Out of all the churches to which Paul wrote letters, the church of the Thessalonians was a cut above. In his first epistle to them he spent the whole first chapter remembering and praising them. These wonderful verses remind us that we, like Paul, should be thankful for the church.
Each year on Great Commission Sunday we consider the importance of the mission of the church. In this lesson, we look to Paul's letter to the Romans (1:1-7) to see not only how important the Gospel was to Paul but we also make the important connection that shows us how important the Gospel is to God and how that impacts us.
The Bible is clear: God has spoken. We believe this means we must trust and preach his word. But ultimately, no matter what we believe, we must be the kind of believers who practice God's word. In 2 Tim. 3:10-15, we see Paul's example to Timothy, which is a reminder of what we must continue to do in order to practice the word.
Preaching involves more than just the preacher. There could be no preaching without the hearers. In 2 Timothy 4:1-4 we find instructions for preaching and hearing but also reasons why we must preach the word.
If it can be proven that God has spoken his will, there are important implications. Today we start a short series of lessons exploring those implications. In this lesson, we consider important reasons we must trust God's word since we know God has spoken. Our text is 2 Tim. 3:16-17, one of the bedrock passages of Scripture about Scripture.
The prophet Elijah is one of the great heroes of the Old Testament. Yet, despite having heard the prophetic voice of God so often, despite having witnessed the mighty, powerful hand of God in his ministry, what Elijah needed to hear more than any other thing was the still, small voice of God. No matter who you are the same is true of you. Today, the most important thing you need to do is hear the voice of God. Will you listen?
Remember report card day in school? It contained your grades but also a report about your conduct. Christian conduct is even more important. In Ephesians chapter four, our conduct becomes the central focus as Paul writes about unity in the body. Today, as we examined these ancient words, we should realize they call us to consider our conduct and how it contributes to the building up of the body.
Sometimes the prayer Jesus taught in Matthew 6 is called the model prayer. When Jesus said, "Pray like this," some understand this prayer to be "how" or "what" to pray. Such may be true, but this prayer also teaches us "why" we should pray. In this lesson, we consider Jesus' teaching about prayer from the perspective "Why to Pray this Way?" The reasons we consider may offer fresh perspectives to your prayer life.
As Christians we believe Christ offers the best hope for unity among all peoples. But what does that unity look like? On what is it based, and how does it work? Paul writes to his Ephesian audience to answer those very questions.
In a time of uncertainty, how do we live in hope of God’s promises here and now? In Romans, Paul explains God’s original vision for his creation; in spite of the present state of creation, the Gospel announces God’s program of restoration through the person of the Spirit.
