What Is Versus What Should Be As I read and study the Bible, one common thread I’m always looking for is passages that will inform how the church should function. I want to align what we do at church with what Scripture teaches. Too often, however, our church practice isn’t all that biblical. Instead, we […]
5 Perspectives We Need to Change We’ve come to accept what happens at church as normal. It’s what most churches do, and what most attendees expect. Yet we’ll do well to consider our church practices and contrast them with a more critical perspective of church priorities. Here are five considerations of present realities compared to […]
Go and Make Disciples Today’s passage: Matthew 28:18–20 Focus verse: “Go and make disciples of all nations.” (Matthew 28:19) As Jesus prepares to return to heaven, he has one final bit of instruction for his disciples. He commissions them to continue what he started and tell others the good news about how he died in […]
Today’s passage: John 20:19–31 Focus verse: Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28) The Bible writes that faith is having confidence in the things we hope for and assurance in what we don’t see (Hebrews 11:1). Today this definition of faith applies to us. We cannot see Jesus, so we must […]
We Should Do What Jesus Commands and Push Secondary Pursuits Aside Jesus wants us to be his disciples. Each of the biographies of Jesus mention this. To be his disciple means to set all else aside and follow him (Matthew 16:24, Mark 8:34, Luke 9:23, and Luke 14:26–33). As his disciples he expects us to […]
Today’s passage: John 14:1–14 Focus verse: Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life.” (John 14:6) Jesus has but a few hours left on earth. He wants to make the most of every moment. The teacher gives last-minute instructions to his disciples, trying to encourage them, which they’ll need in the […]
Candy and I live in a homogenous area of mostly white, middle-class families residing in a suburban setting, sitting on the edge of rural. Our community has minimal diversity and our area churches, even less. Most of my life I’ve lived in settings with people like me. Our current home is like our others. The […]
Consider the Example of Jesus’s Followers in the Bible The commands in the Old Testament about the tabernacle/temple, priesthood, and tithe are clear. The New Testament, however, lacks specific instructions for us to follow. But this doesn’t mean we should adhere to the Old Testament model as a default. Instead we look at the practices […]
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 Can’t Witness for Jesus When We Sequester Ourselves on Sunday Mornings Just before Jesus leaves this world to return to heaven, he instructs his followers to go into the world and make disciples (Matthew 28:19). In an expanded version of this incident, Jesus tells his followers to wait for Holy Spirit power and then […]