Results
Revelation
Unveiling Persecution
April 28, 2024
The church in Smyrna was being persecuted for their faith, and Jesus tells them that things will get worse. In order to conquer fear and doubt, these Christians needed the same thing that we need today: to catch a glimpse of what Jesus is doing in the midst of suffering. Only then will we find the grace to remain faithful.
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.
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.
Revelation
Unveiling Persecution
April 28, 2024
The church in Smyrna was being persecuted for their faith, and Jesus tells them that things will get worse. In order to conquer fear and doubt, these Christians needed the same thing that we need today: to catch a glimpse of what Jesus is doing in the midst of suffering. Only then will we find the grace to remain faithful.
Recent
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.
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.
Popular
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.
Genesis
The Consequences of Sin
July 2, 2023
If God made everything good, why are things so bad? The answer is sin. Sin upends God’s good design and corrupts everything in the world, especially us.
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.
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.
Genesis
Crown of Creation: The Imago Dei
May 21, 2023
What does it mean to be a human being created in the image of God? It couldn’t be a more relevant question. Because there are a lot of competing narratives out there about what it means to be human…who we are, what we’re here for, and what makes us valuable. Genesis tells us that humanity is the crown of God’s creation.
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.
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.
Isaiah
Wonderful Counselor
November 29, 2020
The four names given in Isaiah 9 each tell us something important about who the Messiah is and what he’s come to do. What does it mean that Jesus is the Wonderful Counselor?
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.
1 Corinthians
Instruction for Sex and Marriage
October 23, 2022
In the first part of chapter 7, Paul gives practical instruction related to sex, marriage, and divorce. As we approach this chapter, we are not looking for quick answers or rules. We are looking for how these instructions reflect the beauty and wisdom of God and lead us to deeper faith in Jesus.
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.
Genesis
God’s Redeeming Grace
July 9, 2023
Genesis 3 tells us why the world is so broken. It's broken because sin corrupts everything and ultimately leads to death. Genesis 3 is a bleak chapter. And it leaves us wondering if there’s any hope for redemption. Is there any good news in the midst of the brokenness? Are there any signs of grace amongst the devastation of the fall? And the answer is, “Yes!" We see glimmers of God’s redeeming grace all over this chapter.