“Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all.” (Acts 2:41 NLT) Jesus’ followers experienced a profound change after His resurrection. Jesus had conquered sin and death forever. He had already won the war against humankind’s two greatest enemies. So His followers were emboldened to fight the battles against those who opposed Jesus’ work. They literally had nothing to fear any longer. We can see the evidence of their newfound boldness in the...
Apr 24, 2025•4 min
“For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps.” (1 Peter 2:21 NLT) I heard a story of a man who was trying to start his own religion, without much success. He went to a wise friend and said, “I’m trying to start my own religion, but no one is joining. What do you think I ought to do?” His friend replied, “Why don’t you go get yourself crucified and rise again on the third day. I am sure you will h...
Apr 23, 2025•4 min
“May he equip you with all you need for doing his will.” (Hebrews 13:21 NLT) Fear comes in many forms. Kathisophobia is the fear of sitting. Ablutophobia is the fear of bathing. Anuptaphobia is the fear of being single. Arachibutyrophobia is the fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth. Automatonophobia is the fear of ventriloquist dummies. I don’t know the name of the fear Jesus’ disciples experienced following the events of Good Friday through Easter, but it was real. And it wa...
Apr 22, 2025•4 min
“I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead.” (Philippians 3:10 NLT) Who is this man that we are talking about today? What sets the Christian faith apart from all other beliefs and religious systems out there in the world? It might come down to this. If you go to the tomb of Confucius, you will find that it is occupied. If you go to the tomb of Buddha, you will find that it, too, is occupied. If you go to the tomb of Muhammed, you will find that it is occ...
Apr 21, 2025•4 min
“And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins.” (1 Corinthians 15:17 NLT) The day between Good Friday and Easter Sunday is known as Silent Saturday. Silent because the Bible has little to say about it, aside from a passage in Matthew 27 in which the leading priests and Pharisees ask Pilate to post guards at Jesus’ tomb to keep His disciples from stealing His body and claiming that He rose from the dead. Silent because Jesus’ lifeless corpse ...
Apr 19, 2025•3 min
“A jar of sour wine was sitting there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put it on a hyssop branch, and held it up to his lips. When Jesus had tasted it, he said, ‘It is finished!’ Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” (John 19:29–30 NLT) Ever since I was a little kid, I have always had a great admiration for the historical person known as Jesus. I had seen all His movies. I thought very highly of Him. I would thumb through my grandmother’s big family Bible and look at the illustrations o...
Apr 18, 2025•3 min
“Then Jesus shouted, ‘Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!’ And with those words he breathed his last.” (Luke 23:46 NLT) Today we are going to discover the most painful moment in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. What do you think it was? Perhaps your mind races to the crucifixion itself. You think of the spikes being driven into His hands and feet. As painful and horrific as that was, I don’t believe that was His most painful moment. Perhaps you think of the scourging that took pla...
Apr 17, 2025•4 min
“For the Lord protects the bones of the righteous; not one of them is broken! ” (Psalm 34:20 NLT) Jesus’ suffering and death on the cross made eternal life possible. It’s the greatest gift ever offered. And God wanted to make sure that people recognized the gift for what it was. So even in the most agonizing moments of Jesus’ sacrifice, He continued to fulfill prophecies about His death that had been made hundreds of years earlier. Isaiah 53:12 predicted that Jesus would be put to death alongsid...
Apr 16, 2025•4 min
“They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him. They wove thorn branches into a crown and put it on his head, and they placed a reed stick in his right hand as a scepter. Then they knelt before him in mockery and taunted, ‘Hail! King of the Jews!’ And they spit on him and grabbed the stick and struck him on the head with it.” (Matthew 27:28–30 NLT) The list of assaults and indignities Jesus suffered after His arrest is long. A temple guard slapped Him during His trial before Annas (see John 18...
Apr 15, 2025•3 min
“‘Away with him,’ they yelled. ‘Away with him! Crucify him!’ ‘What? Crucify your king?’ Pilate asked. ‘We have no king but Caesar,’ the leading priests shouted back.” (John 19:15 NLT) In the hours after His arrest, Jesus faced several different trials before Jewish and Roman leaders. His accusers made false allegations against Him and twisted His words to make their accusations seem legitimate. And through it all, Jesus remained silent. He refused to counter their claims or defend Himself agains...
Apr 14, 2025•4 min
“The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death, but they did not find any.” (Mark 14:55 NIV) The prosecution of Jesus offers a case study in injustice, hypocrisy, and evil. After He was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus was taken to the house of Annas, a former high priest. Annas interrogated Him briefly and then sent Him to the house of Caiaphas, the current high priest. Caiaphas had assembled the Sanhedrin, the r...
Apr 12, 2025•4 min
“Then Jesus spoke to the leading priests, the captains of the Temple guard, and the elders who had come for him. ‘Am I some dangerous revolutionary,’ he asked, ‘that you come with swords and clubs to arrest me?’” (Luke 22:52 NLT) The scene in Gethsemane when Jesus was arrested is chaotic and confusing in the Gospel account. Imagine how much more chaotic and confusing it was in person. Judas Iscariot, who knew Gethsemane well because of the time he’d spent with Jesus, led the arresting party. Wit...
Apr 11, 2025•3 min
“Then Jesus left them a second time and prayed, ‘My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will be done.’” (Matthew 26:42 NLT) Jesus’ last stop before His arrest was the Garden of Gethsemane. The garden was located on a slope of the Mount of Olives, just across the Kidron Valley from Jerusalem. When the events of Jesus’ arrest took place, the garden was likely an olive grove surrounded by walls. Some scholars believe it was owned by a wealthy follower of Jesus who allow...
Apr 10, 2025•4 min
“And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, ‘Each of you drink from it, for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many.’” (Matthew 26:27–28 NLT) As the hour of Jesus’ arrest approached, we see God’s plan continuing to unfold with amazing precision. Jesus and His disciples needed a place to share the traditional Passover meal together. God arranged for them to enco...
Apr 09, 2025•3 min
“When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, ‘As you know, Passover begins in two days, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.’” (Matthew 26:1–2 NLT) At the same time Jesus was breaking the news of His imminent death to His disciples, the leading priests and elders plotting His death were trying to work around a snag in their plans. Jesus was still popular with the Jewish people. (Their meeting was taking place only three days after Jesus’ triumpha...
Apr 08, 2025•4 min
“The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’” (Matthew 25:21 NLT) After Jesus described the events surrounding His Second Coming, He ended His Olivet Discourse by sharing four parables with His disciples. The parables continue the themes of punishment and preparing for the Master’s return. But each one adds a new perspective to the discu...
Apr 07, 2025•4 min
“Later, Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives. His disciples came to him privately and said, ‘Tell us, when will all this happen? What sign will signal your return and the end of the world?’” (Matthew 24:3 NLT) The Jerusalem temple was a magnificent structure, one the Jewish people were exceedingly proud of. Jesus’ disciples were no exception. As they left the temple, they pointed out its beauty and grandeur to Jesus. His reply must have shocked them. “Do you see all these buildings? I tell you the t...
Apr 05, 2025•3 min
“When they arrived back in Jerusalem, Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the people buying and selling animals for sacrifices. He knocked over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves, and he stopped everyone from using the Temple as a marketplace.” (Mark 11:15–16 NLT) On Palm Sunday, the people in Jerusalem mistakenly celebrated Jesus as the conquering Messiah, the King who would lead the Jewish revolt against the Roman Empire. On the following day, th...
Apr 04, 2025•4 min
“The next morning as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. He noticed a fig tree in full leaf a little way off, so he went over to see if he could find any figs. But there were only leaves because it was too early in the season for fruit. Then Jesus said to the tree, ‘May no one ever eat your fruit again!’ And the disciples heard him say it.” (Mark 11:12–14 NLT) Staying in Jerusalem during the Passover celebration was out of the question for Jesus, especially after His hero’s welcome on P...
Apr 03, 2025•4 min
“Most of the crowd spread their garments on the road ahead of him, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.” (Matthew 21:8 NLT) Jesus rode into Jerusalem for the Passover celebration on a donkey, as a king would. And that’s how the crowd treated Him when He arrived—as a king. Jesus accepted their praise and worship, something He rarely did during His earthly ministry. Matthew 12 tells the story of Jesus healing many sick people. “But he warned them not to reveal who he...
Apr 02, 2025•4 min
“‘Go into the village over there,’ he said. ‘As soon as you enter it, you will see a donkey tied there, with its colt beside it. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone asks what you are doing, just say, “The Lord needs them,” and he will immediately let you take them.’” (Matthew 21:2–3 NLT) A Sunday school teacher asked her class, “Does anybody know what next Sunday is?” A little six-year-old girl raised her hand and said, “Next Sunday is Palm Sunday.” The teacher said, “Very good. Do you kn...
Apr 01, 2025•4 min
“Then he asked them, ‘But who do you say I am?’ Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’” (Matthew 16:15–16 NLT) First Kings 18 tells the story of the prophet Elijah’s challenge to the false prophets of Baal. Elijah would build one altar and place a sacrifice on it. The prophets of Baal would build another altar and place a sacrifice on it. The deity who sent fire to consume his sacrifice would be declared the God of Israel. The prophets of Baal went first—and fail...
Mar 31, 2025•4 min
“For when you die and are buried with your ancestors, I will raise up one of your descendants, your own offspring, and I will make his kingdom strong. He is the one who will build a house—a temple—for my name. And I will secure his royal throne forever.” (2 Samuel 7:12–13 NLT) Charting the rise and fall of empires is not always easy to determine, as there are overlapping or conflicting dates of when nations rise and fall. Generally speaking, though, the Western Roman Empire lasted just over 500 ...
Mar 29, 2025•4 min
“O my people, listen to my instructions. Open your ears to what I am saying, for I will speak to you in a parable. I will teach you hidden lessons from our past.” (Psalm 78:1–2 NLT) Jesus’ twelve disciples had front-row seats to the most amazing three years in human history—the years of Jesus’ public ministry. They witnessed miracles that defied explanation. They heard the most profound truths ever spoken. They experienced life with the Son of God. They had access to the wisdom of the ages. But ...
Mar 28, 2025•4 min
“And when he comes, he will open the eyes of the blind and unplug the ears of the deaf. The lame will leap like a deer, and those who cannot speak will sing for joy!” (Isaiah 35:5–6 NLT) In Genesis 3, Adam and Eve disobeyed the Lord, ate the forbidden fruit, and brought sin into God’s perfect creation. But sin wasn’t all they brought into the world. Suddenly, sickness and death became part of human existence. When the Messiah came, then, what better way to reveal Himself than by showing His powe...
Mar 27, 2025•3 min
“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed. He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of the Lord’s favor has come, and with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies.” (Isaiah 61:1–2 NLT) The person speaking these words in Isaiah 61 is Jesus—seven hundred years before He was born. This is a prophe...
Mar 26, 2025•4 min
“But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel, whose origins are in the distant past, will come from you on my behalf.” (Micah 5:2 NLT) The Bible speaks of the future with absolute certainty. That is because God is eternal. He can see the future as accurately as we can see the past. It is all a continuum to God. It is all the same to Him. So when the Bible says a certain thing is going to happen, it is not like God is going out on ...
Mar 25, 2025•4 min
“All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).” (Isaiah 7:14 NLT) Isaiah 7 tells the story of Ahaz, the king of Judah. In the cycle of good kings and bad kings who ruled over Israel and Judah, Ahaz definitely fell into the second category. He led the people of Judah into idol worship. Ahaz became alarmed when he learned that his neighboring monarchs, King Rez...
Mar 24, 2025•4 min
“Now listen and understand! Seven sets of seven plus sixty-two sets of seven will pass from the time the command is given to rebuild Jerusalem until a ruler—the Anointed One—comes. Jerusalem will be rebuilt with streets and strong defenses, despite the perilous times.” (Daniel 9:25 NLT) Daniel 9 begins with Daniel praying. This wasn’t unusual. Daniel prayed a lot. In Daniel 9, however, his prayer is especially urgent. Daniel had been in captivity in Babylon for about sixty-six years. Based on hi...
Mar 22, 2025•4 min
“He was given authority, honor, and sovereignty over all the nations of the world, so that people of every race and nation and language would obey him. His rule is eternal—it will never end. His kingdom will never be destroyed.” (Daniel 7:14 NLT) Like Joseph before him, Daniel had the ability to interpret dreams and visions. This was a valuable skill in Old Testament times, when people placed great importance on dreams and visions. And like Joseph before him, Daniel used his ability to gain favo...
Mar 21, 2025•4 min
