Like a tender shepherd, Paul wrote the letters of 1 & 2 Thessalonians to the church he founded in Thessalonica, a huge city in Macedonia. These were friends he knew, loved, and missed. His purpose in writing was to thank them for their work of faith, their labor of love, and their continued hope in the Lord Jesus Christ . . . and His coming again. Paul was a… Read more…
During the time of the divided kingdom, both the nation of Israel in the north and Judah in the south witnessed great miracles and great failures as their kings vacillated between serving God and following pagan practices. As God led the people through prophets such as Elisha—miraculously curing one man of leprosy and raising another back to life—the clo… Read more…
The book of Revelation unveils Jesus Christ in glory. The apostle John wrote this letter to the churches in Asia Minor who were feeling the overwhelming effects of persecution from all sides. This book was a reminder to them that God saw their hardships, cared about them, and would reward them for their faithfulness.
Through the use of viv… Read more…
In the face of false teachings about Jesus, the apostle John took a direct approach. “I heard Jesus speak,” he wrote. “I saw him . . . I even touched him.” Just as we would write about someone we knew and loved, John told the early believers the truth about the Savior. But he didn’t let them off the hook without an examination of their lives. “If… Read more…
The apostle James, the oldest half-brother of Jesus, was a key leader in the Jerusalem church. During the early days of the young church, the Jewish believers had been scattered by persecution. Out of compassion, James wrote this epistle to confront them and motivate them to test the quality and consistency of their faith.
In this short an… Read more…
The early Jewish believers had come from a background of legalism and works. When God came to earth in human flesh as the New Covenant, these believers discovered the freedom they could have in Jesus and the relationship they could enjoy with Him. Yet in the midst of persecution and rejection, they were often tempted to hold on to the former symbols, rituals… Read more…
Many of God’s people through the ages have been called to endure times of hardship, loneliness, and suffering. Some, such as Daniel and Esther, were even members of a race carried away to a foreign land that had never heard of the God of Israel. Their lives were not easy, but even in the midst of trials, these men and women discovered that God was with the… Read more…
The people of Israel were carried away to Babylon, where they lived as exiles and outcasts. God sent this judgment on His people because of their continued unfaithfulness to His word—but the day came when He called them to return to Jerusalem. However, when they arrived there, they discovered things had dramatically changed for the worse. The Temple was de… Read more…
“Jesus is the only way” can be an unpopular stand for Christians to take in our contemporary culture. But dangerous false teachings against Jesus Christ are not new. The Colossian church dealt with these same threats. When Paul learned about this danger, he wrote the church a message of warning. Colossians is full of dramatic and powerful passages couple… Read more…
Though attempting to live a transformed life by the power of the Holy Spirit, the church in Ephesus was immersed in an evil culture and surrounded by sin and pagan ways. Discouraged believers needed a reminder of God’s grace and love, of the blessings they had in Jesus Christ, and of their commitment to holiness.
Written by the apostle P… Read more…
David is known as Israel’s greatest king, but he was certainly not a super-hero. He had to fight many difficult battles to establish his throne, and when he did become king, he committed murder, adultery, and brought disaster on his family. He was a man with all-too-human failings who was far from perfect, yet he was also a man after God’s own heart. Dav… Read more…
Solomon is known as the wisest man who ever lived. His writings in the Old Testament range from practical, pithy proverbs to beautiful romantic poetry—and all are filled with his knowledge and insights. Yet behind those writings stood a flawed man who was conflicted between deep wisdom and tragic folly. Sadly, the king who warned against so many sins did n… Read more…
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