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 1551 to 1575 of 2078 results

1551. The Church in Antioch

Acts 11:19-30

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... , fourth, ninth, and eleventh years of his reign are recorded as years of famine in one district or another (see Suetonius, Claudius 18; Tacitus, Annals 12.43; Dio Cassius, Roman History 60.11; Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 2.8). According to Josephus, Judea was affected between A.D. 44 and 48 (Antiquities, 20.49–53). But, for the church in Antioch, forewarned was forearmed. The believers decided that each according to his ability would send help to Judea (v. 29; cf. 1 Cor. 16:2). Their desire was ...

1552. The Council at Jerusalem

Acts 15:1-21

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... , however, that the local church took the decision. 15:3–5 The delegates were sent … on their way by a party of church members (v. 3) who traveled some of the way with them, for so the expression means. This was a sign of their respect and affection for them (cf. 20:38; 21:5, 16; also Paul’s being met in 28:15). Their road took them along the coast through Berytus (Beirut), Sidon, Tyre, and Ptolemais, probably to Caesarea, and thence to Jerusalem (see note on 9:31). Phoenicia had been evangelized at ...

1553. Timothy Joins Paul and Silas

Acts 16:1-5

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... him from the brothers at Lystra and Iconium (v. 2; cf. 6:3; 1 Tim. 3:7; cf. also 1 Tim. 1:18; 4:14; 2 Tim. 1:6). Thus began an association between the two that ended only with Paul’s death, and that was characterized by such an affection that Paul would call him his son (1 Cor. 4:17; 1 Tim. 1:2). From the repeated preposition, to Derbe and then to Lystra, it would appear that the meeting with Timothy took place in the latter and that Lystra was his hometown (this is supported by the reference ...

1554. Lydia’s Conversion in Philippi

Acts 16:11-15

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... is concerned—Luke was an artist. But again we must insist that the form of the story is no guide to its essential historicity (see disc. on 5:19f.). A charge has also been brought against Luke that the rest of the town seems not to have been affected by the earthquake that set the two missionaries free. But we do not know that this was the case, and to argue from Luke’s silence on the matter is a hazardous proceeding. Indeed, their release the next day may have been due precisely to a fear inspired ...

1555. Paul and Silas In Prison

Acts 16:16-40

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... the original intention of the magistrates was in jailing Paul and Silas—whether for one night or for longer. If for longer, they now changed their minds. The Romans were highly susceptible to omens, and in their own way the duumvirs may have been as deeply affected by the earthquake as the jailer had been. At all events, they sent their lictors (officers) the next morning with orders to let them go. 16:36–37 The jailer brought them news of their release with the instruction that they were to go in peace ...

1556. Paul’s Farewell to the Ephesian Elders

Acts 20:13-38

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... v. 37), the Ephesians saw Paul and the others back to the ship (see disc. on 15:3). These verses provide us with “a picture drawn with Luke’s inimitable command of pathos, which reveals the apostle’s wonderful power in attracting personal affection and devotion” (A. J. Mattill, Perspectives, p. 81). Additional Notes An interesting comparison with the voyage described in this chapter and the next may be made with Herod’s voyage by way of Rhodes, Cos, Kios, and Mitylene to the Black Sea (Josephus ...

1557. Paul Speaks to the Crowd

Acts 21:37--22:21

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... manifested to human beings (see disc. on 7:2). This verse explicitly attributes Paul’s blindness to this cause, as from his own reminiscence, whereas in 9:8 it is simply stated that he is blind. His companions, on the other hand, seem not to have been affected. They led him by the hand into Damascus. 22:12 The third part of the speech is about his commission. With Paul, conversion brought an immediate call to service, however much it remained to be clarified in the years ahead (see disc. on 9:15f.). The ...

1558. Accusations

2 Corinthians 1:12--2:4, 2 Corinthians 2:5-11

Understanding Series

James M. Scott

... of God (see the allusion to Num. 16:1ff. above and Additional Notes on 2:17 [the allusion to LXX Exod. 32:11A] below). If Paul’s forgiveness of the malefactor was for your sake, then the whole Corinthian church may have been somehow adversely affected by the offender’s punishment, for the offender caused the church more sorrow than he did Paul himself (cf. 2 Cor. 2:5). In that case, Paul’s intercession would actually have been for the whole church. The reason Paul cautiously puts in the clause ...

1559. The Credibility of the Gospel Paul Proclaims

Galatians 1:11-24

Understanding Series

L. Ann Jervis

... I assure you before God that what I am writing you is no lie. It is not unusual for Paul to have to defend his integrity (see 1 Thess. 2:5; 2 Cor. 1:23; 11:31). The issue of Paul’s association with the Jerusalem church and how it affected the gospel he preached to the Galatians is at the forefront of his strained relationship with his converts. 1:21–22 The next thing he did, Paul says, was go to Syria and Cilicia. By recounting this Paul assures his hearers that even while he was generally known, he was ...

1560. Paul’s Second Visit to the Jerusalem Church

Galatians 2:1-10

Understanding Series

L. Ann Jervis

... in Jerusalem. Additional Notes 2:10 Reference to the poor is most likely to Jerusalem Jewish Christians. Paul here as elsewhere (Rom. 15:26) refers to the situation of inhabitants of Jerusalem. The economic conditions of all Jerusalem dwellers were affected by the existence of a significant number of beggars. J. Jeremias notes that When tradition talks of “proud poverty” in Jerusalem (b. Pes. 113a), it gives unwarranted praise, for Jerusalem in the time of Jesus was already a centre of mendiancy ...

1561. Paul Opposes Peter

Galatians 2:11-21

Understanding Series

L. Ann Jervis

... the body as a grave for the soul and so looked forward to the separation of body and soul in order that the soul might achieve union with the incorporeal God, Paul speaks of the whole being of believers, including their “body,” as being vitally affected by faith in Christ’s death and resurrection (cf. Rom. 8:11). Paul maintains a dialectic between the historical fact of the death of Christ, “who loved me and gave himself for me,” and the personal appropriation of that fact (“who loved me and ...

1562. Freedom In Christ

Galatians 5:1-15, Galatians 5:16-26

Understanding Series

L. Ann Jervis

... his preaching as truth telling (4:16). Paul has presented himself as one who obeys God (in 1:10a the NIV translates “obey” as “win … approval”). 5:8 Contrasting their previous obedience to the truth with the persuasion by which they are now being affected, Paul clarifies that God, the one who calls (cf. 1:6), is not the source of the influence the Galatians are experiencing. With the image of the race in the background, Paul is saying that his converts are now off course, following the wrong call ...

1563. Thanksgiving and Prayer

Ephesians 1:15-23

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

... . In biblical language, the “heart” is a comprehensive term used for the entire inward self or personality of an individual, including intellect, will, and emotions (Matt. 5:8; Rom. 10:8–10). Being enlightened by the light of God’s truth affects one’s entire inward being. One of the problems in the interpretation of this verse is the meaning of “enlightenment.” In the Greek, pephōtismenous is a perfect passive participle that denotes completed action, a present state that has resulted from ...

1564. Unity in the Body of Christ

Ephesians 4:1-16

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

... in love and not by deceit and craftiness. Truth and love form two essential components of the church’s life. The significant teaching in this phrase is how these two virtues belong together. Christian truth has a moral as well as an intellectual side; it affects the entire person, not just the brain. And though the possession of truth is crucial to the life of the church, it also is important how that truth is obtained and maintained. Christian teachers clearly cannot resort to the kind of trickery that ...

1565. Thanksgiving for the Thessalonians' Faith

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... God and Father of all” (Eph. 4:6; cf. 1 Thess. 1:1). The many occurrences of the name in these letters (twenty-one times), more than might have been expected even from its frequent use elsewhere, may be taken as a measure of Paul’s affection for the Thessalonians. Needless to say, brothers includes both men and women. 1:5 The conjunction introducing this verse in the Greek, hoti, is ambiguous. It could be taken as “that,” making verse 5 an amplification of verse 4, as in RV: “knowing your election ...

1566. Paul's Ministry in Thessalonica

1 Thessalonians 2:1-16

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... endearment borrowed from the language of the nursery” (Wohlenberg, cited by Milligan) and that Paul is, therefore, sustaining the metaphor of the previous verse. In any case, the point of that verse is reinforced with this further assertion of the missionaries’ affection for the Thessalonians, such that they were pleased “to spend and be spent” in their interest (2 Cor. 12:15). The divine origin of the gospel is again indicated by the subjective genitive, “of God” (see disc. on 1:5). To preach ...

1567. Paul’s Longing to See the Thessalonians

1 Thessalonians 2:17--3:5

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... with them at least in thought, if not in person (cf. 1 Cor. 5:3–5; also Gal. 4:20 for a similar paternal longing to be with his children). The Greek is literally, “in heart,” and this, more than the rendering of NIV, captures Paul’s affection for them (see disc. on 2:4). Paul’s is the burning pastoral heart that marks the genuine servant of God. His deep concern is further conveyed in what follows: out of our intense longing we made every effort to see you. Words pile up, each reinforcing the ...

1568. The Man of Lawlessness

2 Thessalonians 2:1-12

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... the end. Some have understood the apostasia as a falling away within the church, but the word expresses not so much apathy as deliberate opposition, and it is better to see this as a reference to events outside the church which, however, will profoundly affect the church. The rebellion will be the church’s “great tribulation” (Rev. 7:14). Associated with it will be the man of lawlessness (anomia). The texts vary between this phrase and “the man of sin” (hamartia), but the meaning is the same. Sin ...

1569. Warnings Against Idleness

2 Thessalonians 3:6-15

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... of the Lord Jesus Christ (cf. 1 Thess. 4:1 and 1 Cor. 5:4f. for the use of this phrase in connection with church discipline; for the titles Lord and Christ see note on 1 Thess. 1:1). But, for all the authority with which he speaks, Paul’s affection for his readers remains. He calls them brothers (see disc. on 1 Thess. 1:4), including those who are in error. The church, he says, is to keep away (stellomai, used of furling sails but here of withdrawing into oneself; cf. 2 Cor. 8:20), from every brother who ...

1570. Instructions to Timothy

1 Timothy 4:1-16

Understanding Series

Gordon D. Fee

... abstaining from marriage (to be like the angels after the resurrection [Matt. 22:30]?) and from certain foods. (See the Introduction, pp. 7–10, for further discussion.) We have already noted (2:8–15) how this teaching that forbids people to marry had probably affected some of the women in Ephesus (cf. 5:6, 11–15). For the rest of this paragraph, Paul will respond only to the prohibition against certain foods. 4:3b–5 Paul has had to contend with the matter of eating or not eating certain foods ...

1571. Advice About Widows, Elders and Slaves

1 Timothy 5:1-6:2

Understanding Series

Gordon D. Fee

... , but such a reconstruction does make sense of Paul’s instructions. In any case, it is clear that Paul’s concern, as before (2:2; 3:7; 5:14), is not only with relationships within the church but also with how the problem was affecting the church’s witness. 6:1 Because Paul mentions believing masters in verse 2, it is common to interpret verse 1 as referring to attitudes toward pagan masters. That is altogether possible. However, it seems very likely that verse 1 is introductory—and general—and ...

1572. Encouragement to Be Faithful

2 Timothy 1:1-2:13

Understanding Series

Gordon D. Fee

... Paul could not possibly say that God would then be faithless toward us. Indeed, quite the opposite. If we are faithless (and the context demands this meaning of the verb apistoumen, not “unbelieving,” as KJV, et al.), this does not in any way affect God’s own faithfulness to his people. This can mean either that God will override our infidelity with his grace (as most commentators) or that his overall faithfulness to his gracious gift of eschatological salvation for his people is not negated by the ...

1573. Godlessness in the Last Days

2 Timothy 3:1-9

Understanding Series

Gordon D. Fee

... im-), seem to broaden the perspective. In the last days people will be ungrateful (which meaningfully follows disobedient to parents), unholy (in the sense of “offending against the fundamental decencies of life,” Barclay), without love (in the sense of lacking natural affection; cf. Rom. 1:31), and unforgiving (i.e., incapable of being reconciled to a fellow human being). They will be slanderous (cf. 1 Tim. 3:11; Titus 2:5), without self-control, and brutal (a different word for the sentiment expressed ...

1574. Trials and Temptations

James 1:1-18, James 1:19-27

Understanding Series

Peter H. Davids

... . 7:14, 25). The desires of people are good by creation, for they lead them to enjoy creation, to eat, to procreate, and so on, but they have been corrupted so that they also lead them to lust, to steal, and to fornicate. The external situation could not affect people at all unless the internal voice of their own nature was saying, “Go ahead; you deserve it; it feels good.” 1:15 The desire of the person who gives in to the enticement is here pictured as a prostitute or adulteress rather than a trap or ...

1575. Taming the Tongue

James 3:1-12, James 3:13-18

Understanding Series

Peter H. Davids

... also used to curse men. Scripture abounds with curses, although it limits cursing and is at best uneasy about it: Genesis 9:25; 49:7; Judges 9:20; Proverbs 11:26. Curses were common because, like blessings, they not only vented emotion, but also really affected the person or things against which they were directed. Although Paul forbids casual cursing (Rom. 12:14), in practice he utters some curselike words (1 Cor. 5:1; 16:22; Gal. 1:8). Jude is virtually a long curse against heretics. Yet these more formal ...

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