Focal Passage: John 17:13-26 One of the great blessings of having close relationships with other believers is the ability to call upon them to pray for us in a time of need. As a pastor, I receive numerous prayer requests each week, where people ask me to pray for the most serious and urgent needs in their lives. Similarly, it’s not uncommon for me to call upon many others to
Focal Passage: James 1:13-18 To be tempted to sin is the universal experience of humanity, both for Christians and non-Christians. The difference between the two is that the Christian has the awareness and the tools to overcome a variety of temptations, the unbeliever does not. Let’s do an autopsy on temptation through James 1:13-18 so that we might see how it works in order to conquer those temptations that
Focal Passage: John 15:26-27; 16:7-15 One of the strangest elements in literature is what’s called a “paradox.” According to the dictionary, a paradox is a statement that seems self-contradictory or illogical. In other words, it’s a message that seems backwards or doesn’t make sense. We encounter paradoxes when business owners say, “You have to spend money to make money;” or when a counselor states that “failure often leads to success.”
Focal Passage: John 20:1-18 A few years ago, my girls and I were listening to a popular podcast where a Bible teacher was explaining Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. As he was describing all of the glorious details, my oldest daughter’s eyes began beaming with fascination and she said, “Oh, I just love the story of Jesus coming out of the tomb!” Hopefully that’s the emotion you feel when you
Focal Passage: John 20:1-2, 11-18 Christianity is a historical religion. While there are many historical events recorded in Scripture for our benefit, two events form the basis of the Christian faith — the substitutionary, atoning death of Jesus and His resurrection from the dead. Apart from these two historical events there is no Christian faith. As I Corinthians 15:12-19 notes, if Jesus has not been raised from the dead: (1)
Focal Passage: John 15:1-17 One of the most popular topics among believers is spiritual growth. It’s the subject of countless books and blogs, the theme of numerous conferences and events, and the aim of sermon series, church programs and small group studies. According to Barna Research, 75 percent of Christian adults desire spiritual growth in their lives. This desire comes naturally for true believers who are being sanctified in Christ,
Focal Passage: John 19:16-19; 28-30, 38-42 The great Puritan theologian John Owen once wrote that through the death of Jesus Christ the death of death has been accomplished. Even more, because of the death of Jesus Christ the sins of all who would believe — past, present, and future — would be forgiven. The One who knew no sin bore the penalty for our sins so that we might be
Focal Passage: John 9:1-7; 32-33, 35-38 Why? This is one of the primal questions of life, along with How? When? Where? Who? We want to know why things happen, especially if those things cause suffering. Often, God will give us whole or partial answers to these questions. At other times, God remains silent reminding us that He has reasons for how He providentially cares for His creation that are above
Focal Passage: John 14:16-29 According to the World Health Organization, approximately 264 million people have been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder — and these numbers continue to rise, especially among children. Those who suffer often feel restless and on edge, and experience frequent headaches, stomachaches, and other pains. Many sense difficulty when trying to concentrate, sleep, make decisions, and control feelings of worry and doubt. But whether we live with
Focal Passage: John 13:31-14:6 A few years ago, Emily and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary by taking a very special vacation. The only difficult part was leaving our small children behind for over a week as we traveled to a distant country. As expected, our girls were very apprehensive about us leaving. I was a little nervous about leaving them as well. We had practically been with them every
Focal Passage: John 17:13-26 One of the great blessings of having close relationships with other believers is the ability to call upon them to pray
Focal Passage: James 1:13-18 To be tempted to sin is the universal experience of humanity, both for Christians and non-Christians. The difference between the
Focal Passage: John 15:26-27; 16:7-15 One of the strangest elements in literature is what’s called a “paradox.” According to the dictionary, a paradox is a
Focal Passage: John 20:1-18 A few years ago, my girls and I were listening to a popular podcast where a Bible teacher was explaining Jesus’
Focal Passage: John 20:1-2, 11-18 Christianity is a historical religion. While there are many historical events recorded in Scripture for our benefit, two events form
Focal Passage: John 15:1-17 One of the most popular topics among believers is spiritual growth. It’s the subject of countless books and blogs, the theme
Focal Passage: John 19:16-19; 28-30, 38-42 The great Puritan theologian John Owen once wrote that through the death of Jesus Christ the death of death
Focal Passage: John 9:1-7; 32-33, 35-38 Why? This is one of the primal questions of life, along with How? When? Where? Who? We want to
Focal Passage: John 14:16-29 According to the World Health Organization, approximately 264 million people have been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder — and these numbers
Focal Passage: John 13:31-14:6 A few years ago, Emily and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary by taking a very special vacation. The only difficult
