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List of Scripture verses I’m finding helpful for parenting

“Fathers, don’t exasperate your children, but nourish them in the Lord’s paideia and instruction” (Ephesians 6:4, my translation). “But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who are abusive to you. Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your cloak, don’t withhold your tunic from him either. Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, don’t demand it back. Treat people the same way you want them to treat you. If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount. But love your enemies and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; a...
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Correspondence with a friend on “advancing” God’s kingdom

I couldn’t resist performing a quick word study on basileia , the Greek word for kingdom, as it pertains what actions God’s kingdom takes and what actions we can take or undergo in relation to it. Below are two lists taken directly from the words of the New Testament as thoroughly as I could (with the exception of the notoriously difficult to understand Matthew 11:12/Luke 16:16: God’s kingdom:  is or was “at hand,”  comes,  starts small,  has great (good) influence,  is or belongs to kiddos, the poor, and those who are harassed for the sake of justice,  has subsumed or will subsume the kingdom of the world,  has no end.  We, in relation to God’s kingdom, can:  expect it,  see it (but not with signs that can be observed, and only if we’re born again),  be near it,  seek it or have it as our overriding concern,  find it,  proclaim or preach it,  hear it,  enter it (but only if we’re born of Spirit in addition ...
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Is there an “office” of “prophet” in Christianity?

Friend: Do you see anything in the New Testament which would lead one toward using the term “Ephesians 4 Prophet” to designate the “office” of a prophet as opposed to just anyone with a prophetic gift? [Some people] point to 1 Corinthians 12 where Paul seems to imply very distinct roles—1. Apostle, 2. Prophet—but I dont think his overall gist would be that we start using those as definers of who we are. Me:  First, the gist of the New Testament on contemporary prophecy is that it’s something lots of people can do (Matthew 7:22; Acts 2:17-18, 19:6, 21:9; 1 Corinthians 14:31) that’s subject to the judgment of all (Matthew 7:15, 1 Corinthians 12:3, 14:29; 1 Thessalonians 5:19-20; 1 John 4:1). Second, the Bible does not draw a distinction between a “prophet” and “one who prophesies.” Those who read Ephesians 4:11 and 1 Corinthians 12:28 as doing so are baking their own ideas into the text. (Similarly, those who read the fivefold list in Ephesians 4:11 as a non-overlapping set of Christ...
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