Discipling Lost People into Salvation
“Metanoesein kai pistos emoi genesesthai!” These were the words of Flavius Josephus to a group of Jewish rebels in 66 A.D., commanding them to abandon their current course of action and to instead come under His command and direction. In English, we recognize His words as, “Repent and believe in me!” To the Christian, this is reminiscent […]
Jesus’ Genealogy and You
“This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham.” (Matthew 1:1, NIV) Prior to telling us about Jesus’ birth, Matthew gives us an extensive list of names, which seems like a strange way to start. Could you not produce a more exciting introduction, Matthew? However, upon closer look, […]
Sermon on the Mount: Salt and Light
“You are the salt of the earth. . . You are the light of the world.” (Matthew 5:13-14, NIV) When Jesus says, “You are the salt of the earth/light of the world (Matthew 5:13-14), remember that his direct audience is the disciples. The “you” refers to those people who actually live out the things he […]
God’s Will…Period.
I’m sure you’re familiar with the Lord’s Prayer. I wonder if we get too familiar with the Lord’s Prayer. We know the words. We know them so well that if someone started praying them out loud in a church service, like a kid saying the Pledge of Allegiance, we would jump right in. We would speak up, […]
What Is the Kingdom of Heaven?
We see throughout the Gospel of Matthew that the kingdom of God is a major theme in Jesus’ message. Kingdom can be thought of as a word made up of two parts: king (a sovereign ruler) and “dom” (a domain or territory). Christ’s victory over death ushered in his kingdom, and he is elevated as […]
Which Is Our G.O.A.T? Reflection on the Greatest Commands and Great Commission
As an avid sports fan, I’m not one to object when pulled into a friendly debate discussing the merits of this or that player of this or that professional sport. I also enjoy trying to answer the question that these discussions often lead to: who is the “greatest of all time” (the G.O.A.T.)? In basketball, […]
Church Hurt: 4 Reasons from Jesus Why Churches Can Disappoint
Church hurt. Do you know what it’s like to be disappointed by church? In 1994, in the African country of Rwanda, one African people group named the Hutus tried to kill off another African people group called the Tutsis. In roughly 100 days, the Hutus slaughtered—it wasn’t war, it was genocide—approximately 800,000 Tutsis. To escape […]
Jesus: Our Guide for Affirming Both Testaments
The Bible, comprising the Old and New Testaments, holds a central place in the lives of Christians. It serves as a guide and a source of spiritual nourishment. However, one may wonder, “How can we trust the Bible? How did we get this book of books?” In this article, we’re going to look into the […]
