Growth Track: Discover
“For we are God’s workmanship [work of art, masterpiece], created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.“ (Ephesians 2:10, NIV) In 1785, William Paley told a story of a man walking through the forest who stumbles upon a pocket watch (recent inventions in the 18th century). […]
Church Membership
“The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.” (1 Corinthians 12:12, NIV) One of the Apostle Paul’s favorite metaphors for the church is the “body of Christ.” He continues in 1 Cor. 12 noting […]
Where’s the Real King?
“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.” (Matthew 2:1-2, NIV) Try to imagine, for […]
Election Day
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.“ (Galatians 5:1, NIV) Freedom is one of the great themes of the Bible. Jesus, when announcing his ministry, promised to “proclaim freedom for the prisoners (Luke 4:18 quoting Isa. […]
No Regrets
“So he got up and went to his father.” (Luke 15:20) The word regret carries the etymological idea of looking back to weep. Repent means to regret to the point of amending one’s life. Obviously, the difference is huge. And the key is “change.” This Sunday we’re looking at the story Jesus told of the […]
Rewarded
“Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.” (1 Timothy 6:18-19, NIV) Paul’s […]
Only Wounded Soldiers can Serve
“In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had.” […]
Calling All Heroes
“Those of us who are strong and able in the faith need to step in and lend a hand to those who falter, and not just do what is most convenient for us. Strength is for service, not status. Each one of us needs to look after the good of the people around us, asking […]
“Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin….” (Zechariah 4:10, NLT) Quick! Answer this riddle: Three frogs are sitting on a lily pad. One decides to jump off. How many frogs remain on the lily pad? If you said three, you’re right. Deciding to jump off and actually […]
A Spiritual Battle
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12, NIV) “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine […]
As Far as I’m Concerned…
“As soon as it was night, the brothers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said […]
Offended!
This last year I noticed an interesting paradox in our society. First, our culture has a continuing love-affair with fame. It seems folks will do or say almost anything to be noticed by others. But in 2016, the pursuit of popularity ran headlong into another emerging trend in our society: we are offended easily and, […]
