Esther is an exciting book of the Bible. It contains all your classic storybook ingredients: a bold, beautiful heroine (Wonder Woman, anyone?), shifting love interests, a life or death threat to the good guys, a villain you absolutely love to hate, and of course a happy ending. There’s suspense and dramatic irony and reversals of fortune and poetic justice. Really, this story has it all! That is, except for God.
Read More2 Peter is a little book with a whole lot of passion. It feels intense, but that’s to be expected when the apostolic pillar of the early church pens his last words. Peter knows he’s about to die so he carefully crafts this farewell speech to the network of churches in Asia Minor.
Read More2 Corinthians is a letter written by the apostle Paul in response to a complicated relationship between him and the church at Corinth. Let’s just say they “had a history.” Paul started this Jesus community sometime before on one of his missionary journeys (see Acts 18). After moving on to plant more churches, he gets a disturbing report that things were not going well in Corinth (1 Cor. 1:11).
Read MoreThis week, we dive into the book of Jeremiah and his message of judgment against Judah. There is no better place to go than Jeremiah’s famous temple sermon in chapter 7. This passage is like a one-stop shopping center for all things “Jeremiah and judgment,” so understanding what’s happening here will help you better grasp what’s going on in the rest of the book.
Read MoreIt’s easy to read 1 and 2 Kings and think of it as a history of Israel. While it does tell the story of Israel and the succession of its kings, the author isn’t writing history just for the sake of history. We know this because he quotes extensively from outside source books called the “Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.” So, if a historical account of the kings isn’t the primary purpose of the books, what is the point of 1 and 2 Kings?
Read MoreWe all know to some extent that a fundamental component to becoming a gospel-centered disciple is learning to read and study the Word of God. Yet, which one of us can say that we’ve not struggled at times to do that? It may not be that we lack the desire to hear from God in his Word, but every time we open the Bible we become confused, distracted, or frustrated leading to an overall sense of despair.
Read MoreLife spiraled into chaos the moment I set out to write this article. I helped with unplanned classes, battled pain, sifted through significant opportunities for my husband, woke up to a neighbor’s house fire and witnessed death, got the flu, and went on a family trip. Needless to say, enjoying God’s beauty wasn’t on the top of my “to-do” list.
Read MoreIf you think #MeToo is another transitory wave of social media outrage, think again. Harvey Weinstein’s out and the #MeToo Oscars are over, but the movement doesn’t appear to be going anywhere. This worldwide phenomenon has created a palpable culture shift as countless survivors of sexual violence and harassment have come forward to share their stories and give voice to hurting women.
Read MoreThis doctrine, which is central to the gospel, keeps me sane and secure amid suffering. I can wake up and face another symptom-ridden day with faith intact knowing that my greatest problems—sin, death, and eternal judgment—has been dealt with through Jesus.
Read MoreIf I were a man, I would be a church planter. I’m a strong leader with the gifts and wiring essential to the call. I thrive when casting vision, making disciples, training leaders, preaching the Word, and evangelizing the lost. I’ve been “thinking in sermons” since I was fifteen. But I’m a woman—a woman who believes God has spoken authoritatively in his Word on all matters pertaining to life and godliness.
Read MoreWhat comes to mind when you think of church discipline? If you’re like me, you immediately go to high-profile cases that necessitate robust measures from church leaders. Church discipline may involve the whole church and its leaders. But church discipline actually starts, and by God’s grace ends, with you and me.
Read More“The assumptions are really what kill. It’s almost always assumed singles are either dying of loneliness or burning with lust.” Nodding, eager to hear more, I thought back on similar accounts from singles in different churches. By trying to listen and learn from singles—young, old, male, female, divorced, widowed, working, students, seminarians—my goal was to get the inside scoop on their experience as singles in the church.
Read MoreWe don’t talk a lot about covenants today. But we should. They’re one of the most important themes in the Bible because they act as the skeletons upon which the entire redemptive story is built. They’re like the backbone of the Bible.
Read MoreThere I was again, lying in a hospital bed hooked to an IV receiving my usual “cocktail” for migraines. Despite years of treatment, I was still having episodes that landed me in the ER. This could have been the opportune moment to hit play on my usual “woe is me” self-talk. But that night something changed. I chose to preach the gospel to myself instead.
Read MoreHave you ever stopped to wonder why life actually seems harder as a Christian? Perhaps you were baptized under the assumption that life would be easier as a Jesus-follower only to discover shortly after it can be more difficult. Gone are the days of ease and carefree living; now you wrestle with an ongoing struggle of sorts.
Read MoreWhen you turn to the book of Proverbs and read the opening line, “The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel” (1:1), you expect to start reading proverbs – short, clever sayings that pack a punch and offer you some kind of wisdom on the good life. But, that’s not what you get. Instead, you get ten long, cohesive speeches from a father to a son interwoven with four poems from “Lady Wisdom” to humanity.
Read MoreIt’s easy to get confused right off the bat when you open Ezekiel. The book begins with the most complex prophetic commission text in the Old Testament. Chapter 1 immediately launches you into a vision filled with strange things such as human but animal-like creatures, wheels within wheels, and fluttering wings that sound like an army. It's pretty bizarre.
Read MoreLast week, we explored Ezekiel’s prophetic calling as he was confronted by the awesome glory of God’s temple presence, his kavod, in Babylon. The vision of the “God-mobile” was pretty bizarre, but by chapter 11 the point could hardly be missed – Israel’s idolatry and violence had compelled God to leave his own temple. The only thing left for these rebellious people (and the surrounding pagan nations) was divine judgment.
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