Let’s face it, sharing our faith with others can be scary. What will they think about us? What if I don’t know what to say? It often feels easier just to share our faith through serving others instead. But can we really divorce the proclamation of the Gospel from acts of compassion and still say we’re practicing biblical evangelism?
In the past, communities relied on each other to survive. The skills, talents, and abilities of its members all played a part in providing for each other. The church is designed the same way. But when believers gather together, they use their gifts to live out the mission of Jesus both in the church and in the world.
As Americans, we are obsessed by things that are big, comfortable, and luxurious. That consumeristic way of thinking has entered the church, causing people to ask what can the church give them instead of asking how they can give to others. In 1 Corinthians we see that God has uniquely made us to work together as one body. How can we break consumerism and return to working together for the mission of Jesus?
Paul in his letter to Galatia instructs them clearly on how to care for people who are struggling or caught in sin - restore them gently and carry their burdens with them. This is a big task, that requires our lives to be in line with the Holy Spirit. How can we join the Spirit with sowing love into a hurting world?
Jesus taking our place for sin has brought us freedom. Freedom from sin and from the rules and restrictions of the old ways. However, what are we to do with this new found freedom? Are we to use it for our own gain, or the sake of others?
In Galatia, there were teachers who we mixing up the gospel of Jesus with the laws in the Old Testament. Are we saved by faith, by doing good things, or a combination of both? Paul confronts their mixed beliefs in Galatians 3:1-9.
Sometimes, it is hard to tell if something is authentic or counterfeit. The apostle Paul had to deal with it over 2000 years ago with a vital topic - the gospel. The Galatians were accepting a fake gospel instead of the one they first received from him. How can we know all these years later what is the true gospel of Jesus and what is a fake?
The apostle Paul had a hard life once he started following Christ. He was beaten, shackled in prison, shipwrecked, and betrayed. However, he found a way to be content in all situations, even the hard ones. How can Paul's powerful way of contentment influence us today?
When Jesus came, his disciples and the Jewish people put expectations on Him that were not true. They saw the Messiah as a military and political power, but Jesus came to give His live to save the world. What happens when we do the same thing and put wrong expectations on Him today?
God called Abraham to give up his home and everything he knew in a thriving city to move to an unknown, remote place. In the process, he didn’t promise more luxury or comfort. He promised to make Abraham greater than he could imagine. God calls us to unknown, uncomfortable things as well. When God calls us to something new, do you trust or are you gripped by fear?
Change is hard. It means entering into unknown places and trying new things. Mary was thrust into a time of change when she was approached by an angel who told her she was going to be pregnant. How do you approach life altering moments? With faith or fear?
We all have lions in our lives. They are the huge, scary, fierce situations that we live through. They shape us, mold us, and change our perspective. Daniel went through so much, yet stayed faithful to God through it all. How do you respond when the lions are roaring and you are surrounded?
Job is a man who had and lost everything. In the middle of the pain, the loss, the suffering, he never turned away from God. How do you respond to hardship and suffering? What would your life look like if you could stand like Job, and trust God no matter what?
When life threatens to fill us with fear, where do you go...what do you do? Joshua is an example of how to practice courageous faith in the face of great adversity.
The hour had come. Jesus was arrested and led to the cross. While all of this was happening, his disciples fled and Peter betrayed him. But Jesus didn't stay in the grave, He beat death just like He said He would. Jesus appears to His disciples, and has a moment with Peter the betrayer. What does Jesus do? He loves Peter and restores him to his calling that He had revealed to him years before.
If you could go back in time and redo some things from your life, what would they be? Would you ask your high school sweetheart to prom, take a chance on a job, perhaps take back some hurt you have caused? We find out in Revelation 21 that God offers us a redo. The mess we started when we sinned is removed, and we go back to where we belong. Back to the beginning.
God's grace is a difficult concept for us to grasp. We are given freedom from the mess we have made, and there is nothing we can do to pay it back. How can we embrace this grace so that it changes our lives and perspective forever?
The first recorded words of Jesus in Mark 1:14-15 calls people to repent. But what exactly does that mean, and what is Jesus asking us to do? Little do we know, but repentance all begins with changing our perspective.
When all seems lost, when the waves are crashing all around you, what do you do? Do you turn your head and heart toward the Creator, or do you give up? Psalm 121 gives us encouragement in these troubling times as we face the ripple effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
At times we all wrestle with issues of faith. The truth is, most if not all of our favorite biblical heroes struggle with doubt as well. They are men and women just like us. In spite of their doubts, the book of Hebrews teaches us these same men and women model for us how to persevere in our faith.
Every day, in some way, we fail to keep God’s law. That isn’t because God didn’t make us correctly but rather because we are living under the curse of God for the virus of sin that was unleashed into the world. If we are part of the problem, what can be done about this?
We live in a disposable society. We no longer fix broken things, instead throw it out and buy a new one. It is even happening in our relationships and our jobs. But God doesn't do that with us. Though the story of the Samaritan woman at the well, we can see Jesus fix her brokenness, and in turn she changes the world.
Sexual abuse and misconduct of women is being exposed in our culture, and the #silenceisnotspiritual movement ignited churches talking about the injustice. Through the story of David and Bathsheba, we can learn how power and vulnerability can be markers of abuse...and it is not okay.
Enemy, prostitute, a nobody. The advancement of Israel's army hinged on Rahab in Jerhico, whose faith changed human history. How can this God of second chances join us into His story and change our lives as well?
It’s so easy to be distracted by all the things we have going on in our lives that we forget one very crucial thing: spending time with Jesus. Explore how Jesus responded to two important women in His life and the choices they made when they were with Him.
In Ecclesiastes chapter 12, the author Solomon summarizes and concludes his journey of finding meaning in life. His wisdom has been passed down for 1000's of years for us to hear today. Will we listen to him and live a life that will change us and change the world?
How does God want us to respond when we encounter suffering and injustice in the world? King Solomon in the book of Ecclesiastes highlights that a living faith moves us to do something about it.
There are so many views of what matters in life and how to measure success. Is it through your work? Is it having money and power? How do you know if you are making a difference and living a life that counts?
A new year has come, and old one has gone. New Year's is a great time to set new goals for yourself. We dream of new positive changes in our lives, but what if this year brings hardships and struggles...are you ready? Is your spiritual life prepared to keep "pressing on towards the goal?"
The long expected Messiah arrived and humanity would never be the same. He offered to be a light in the darkness, and to show us a new way of living. If Jesus really was the light, do you allow Him into the dark places of your life?
