Dr Paul Allen

Paul planted a church community in the city of Corinth, about fifty miles west of Athens, Greece. He was a spiritual father to the believers there, the one who first brought them the gospel. That’s why he was so jealous of their spiritual well-being, bringing both correction and encouragement in his letters to them. In the first of those letters, he wrote,  “Because of God’s grace to me, I have laid the foundation like an expert builder. Now others are building on it. But whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 3:10–11, NLT). Faith in Something Other Than Jesus But what happens if a faulty foundation is laid? What if people build their faith on someone other than Jesus and something other than the gospel? What then? The results will be disastrous, and sooner or later a collapse will occur. That’s why Jesus was not impressed with the large crowds that followed Him. He was ...

Galatians 4:1-2 – I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. Life for kids in the ancient world could be brutal. Lacking legal rights, kids were beaten, killed, and even babies were abandoned on garbage piles to die or be raised as a slave, prostitute, or gladiator. If a girl was born with any disability, she was commonly left to die in the wilderness, drowned, or suffocated. It’s amazing to think that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, chose to enter human history at this time.           In that day, the quality of your life largely depended upon the character of your father. The same is true today. A good father brings a good life. A bad father brings a bad life.            A good father in the ancient world had a guardian appointed to help raise and care for the child.  In our...