When Jesus stopped to rest beside Jacob's well it set the scene for one of the most important dialogues in the New Testament (John 4). As he conversed with the Samaritan women, his intent was to explain what would be different about worship in the Christian era. This lesson follows three important realizations that make our assembly what God desires for it to be.
In life, some lessons are intellectual but not as practical. Others cause us to stare eternity in the daily mirror. One such lesson is the one with which Jesus concludes the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 7:24-28). He tells us that ever day we live in a way that will be one day revealed. What kind of a builder are you and what does what you do today, get revealed in eternity?
It's always a good thing to have a reset. The first of every year if often a time when people take a look at their lives. In our first lesson of 2019, we take a look at three men in Luke 9:57-62 who teach us some practical lessons about our commitment to God.
On Sunday nights in 2018, we have focused on going through the Bible. We have read it and reached the end. What do you do when you get to the end and you know what the Bible says? Why should you keep reading the Bible even if you have read it before?
Sundays have always been important for those who are Christians. Yet, there is a problem if Christianity is only a Sunday experience. God desires we take our faith beyond the Sunday worship experience and allow it to impact those around us all week long. Romans 12 gives us a great reminder of how this may look in our lives today.
This lesson continues a brief, two-part series on seeing Jesus in Revelation. While there are confusing and debatable passages throughout the book, Jesus always rises above the speculation and becomes unveiled and even more clear to us even today.
It's easy to approach Revelation with fear and uncertainty. There are many things in Revelation that are confusing to us today that, apparently, was more clear to those who were accustomed to apocalyptic literature in the first century. But, Revelation does one thing we often miss: Revelation reveals Jesus. It's a beautiful and powerful thing we shouldn't miss that we want to expose in two brief lessons called "Jesus in Revelation."
If you could be like any Bible character, you might not choose Peter first. We remember his shortcomings, but because of this fact, we probably can resonate with Peter. In 2 Pet. 1, we find some attractive traits that Peter had that should make us want to follow in his steps and "Be Like Peter."
Did your parents ever remind you to "Remember who you are?" If so, it was a way to help you behave your best. It might have been this very intention of Peter in 1 Peter 1:1-5 to remind the Christians who received this epistle to do the same. "Hey Christian, remember who you are!"
How important is patient endurance? In it, Jesus says, "you will win your soul" (Lk. 21:19). Our ability to overcome impatience is not just a need for getting along, but getting to heaven. This lesson's goal is to help us understand what patience really is and to understand why we need it and when we'll need it.
