Discover the Truth and Spiritual Significance of Luke 9:23 What did Jesus mean when he said, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23)? This reference to the cross—the torturous instrument of Jesus’s death—is enough to make us squirm. Though not to dismiss […]
We’re off to visit another church, this time with family, the first visit for everyone. When they opened two years ago, they conducted a smart direct-mail campaign to the community. They’re a portable church that meets at a nearby middle school. Consider these discussion questions about Church 67. 1. The church is three-quarters of a […]
Apply These Biblical Tips on How to Value Others Throughout the New Testament we see instructions of how we should treat one another. Let’s call these the “one another” directives. We are to: The last two of these one-another commands come from the mouth of Jesus. The rest of them are in the letters written […]
If We Don’t Protect the Innocent from Retribution, Who Will? God tells Joshua to establish cities of refuge, a safe place for people to seek sanctuary. The specific context is that a city of refuge is a place for people to go if they accidentally kill someone. Once these people make it to the city […]
Today’s passage: John 7:1–24 Focus verse: “Whoever speaks on their own does so to gain personal glory.” (John 7:18) This verse talks about receiving glory. Other translations use the word honor, and still others say praise. Glory, honor, and praise give us different angles to look at the same idea. Although a human trait, seeking […]
Explore the Reasons Why We Should Read Scripture I write a lot about the Bible. And I advocate that people read and study the Bible. I encourage them to explore Scripture daily. But why? What is the purpose of the Bible? Without knowing why we’re doing something, it’s hard to persist in it and turn […]
I’m not sure why it works out this way, but it’s another holiday weekend, and we’re off to visit another church. This one is three-quarters of a mile from our home. We could walk to it, and consider doing so, but we talk ourselves out of it. Part of the issue is that I don’t […]
Discover the Revolutionary Way Jesus Fulfills the Old Testament When we consider that Jesus came to fulfill the law of Moses and the writings of the prophets, what’s important to understand is that we must see these passages in their proper perspective, informing our perspectives about church today. This doesn’t mean to ignore what was […]
Even One Sin Is Enough to Disqualify Us from Attaining God’s Perfect Standard; Jesus Bridges the Gap The book of Deuteronomy concludes with the death of Moses. Moses faithfully leads God’s people as they wander in the desert for forty years, brings them to the border of the land God had promised to give to […]
Today’s passage: John 6:1–71 Focus verse: Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” (John 6:35) Jesus offered the Samaritan woman living water to drink. Now he wants to feed the people life-giving bread. Just as we […]