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2 Thessalonians
Don’t Grow Weary in Doing Good
November 21, 2021
Paul has been talking about spectacular, heavenly things in 1 & 2 Thessalonians. But his final words are very much about life on earth. His application to all the heavenly things he’s been saying is very much focused on our life in this world.
2 Thessalonians
Comfort in Confusion
November 14, 2021
The return of Christ has always been a topic of interest and confusion in the church. On one hand, it stirs up feelings of anxiety and fear. On the other hand, disengagement from earthly responsibilities. The clarity, confidence, and comfort we need comes from the truth, power, and love of God.
2 Thessalonians
Enduring Suffering
November 7, 2021
How do we, not only remain faithful to Christ, but how can we be hopeful, joyful ministers even in the midst of persecution? How can we effectively demonstrate the love of Christ to a world that is hostile to the teachings of Christ?
1 Thessalonians
The Worshipping Church
October 31, 2021
If we are going to orient our lives around the Day of the Lord, then we must have a corporate attentiveness to God. And that attentiveness helps form us into the kind of people who are ready for the Day.
1 Thessalonians
Be at Peace Among Yourselves
October 24, 2021
True peace in the church involves our attitudes and activities. We acknowledge the work of our leaders, and we join them in the work as we pursue what is good for one another.
1 Thessalonians
The Ministry of Encouragement
October 17, 2021
The encouragement we all want is not something we can take from others; it is something we give to one other. And we can only give what we have received from God.
1 Thessalonians
Living in Light of the Day
October 10, 2021
The coming of Christ will be a day of redemption. But it will also be a day of reckoning. If that is true, then how do we prepare for it? How are we to live in light of that day?
1 Thessalonians
Hope in the Face of Death
October 3, 2021
Death is a universal problem, the greatest enemy of the human race. It causes grief, it separates people, and it raises difficult questions. Is there any hope in the face of death? Paul is writing here to assure the Thessalonians (and us) that there is indeed hope!
1 Thessalonians
The Problem of Idleness
September 26, 2021
Everyone is busy, but are we busy with the right things? Paul gives us a way of life that keeps us focused on our calling to love each other and be salt and light in the world.
1 Thessalonians
Sexual Holiness
September 19, 2021
What is God’s will for my life? Nothing less than Christlikeness, even in the most deeply personal parts of my life.
Revelation
Loveless Orthodoxy
April 21, 2024
Jesus commends the church in Ephesus for their commitment to truth, but he critiques their lack of love. This passage tells us that we can drift to a place where we believe the right things but are far from the heart of God. A healthy church has truth and love, working together to bear witness to Christ.
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Revelation
He Who Walks Among the Lampstands
April 14, 2024
In Revelation 1, John has a vision of Jesus. The curtain is pulled back and he sees the risen and exalted Christ in all his splendor. It’s a vision that’s for all of us, because we need to see Jesus as he really is and know what's on his mind.
John
Jesus Restores Peter
April 7, 2024
Peter’s failure resonates because we all fail. And yet, we don’t like talking about it. We want to push our failures to the background, but this story brings them to the front. The point is not to tell us how bad we are, but to show us how good God is and how much we need him. God meets us in our failure to restore us.
John
Resurrection and the Gift of Belief
March 31, 2024
On the first Easter, the resurrected Jesus was met with various forms of unbelief. In John 20, Jesus moves toward different types of people in their particular form of unbelief to graciously give them the gift of belief. The unbelief we see in these people is common to all of us, as is our need for the grace of Jesus to help us believe in him.
John
Unexpected Glory
March 24, 2024
As Jesus rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, the crowds gathered, hoping to see kingly glory. Jesus assured them that glory was coming, but in a form they never would have guessed: they would see the glory of God through the cross of Jesus.
John
Jesus Prays
March 17, 2024
The last thing Jesus does for his disciples before he steps out into the night to go to his arrest is pray for them (and us). He prays for everything his disciples will need to continue his work in the world: Protection, sanctification, and unity. This prayer from Jesus gives us our most intimate glimpse into his heart for his people.
John
Sorrow Into Joy
March 10, 2024
The spiritual reality in which sorrow can turn into joy has everything to do with the presence of God. When we know the Father's loving presence, our joy is made full. This text assures us God can meet us in our confusion, distress, need, and even in our failure.
John
The Spirit of Truth
March 3, 2024
When the disciples heard that Jesus was leaving, and that the world would hate them, their hearts were filled with sorrow. But Jesus said it would be better because the Spirit is coming. How is it better? What would the Spirit do to help them bear witness about Jesus in a hostile world?
John
Hated But Helped
February 25, 2024
If we abide in Christ like branches in a vine, then we will inevitably share some of his experience in the world. Meaning we will face opposition (even hatred) from the world. But he also promises help in the midst of the hatred!
John
Abide in Christ
February 18, 2024
Jesus said the mark of his disciples is that they “bear much fruit.” We want to roll-up our sleeves and make it happen, but the kind of fruit Jesus is talking about comes from being connected to him. If we want to be truly fruitful, we must learn to abide in Christ.
John
Another Helper
February 11, 2024
In the Upper Room with Jesus, on their final night with him before his death, the disciples were filled with anxiety and fear. Jesus tells them (and us) that what they need, the comfort for their troubled hearts, is not a prescription but a person—a person who will come to dwell with them.
John
From Troubled to Trusting
February 4, 2024
The disciples are deeply troubled by what is unfolding in the upper room. So, Jesus comforts them with words about the Father. He calls them to trust in the promises of the Father and the presence of the Father that they have in Jesus.
John
Just As I Have Loved You
January 28, 2024
We have plans to build our own little kingdoms, and that makes it hard to understand the way of Jesus and his kingdom. Jesus sets before us a vision for life that is about the glory of God. We see it in the love of Christ, in our love for one another, and even in our weakness.
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Luke
The Good Samaritan
March 13, 2022
The law of love shows us what it means to be a neighbor. The heart of love exposes our failure to be neighbors. The power of love transforms our hearts and fuels a life of love.
Genesis
Creator of Heaven and Earth
May 7, 2023
Genesis 1:1 is only seven words in Hebrew, and yet it is the foundation for everything to come in the Bible. Not surprisingly, the subject of this verse is our glorious God.
James
The Sin of Presumption
January 1, 2023
God is often in the background of our lives and plans. We believe in him, but we live as though we don’t really need him. This feels normal to us, but it is laced with pride. James calls out the subtle pride and foolishness of presumption, and invites us to a life of humility and grace.
Luke
Power Over Darkness
February 13, 2022
The story of this demon-possessed man in Luke 8 directly confronts our naturalistic tendencies. It affirms that we have a spiritual enemy, and he is powerfully at work in the world. But it also affirms that there is One who has far greater power, and he too is at work.
Luke
Expect the Unexpected
April 17, 2022
Everything that happened on the first Easter Sunday was totally unexpected. It left people perplexed and marveling about the empty tomb. What happened here and what does it mean?
Psalms
Facing Fear With God’s Beauty
July 10, 2022
Anxiety and fear are pervasive and a real threat to our thriving. By gazing upon the beauty of God, David clues us into how he faced terrifying circumstances with courage and delight.
1 Corinthians
The Beauty of Membership in the Body
February 19, 2023
One of the main problems in the Corinthian church was division. They were even dividing over spiritual gifts. So, Paul introduces this metaphor of the human body to illustrate what the church should be like and to show the beauty of membership in the body.
Colossians
Praying, Walking, and Talking
May 15, 2016
Jesus is supreme over everything and sufficient for anything. We experience his power and wisdom as we learn to seek him and walk in his ways.
Ephesians
How Kids and Parents Walk in Love
February 17, 2019
God is filling his people with his life and filling the world with his people. We need bigger thoughts about God, truer thoughts about who we are, a fresh experience of God’s power, and a compelling vision for life with God in this world.
Genesis
Downward Mobility
June 24, 2018
Jacob and Joseph lived very different lives, but both of their stories point us to the sovereign grace of God. In Jacob’s striving, and in Joseph’s suffering, God remains steadfast.
Luke
Resurrected Hope
April 24, 2022
The resurrection stories tell us in a variety of ways: God is not what you thought, maybe not even what you wanted. He is so much better.