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1 Corinthians
Ordinary Church
April 16, 2023
After reading the extraordinary chapter 15 about the resurrection of Jesus and all its implications, chapter 16 seems so ordinary. And yet the ordinary life and ministry of the church is where the promises of the resurrection get lived out now.
1 Corinthians
The Hope of Easter
April 9, 2023
The message of Easter is that Jesus died and came back new. The hope of Easter is that what happened to Jesus will happen to us. We will be raised up to new life in new bodies on a new earth.
1 Corinthians
The Centrality of the Resurrection
April 2, 2023
Some in the Corinthian church were claiming there was no resurrection of the dead. They saw it as a sort of foolish superstition—a belief for unsophisticated Christians. But in our passage, Paul wants us to see that the resurrection is central to everything we believe as Christians.
1 Corinthians
What Is the Gospel?
March 26, 2023
The gospel is not something we believe once and then move on from. It is something we hold fast to, daily. This passage gives us three handles to hold onto: the gospel is historical, theological, and personal.
1 Corinthians
Orderly Worship
March 20, 2023
Paul concludes this section of the letter about the worship life of the church (ch. 11-14) by focusing on the need for order in the worship gathering. Even though our worship gatherings today differ from the Corinthian gatherings, there is much for us to learn here about how to glorify God and edify one another in worship.
1 Corinthians
Build up the Church
March 12, 2023
The Corinthian’s zeal to experience God took the form of elevating certain spiritual gifts and seeking heightened spiritual experiences. Paul does not dismiss these things, but in the context of gathered worship, he calls us to focus our desire on that which builds up the church.
1 Corinthians
Love Never Ends
March 5, 2023
The truest mark of God’s work in a community is not spiritual gifts. The truest mark of God’s work in a community is love. Because, unlike the gifts, love never ends.
1 Corinthians
Pursue Love
February 26, 2023
A church can be gifted and growing, but without love, it has nothing. Love is the mark of spiritual vitality, and love is how people will know we follow Jesus. It is important to cut through the vague ideals of love in our day and get some clarity on what this kind of love looks like in everyday life.
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.
1 Corinthians
True Spirituality
February 12, 2023
Some in the Corinthian church were claiming to have extraordinary spiritual gifts. They were positioning themselves as the “spiritual ones,” and everyone else was a second-class Christian. Paul corrects this thinking with the Corinthians and shows them (and us) the nature of true spirituality.
Romans
Total Security in Christ
November 26, 2023
Paul wraps up Romans 5-8 with the strongest language possible to convince us that we are totally secure in Christ. We’re secure because God is for us, because God justifies us, and because God loves us. These life-changing truths are not only for us to believe in, but to revel in and rest in.
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Romans
God’s Sovereign Grace
November 19, 2023
We think we will be happy when we are in control or when we get what we want. Paul lifts our eyes to the joy of knowing that God is in control and trusting that his plans are so much better than ours.
Romans
Groaning and Glory
November 12, 2023
This passage sets present suffering and future glory right alongside each other. We live in the tension between the two: we live in the already, looking forward to the not yet. So even though we groan, we have great hope!
Romans
The Spirit of Adoption
November 5, 2023
Romans 8 tells us that the Christian life is life in the Spirit. And in verses 12-17, the Apostle Paul points to two aspects of life in the Spirit. Those who are in Christ have been given both a new obligation and a new identity.
Romans
Life in the Spirit
October 29, 2023
The Christian life is life in the Spirit. He sets us free from sin and gives us power to live for God. It is supernatural, but it is also normal for everyone who is in Christ.
Romans
The Law Can’t Change Us
October 22, 2023
Romans 7:12 says the law is holy, righteous, and good. But the law has no power to make me holy, righteous, and good because I have no ability to keep the law and no power over my own sin. The end of Romans 7 is the apostle Paul throwing up his hands and saying, “Why is it so hard to obey God?! If I’ve been made new in Christ, then why does it feel like I can never change?”
Romans
The Law Leads Us to Jesus
October 15, 2023
If we are "not under law but under grace" (6:14), then what is the purpose of the law? That is the question behind Romans 7. The law leads us to Jesus by showing us the depth of our sin and weakness. Jesus releases us from the law and brings us under grace so that we can truly walk in Gods ways by the power of His Spirit.
Romans
Freed to Serve a Better Master
October 8, 2023
Are we free to sin now that we're no longer under law but under grace? Paul’s answer is, “No way! Because we are freed to serve a better master."
Romans
Remember Who You Are
October 1, 2023
If grace abounds when sin abounds, then shouldn’t we just keep on sinning so we can get more grace? Paul’s answer is, “No way! Because that not who you are anymore."
Romans
The Reign of Grace
September 24, 2023
We live in a world where everyone is trying to find or create an identity. Romans 5 says there are two fundamental identities: in Adam and in Christ. That is breaking news in a culture like ours. The bad news is, by nature, everyone is in Adam. The good news is, by faith, anyone can be in Christ.
Romans
Confidence in the Cross
September 17, 2023
How confident are you in your standing with God? And what is your confidence (or lack of confidence) based on? We can have total confidence in where we stand with God, but the basis of that confidence is not what you might think.
Romans
The Joy of Justification
September 10, 2023
Romans 1-4 is about the doctrine of justification by faith. In Romans 5, Paul takes us deeper into what it means for us now: peace with God, standing in grace, rejoicing in hope.
Psalms
A Quiet Soul
September 3, 2023
We live in a noisy, anxious, restless world. In spite of that, this psalm tells us that we can be quiet on the inside. But how? David shares the secret.
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Matthew
What Does It Mean to Be a Christian?
April 30, 2023
Whether you are new to following Jesus or you have been a believer for a long time, it’s worth returning from time to time to some of the most foundational questions of our faith. In Matthew 4, Jesus gives us some key insight into one such question: What does it mean to be a Christian?
Genesis
A Vision for Work
May 28, 2023
We spend more time working than we do on anything else. And yet, most of us are in sort of a fog about the meaning and significance of our work. We need a robust vision for work if we are going to thrive in our postmodern world. And a deeper study of Genesis 1-2 gives us just that.
Luke
Good News for Everyone
May 1, 2022
On Easter Sunday morning, the disciples were sad, defeated, and unbelieving. All they could see was bad news. But by Sunday evening, they were filled with joy and convinced of the good news. How do we account for the turnaround? Well, in this passage, Jesus does some things for them that change their lives forever.
John
The King Is Coming
May 8, 2022
What does it mean to be the church in an age of social and religious deconstruction? A good place to start is to discern the difference between socialized Christianity and new birth Christianity. In this passage, Jesus helps us deconstruct a certain kind of faith and then points us to the mystery and reality of the kingdom of God.
Romans
Groaning and Glory
November 12, 2023
This passage sets present suffering and future glory right alongside each other. We live in the tension between the two: we live in the already, looking forward to the not yet. So even though we groan, we have great hope!
Hebrews
An Easter Benediction
April 1, 2018
So many things compete for our attention, but when we turn our attention to Jesus and see that he is better than everything else, we are compelled to draw near to God.
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
The Love of Money
May 15, 2022
Money can have so much power in our lives that we’re willing to bow down and serve it. But the scary thing is that we’re usually blind to this; we don’t see it in ourselves. How can we recognize the love of money in our lives? And how can we change?
John
The Light Shines in the Darkness
December 4, 2022
John tells us that the setting of the Christmas story is the world. And he wants us to see something very particular about the world: its darkness. When we think about Christmas, we like to think of brightness and light. But the story loses its meaning if we don’t consider the darkness.
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.
1 Corinthians
True Spirituality
February 12, 2023
Some in the Corinthian church were claiming to have extraordinary spiritual gifts. They were positioning themselves as the “spiritual ones,” and everyone else was a second-class Christian. Paul corrects this thinking with the Corinthians and shows them (and us) the nature of true spirituality.
1 Corinthians
Ordinary Church
April 16, 2023
After reading the extraordinary chapter 15 about the resurrection of Jesus and all its implications, chapter 16 seems so ordinary. And yet the ordinary life and ministry of the church is where the promises of the resurrection get lived out now.