “while we have time,” thereby alluding to the fact that believers live in expectation of the end. The phrase “family of believers” is literally “household of faith.” The designation “faith” for belief in Christ occurs throughout Galatians (e.g., 1 ...

2742. Spiritual Blessings in Christ

Ephesians 1:1-14

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

... in faith the blessings of redemption in Christ. Thus it was sufficient for him to allude to baptism but not to define its meaning directly. Another noticeable feature of the hymn is the place that it gives to all three members of the Trinity. In a broad sense, the work of the Father is described in verses 3–6; the Son, in verses 7–12; and the Holy Spirit, in verses 13–14. But all three persons permeate the entire passage. God is the source of all the spiritual blessings mentioned in the hymn; Christ ...

2743. Paul the Preacher to the Gentiles

Ephesians 3:1-13

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

... Isaiah 49:6 to justify his call to the Gentiles when he disputes with the Jews (Acts 13:47). And in Romans 15:9–12, he enlists a series of OT passages to demonstrate that the Gentiles always had a future in God’s plan. Thus, in a broad sense, one could say that God’s purpose for the Gentiles was made known. But this is far short of the development in Ephesians, which envisions a universal community in which Jew and Gentile have equal share in what is to become known as the church, the body of Christ ...

2744. A Prayer for the Ephesians

Ephesians 3:14-21

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

... significant features of this prayer should be noted. First, it has many parallels to the praise and prayer in chapter 1. In a sense, 3:14–21 could be considered a further application of the ideas developed earlier: prayer is offered to the Father (1:17 = 3 ... “that Christ may make his home in your hearts, through faith in love.” Robinson, for one, takes it in this latter sense; by faith the Gentiles are partakers of Christ, but they are bound together in love (p. 175). Most scholars, however, take love ...

2745. Living as Children of Light

Ephesians 4:17--5:21

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

... life of love that believers live are pleasing to God. Living in the Light In the previous section (4:25–5:2), the apostle concentrated on those vices disruptive to the unity of the Christian community. From there, he moved to the sins of immorality. In a sense, sexual sins also destroy the trust, unity, and respect that Christians have for each other and should, therefore, be banished. But in this case, the main point is that sexual sins are an offense to God, and they incur God’s wrath because they are ...

2746. Wives and Husbands

Ephesians 5:22-33

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

... the church and gave himself up for her. The church is considered as the sum total of persons for whom Christ died (Rom. 4:25; 8:32; Gal. 1:4; 2:20). Loved (past tense) refers to some definite action in the past, such as the cross. 5:26 The sense of the corporate nature of the church is carried over into the two verses describing the washing of the church and its subsequent results. At first glance, 5:26, 27 appear as an interpolation, because the thoughts of 5:25 and 5:28 join so nicely together. Yet, there ...

2747. Final Greetings

Colossians 4:7-18

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

... amanuenses) for the composition of their letters. Paul, for example, may have dictated certain ideas or even written down a broad outline that a secretary would complete. The personal signature (I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand) would have given the letter a sense of intimacy (cf. 1 Cor. 16:21; Gal. 6:11; 2 Thess. 3:17). The concluding request is that the Colossians remember my chains. Earlier, he made a similar request for their prayers (4:3). One wonders whether the request comes from a lonely ...

2748. Stand Firm

2 Thessalonians 2:13-17

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... whole person, body and spirit.” It is far more likely, however, that Paul is speaking of the work of God’s Spirit. The thought expressed in hagiasmos is primarily of believers being set apart for God, made “saints,” hagioi, in the NT sense of that word, rather of their being sanctified in the ethical sense, made worthy of their status (see disc. on 1 Thess. 4:3, 4, 7). Belief in the truth is in the truth of the gospel (see disc. on 1 Thess. 1:8), as in verses 10 and 12, and in direct contrast with ...

2749. Instructions to Timothy

1 Timothy 4:1-16

Understanding Series

Gordon D. Fee

... All are thus “preserved” by God, but only the believers obtain eschatological salvation. But this seems to miss the obvious tie to 2:4–6 and argues for a usage of Savior found nowhere else in the NT. God is the Savior of all in the same sense that Christ gave himself a ransom for all (2:6). Neither sentence suggests that all people will indeed be saved. 4:12 For a substantial collection of evidence that men in their thirties were often referred to as young, see the footnote in Bernard. That Timothy ...

2750. Paul's Charge to Timothy

1 Timothy 6:11-21

Understanding Series

Gordon D. Fee

... over all other lords. Additional Notes 6:11–12 D-C use a rather circuitous route to argue that the vocative man of God “refers to any Christian … who has been endowed with the spirit of God, and who henceforth ‘serves’ God.” It would in this sense also be applicable to Timothy, “the prototype of a ‘man of God’ since he is the leader of the congregation” (p. 88). But again this seems to miss the genuinely ad hoc character of this Epistle. It is common to argue (e.g., Gealy, Hanson) that ...

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