“Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.” -Ephesians 6:18, NLT That’s the way Paul concludes his teaching on how Christians engage in the spiritual battle that rages on until Christ...
The life of a Christian is best lived praying. The work of a congregation is best done praying. To pray is a command, a necessity, and an encouragement to our faith. Praying is a way of life. As such, it calls for our whole self and...
There was a time when Christmas Day was not. Still, the promise of the presence of God was real and relevant to his people. As much as we love Christmas time, we must admit that as a “holiday” it has shaped our reading of the Bible,...
The final chapter in the Gospel of John is both personal to Peter and a call to all who read it. The final word from Jesus to the disciple who failed is the same word to us. Jesus said, “Follow Me.” John and Peter were disciples...
The gospel is good news on many levels. It contains a vast array of promises that flow from the cross. The starting point of them all is the promise of forgiveness of sins. For this reason, we proclaim repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. When Jesus...
I have concluded that what the Apostle John wrote in his Gospel is enough for me, and anyone else who reads it, to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. Put another way, if I or anyone else reads the Gospel of John...
For most of my life as a Christian, I have focused on the empty tomb, meaning the resurrection of Jesus. But each Gospel writer makes sure we understand that Jesus occupied the tomb, telling us where it was, how he got there, and how long...
The vision of Jesus in the Gospel of John just before the cross is him standing alone. In his loneliness we see the only-ness of Jesus. The scene is Jesus standing before the high priest, and then before Pilate the Roman governor (John 18-19). By each...
One of the best things to do to grow in faith, hope, and love for Christ is to regularly look at him in the pages of Scripture. I recently sat with a young person whose parents I know well. I have not spent much time with...
When we set aside Bible words because they seem complicated or uninteresting to people, the result is that the truth of those words gets neglected and lost. A better way to handle Bible words is to use them, understand them, and explain them. Doing so will...
