The Church in Pergamum: Repent Today’s passage: Revelation 2:12–17 Focus verse: “Nevertheless, I have a few things against you.” (Revelation 2:14) As with the church in Smyrna, the Bible tells us nothing more about the church in Pergamum. But like the church in Ephesus, Jesus’s message to them offers both affirmation and correction. Despite living […]
Today’s passage: John 15:18–John 16:5 Focus verse: “They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God.” (John 16:2) Too many people do not see God at work and instead oppose those who follow him in fresh […]
Learn More about Stephen The third sermon in the book of Acts: Acts 6:8-7:60 (specifically Acts 7:1-53). Setting: Jerusalem, before the Sanhedrin (the ruling Jewish council) Speaker: Stephen Audience: Jewish leaders (members of the Sanhedrin) Preceding Events: Stephen supernaturally does many miracles and amazing things. The opposition stirs up trouble, has him arrested, and persuades […]
The Holy Spirit Gives Jesus’s Followers Special Abilities In the Bible, Paul talks about spiritual gifts, special abilities given to us by the Holy Spirit. These aren’t for our personal use but for the common good of Jesus’s followers, that is, his church. Some of these supernatural abilities enhance our existing capabilities, while others are […]
The Son of Man Stands to Welcome Stephen Into Heaven Stephen stands before the Sanhedrin. His testimony becomes a sermon, which smartly recaps the story arc of the Old Testament, starting with father Abraham and spilling over into the New Testament, ending with a sacrificial death of Jesus. Though I would never suggest someone skip […]
There are a number of sermons (teachings, messages, and proclamations) found in the book of Acts. While the definition of what constitutes a sermon and the precise number of them may be open for debate, I put the number at eleven. There are three from Peter, one from Stephen, and seven from Paul: In other […]
Elisha Seems to Allow an Alternative to Taking a Life-Threatening Stand for God I love the story of Naaman in the Bible. He commands the enemy army, conducts raids into Israel, and even has a Hebrew girl as a slave. It’s this girl, full of faith and void of resentment, who suggests Naaman go to […]
The curious phrase the “second death” only occurs in John’s prophetic vision as recorded in the book of Revelation, with just four verses that mention it. But what is the second death? None of these, however, explains what the second death is. What we can learn is that it’s something that can occur after physical […]