Tychicus was a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord who is mentioned five times in the New Testament. Though not much is known about him, the biblical references to Tychicus reveal that he was a dedicated servant of Christ and played an important role in carrying apostolic letters to various churches. Tychicus in the Book of Acts The first mention of Tychicus is in Acts 20:4 which states: “Sopater the Berean, son of Pyrrhus, accompanied him; and of the Thessalonians, Aristarchus and Secundus; and Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy; and the Asians, Tychicus and Trophimus.” This verse lists…
Author: Nicole Sands
The verse 1 Corinthians 13:7 states that “love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” This verse comes in the middle of Paul’s famous “love chapter,” describing the virtues and characteristics of agape love. The word translated here as “perseveres” or “endures” is the Greek word hypomenei, which means to bear up under trials and difficulties patiently and bravely. So what does this verse teach us about the persevering nature of love? First, it means that true biblical love is tenacious and persistent. Love does not quit or give up easily. Even when loved ones…
The verse that says “love always protects” comes from 1 Corinthians 13:7, which reads: “It [love] always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” This is part of the famous “love chapter” where Paul describes the nature and importance of love. When examining this verse, it’s important to look at it in context. 1 Corinthians 13 comes right after Paul’s teaching about spiritual gifts in chapters 12-14. He seems to be contrasting love, the “most excellent way” (12:31), with the gifts of prophecy, knowledge, faith, etc. Even the most spectacular gifts are meaningless without love. Love matters more than anything.…
A community church is a Christian church that seeks to serve and minister to its local community. Community churches emphasize reaching out to the neighborhood and meeting the needs of people close by. They aim to make a positive impact where they are planted and foster connections among those who live nearby. The idea behind a community church is that the church should be integrated into its surrounding area and be actively engaged with those who live there. Rather than being insular and self-focused, a community church strives to be outward-looking and build relationships with its neighbors. Community churches may…
The verse in question, 1 Corinthians 13:5, states that love “is not easily angered.” This is part of a larger passage describing the nature of godly, agape love. To fully understand what it means that love “is not easily angered,” we must examine the original Greek wording, look at the broader context of 1 Corinthians 13, and connect it to other biblical teachings on anger and patience. The Greek Word for “Angry” In the original Greek, the phrase “is not easily angered” comes from a single word: paroxynetai. This word derives from the term paroxysmos, meaning “provoked” or “irritated.” The…
The Bible has a lot to say about love and kindness. One of the most well-known passages is 1 Corinthians 13:4, which states that “Love is patient, love is kind.” This verse comes in the middle of Paul’s famous treatise on love in 1 Corinthians 13, where he describes the attributes and importance of agape love. To understand what it means that “love is kind,” we first need to examine the original Greek word used here. The word translated as “kind” is chrēsteuomai. This word implies being good, gracious, useful and helpful to others. It means to show oneself useful…
The question of whether Christians should tithe off their gross income or net income is an important one. The Bible does not explicitly state whether tithing should be from gross or net income, so Christians have interpreted this in different ways. Let’s look at what the Bible does say about tithing, and the arguments on both sides of this issue. What the Bible Says About Tithing The practice of tithing – giving 10% of one’s income – originated in the Old Testament. Passages like Deuteronomy 14:22 and Leviticus 27:30-33 instruct the Israelites to set aside a tenth of their crops…
What does it mean that love is patient? The Bible has a lot to say about love and patience. One of the most well-known verses that connects these two concepts is 1 Corinthians 13:4, which says that “love is patient.” But what exactly does it mean for love to be patient? Here are 9000 words exploring this idea from a biblical perspective: To start, we need to understand what the Bible means by “love.” The original Greek word is agape, which refers to selfless, unconditional, sacrificial love. This is the highest form of love, the kind of love God has…
Making disciples is an essential part of the Christian faith. Jesus commanded his followers to “go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). Here are 9000 words on why making disciples is so important according to the Bible: The Great Commission that Jesus gave to his disciples was to spread the gospel message to the ends of the earth. Jesus said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation” (Mark 16:15). He wanted his followers to make more disciples in order to grow the church and expand the kingdom of God. Jesus set…
The story of Solomon worshipping at a high place is found in 1 Kings chapter 3. To understand why he did this, we need to look at some background information. First, it’s important to understand what a “high place” was. High places were open-air shrines, usually located on a hill or other elevated location. They were used for worship and sacrifice in ancient Israel before the temple was built. Even after the temple was constructed in Jerusalem, high places continued to be used by the people for worship. Early in Solomon’s reign, the temple had not yet been built in…