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 2151 to 2175 of 4943 results

2151. The Church in Antioch

Acts 11:19-30

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... , so that they were not under the same external pressure as were the Judean Christians to have Gentile converts submit to the law. Thus the church’s polity could soon be described as “doing as the Gentiles did” as far as circumcision and the dietary laws were concerned (cf. 15:1; Gal. 2:11–14). The rightness of this new direction seemed to be confirmed, moreover, by the Lord’s hand being with them (v. 21, lit., “the hand of the Lord”; see disc. on 4:28). 11:22–24 When the church in Jerusalem ...

2152. The Council at Jerusalem

Acts 15:1-21

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... verse he only affirms that what he does say is the truth. Galatians 2:1–10 may have been only the second visit of any significance for the argument of the epistle. The question of which visit this was is not the only one raised by this chapter. Another concerns the historicity of the speeches of Peter (vv. 7–11) and James (vv. 13–21), the former because some of its language could have been Paul’s (esp. v. 11; cf. 13:38ff.; Gal. 2:15f.; Eph. 2:8), the latter because the argument seems to turn on the ...

2153. Disagreement Between Paul and Barnabas

Acts 15:36-41

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... present dispute. So it was that two missionary expeditions instead of one set out from Antioch (cf. Ps. 76:10). The work of visitation was divided between them, with Barnabas going to Cyprus and taking Mark with him. His concern in this incident was probably for Mark’s welfare; whereas Paul’s concern was for the work, and he was afraid that Mark might be a hindrance. Happily the breach between them was healed in time. Paul refers to Barnabas in friendly terms in 1 Corinthians 9:6 and Colossians 4:10 ...

2154. In Athens

Acts 17:16-34

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... who are my people, that we should be able to give [anything to you, i.e., to God]? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand. 17:26 If God is the creator, then he is the creator of human beings in particular. Concerning this Paul has two things to say. First, from one … he made every nation of men. The Greek does not say who or what the one is. From “the one nature,” “the one Father,” “the one man” have all been suggested, and in the end they all come to ...

2155. In Corinth

Acts 18:1-17

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... of this church that he has opened himself to the charge of being less interested in Corinth than in Macedonia and Ephesus (Rackham, p. 322). There may be something in this, but the reason lies more in Luke’s method and purpose in writing. He is not concerned to give a detailed account of the work in every place, but only a broad view of how the Christian mission developed. This he does by means of exemplars, and having already shown how Paul preached and worked wherever he went, he has no need to repeat ...

2156. The Riot in Ephesus

Acts 19:23-41

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... against the Christians. The time may have been the Artemisia, when the city was thronged with visitors and religious and national feeling was running high. A meeting was called, and it is clear from the outset that as far as Demetrius and his colleagues were concerned, economic considerations were uppermost (see disc. on 16:19). The silversmith put his finger on what was to them the salient point of Paul’s preaching, namely, that man-made gods are no gods at all (v. 26; cf. 17:29). In a place like ...

2157. Paul’s Farewell to the Ephesian Elders

Acts 20:13-38

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... Gal. 2:12 and nowhere else in the New Testament except a quotation in Heb. 10:38) has the sense “to draw or shrink back out of fear or regard for another,” but Paul’s preaching owed nothing to either the fear or the favor of other people. He was concerned only to express “the whole will of God” (v. 27). 20:22–24 As far as Paul could see, his work in Ephesus was at an end and his thoughts were now turned to his second theme, his future ministry. He was on his way to Jerusalem “bound in spirit ...

2158. Paul Speaks to the Crowd

Acts 21:37--22:21

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... , Ananias had simply appeared at the house in Straight Street with two things to say: first, a word of healing—Brother Saul, receive your sight! (v. 13; cf. 9:17), second, an announcement concerning his future work. Paul, much more than Luke in the earlier narrative, retained the Jewish idioms of Ananias’ speech: the God of our fathers and “the voice of his mouth” (v. 14; see disc. on 15:7b), to which may be added the archaic description of Jesus as God’s ...

2159. Body

2 Corinthians 5:1-10

Understanding Series

James M. Scott

... clothes: “For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality” (v. 53). Hence, the conception in 2 Corinthians 5:2 coincides to a certain extent with that in 1 Corinthians 15. In 2 Corinthians 5:2, however, Paul is not concerned with the resurrection of all believers; he yearns to be clothed himself. As we have suggested (p. 102), Paul is open to the charge of fraud, since his body does not show any visible signs of having been transformed as a consequence of his ...

2160. Paul's Hardships

2 Corinthians 6:3-13

Understanding Series

James M. Scott

... will not be discredited. The “ministry” to which Paul refers is, of course, the “ministry of reconciliation” mentioned in 5:18. His concern is that no one will be able to find fault with what he is doing and saying (cf. Philo, Allegorical Interpretation 3. ... :11 and Rom. 14:15, 20, 22–23, reflecting the gravity of the danger the strong were setting before the weak. In his concern for the weak, Paul could not help but be deeply agitated when the weak were “scandalized” (2 Cor. 11:29). In Rom. 16: ...

2161. Hearts

2 Corinthians 6:14--7:1

Understanding Series

James M. Scott

... of Belial’s rule. He is the leader of “people who are opposed to the people of the lot of God” (1QS 1.16–2.8). It is possible to become entrapped in “the scheme of Belial” (4QMMT C 29). The parallel to our text and its concern about opponents is obvious. Paul himself is fully capable of such dualistic thinking (cf. 1 Thess. 5:5; Rom. 6:19). On the community as the temple of God, see, e.g., D. R. de Lacey, “ο? τιν?ς ?στε ?με?ς: The Function of a Metaphor in St. Paul,” in Templum ...

2162. The Credibility of the Gospel Paul Proclaims

Galatians 1:11-24

Understanding Series

L. Ann Jervis

... p. 71; cf. Longenecker, Galatians, p. 32). Yet there follows a corresponding expression in Greek that reads lit. “in order that I might preach him in the Gentiles,” which suggests that the first phrase might be better translated as “to me.” Paul is primarily concerned with the fact that he received a revelation rather than with how he received it, and the chief consequence of the revelation was his commission to preach God’s Son to the Gentiles. Paul gives no record of his vision such as Acts does ...

2163. Paul’s Second Visit to the Jerusalem Church

Galatians 2:1-10

Understanding Series

L. Ann Jervis

... Jerusalem Christians have to nullify his own work on behalf of the gospel. They could make his efforts akin to having run his race in vain, and thus hurt the gospel, but Paul implies that this would be in disobedience to God. While Paul expresses concern that he himself could run in vain, he displays no fear that his gospel could come to naught through the actions of the Jerusalem church. Paul, like other ancient and modern writers, is fond of athletic imagery, which he uses in describing commitment to the ...

2164. The Law and the Promise

Galatians 3:15-25, Galatians 3:1-14

Understanding Series

L. Ann Jervis

... that he introduced in 3:14. Normally Paul speaks of promise in the singular, as he did in 3:14, but in this verse and 3:21 he uses the plural (see also Rom. 9:4). The biblical narrative has God making a promise to Abraham that concerns his offspring, or seed (Gen. 13:15; 17:7; 24:7), but Paul interprets these Scriptures to be saying that the promises were spoken both to Abraham and to the seed. His subsequent point emphasizing that “seed” is in the singular takes its significance from his interpretation ...

2165. Children and Parents

Ephesians 6:1-4

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

... instruction to newly baptized believers, but it is not necessary to conclude that the author is here addressing the congregation during a baptismal service. Nor does the inclusion of children in this instruction mean that infants were baptized. The primary concern is to demonstrate the kind of personal and domestic unity that should exist among Christians in the church. 6:1 Although the author is following Colossians 3:20–21 rather closely, there are some significant differences in this epistle. Children ...

2166. Slaves and Masters

Ephesians 6:5-9

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

... (Colossians § 21) and Philemon apply to Ephesians as well. But though the Colossian code was directed specifically toward the need for order in the church, the code in Ephesians appears to be more general in nature and to conform to the writer’s concern that there be unity and understanding within the Christian community as believers seek to serve Christ within the guidelines of the principle of submission (5:21). 6:5 The slaves who are being addressed are Christians. This means that their life has a ...

2167. Freedom From Human Regulations Through Life With Christ

Colossians 2:6-23

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

... You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men’ ” (Matt. 15:7–9; cf. Mark 7:7). A similar concern occurs in Titus 1:13–14, where Paul appeals to them to be “sound in the faith” and to “pay no attention to Jewish myths or to the commands of those who reject the truth.” The church of Jesus Christ continually needs to be on guard lest ...

2168. Rules for Holy Living

Colossians 3:1-17

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

... . The Virtues of the New Life 3:10 The NIV clarifies that the new self is the new being which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Behind this verse one can anticipate a serious question that the Colossians must have had concerning their new life in Christ: “How can I live out ethically for Christ what I have become sacramentally in Christ?” Paul himself was well aware of the tension between the indicative and the imperative, between his status in Christ and the process still to be ...

2169. Final Greetings

Colossians 4:7-18

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

... for his congregation manifested itself in his prayer life: He did not give birth to the church and then abandon it; rather, states Paul, He is always wrestling in prayer for you. The concerns of his prayer are quite similar to those that Paul himself has expressed throughout the epistle (cf. 1:9, 11, 23, 28; 2:2, 5–7; 3:1, 2). The qualities of firmness, maturity, conviction, and obedience will enable the Colossians to deal effectively with the heresy that is threatening ...

2170. The Lord's Grace to Paul

1 Timothy 1:12-20

Understanding Series

Gordon D. Fee

... nature and meaning of some of the language used. For example, does “for the destruction of the flesh” in 1 Cor. 5:5 refer to his “sinful nature” (NIV), or to literal physical punishment (GNB)? In all three cases there seems to be a clearly redemptive concern. Yet how does Satan fit into that? The stance taken here is that Paul is using language that has become semitechnical and thus does not mean literally giving them over to Satan to “go to work on them,” as it were, but simply removing them ...

2171. Godlessness in the Last Days

2 Timothy 3:1-9

Understanding Series

Gordon D. Fee

... . on 2 Tim. 1:7; Titus 2:2) in these teachers. They are men of depraved minds (cf. 1 Tim. 4:5) who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected (the opposite of “approved” in 2:15). As often happens (cf. 2:13 and 19), Paul cannot conclude on such a dismal note. So he returns to ... sexual liaison may also be involved would make further sense of such texts as 1 Tim. 2:9–10, and the concern there for chastity; 3:2, that the overseer be “faithful to his own wife”; 5:2, that Timothy treat “younger ...

2172. Thanksgiving and Prayer

Philemon 1:1-7

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

... beloved”) friend because he belongs to a community that is characterized by love; he is a fellow worker because he is actively involved in the work of the gospel in Colossae. 2 One of the ways in which Philemon has demonstrated his love and concern for the gospel is by opening his house for church meetings. The fact that the greeting extends to the church and includes Apphia and Archippus makes this epistle more public than private. The content may primarily be directed to Philemon, but the entire matter ...

2173. Jesus Greater Than Moses

Hebrews 3:1-6

Understanding Series

Donald A. Hagner

... ; 9:15; 12:24), well qualified to be the “mediator” (cf. 1 Tim. 2:5). 3:2 Jesus was faithful to the one who appointed him (cf. 2:17), i.e., obedient to the will of God. This has already been demonstrated by the author. As far as faithfulness is concerned, however, Moses stands on a par with Jesus. Moses was faithful in all God’s house is drawn from the LXX (Num. 12:7), in a passage where Moses is exalted as the only one with whom God speaks “mouth to mouth” and not indirectly. God’s house, as we ...

2174. The High Priesthood of Jesus

Hebrews 4:14-5:10

Understanding Series

Donald A. Hagner

... is said to be “exalted above the heavens,” with which may be compared Paul’s reference to Christ as the “one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe” (Eph. 4:10). Thus a number of themes concerning Jesus previously introduced are now brought together again and associated with the title of high priest: his humanity, his unique sonship, his exaltation, and as we are about to hear, his consequent ability to help Christians under testing. The faith we profess is ...

2175. The Old Testament Ritual Described

Hebrews 9:1-10

Understanding Series

Donald A. Hagner

... burning of incense on the Day of Atonement (cf. “so that he will not die,” Lev. 16:13; cf. Num. 16:40) that the author automatically associates the altar of incense with the Holy of Holies. It is after all the Day of Atonement that is his real concern as we see from verses 6–10. The second item in the Holy of Holies is the gold-covered ark of the covenant (see Exod. 25:10–16, 21). In this container were three special objects that recalled the experience of Israel at Sinai in the wilderness: the gold ...

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