May 9, 2014 |
“I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also” (2 Timothy 1:5 NIV). The church of my youth had annual revival services. We would often have an evangelist come and share how God had miraculously saved
April 18, 2014 |
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3 ESV). “My hope is built on nothing less Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness. I dare
April 10, 2014 |
“And he said to them, ‘I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer’” (Luke 22:15 ESV). This coming Sunday begins what many Christians call Holy Week or Passion Week. It is called “Passion” week because of its connection to the Greek word πάσχω (pas’-kho) which is usually translated to “suffer” in the
March 28, 2014 |
“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into
March 21, 2014 |
“Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor” (Romans 12:10 ESV). The Bible teaches us to honor God and to honor one another. This is an expression of the kind of love that God both commands and instills. We cannot keep the command to love and honor one another without God’s empowerment.
March 14, 2014 |
“For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving” (1 Timothy 4:4). The apostle Paul instructed his young protégé Timothy to stand against the false teaching of asceticism that plagued first century Ephesus. Asceticism is a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from various worldly pleasures, often with the aim
February 21, 2014 |
“Why then the law?” (Galatians 3:19a ESV). “Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully” (1 Timothy 1:8 ESV). Last week, we started a new sermon series through Paul’s first epistle to Timothy. We encountered a phrase in 1 Timothy 1:8 about the “lawful” use of the law. Apparently, the
February 14, 2014 |
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete,equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17 ESV). Have you ever wondered what informs our sermon planning? For instance, we’re beginning an eight-week sermon series through the book of 1
February 7, 2014 |
“All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NLT). “Don’t waste your pain, let God heal it, recycle it, utilize it and use it to
January 31, 2014 |
“Jesus answered him, ‘The first of all the commandments is: Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength’” (Mark 12:30 NKJV). When Robin and I were first married there was a difference in our bathroom and