The church, in its first few years of existence, went through some tough times. One of those times was during the reign of Herod Agrippa I. As he stretched out his hand to harass the church in those days, in Acts 12 we learn three things Christians ought to do during these kind of times.
We look at the early church and marvel at their zeal for evangelism. How could we ever be of the same spirit? But there is nothing they knew, believed, or did that is out of reach for us today. We can be evangelistic people, just like them.
Jesus made seven "I am" statements in John's account of the Gospel. The second of the seven is "I am the light of the world" (John. 8:12). This lesson takes a brief look at what that means.
An evangelist is someone who tells the good news of Jesus. Literally, Jesus became the embodiment of the good news. In the famous encounter with the sinful, Samaritan woman in John 4, Jesus demonstrates what an evangelist should do. In this study, we learn from him.
The purpose of the Gospel according to John is stated in John 20:30-31 (to believe in Jesus and have life through his name). Such being the case, it shouldn't surprise us that John begins his account with three powerful proofs to confirm Jesus was the Son of God (Jn. 1:1-5).
In Luke 12 Jesus offers a series of warnings, but in two segments of this chapter there is a great contrast. The story of the Rich Man who trusted in himself and his money (16-21) is contrasted with Jesus' lesson about not being anxious and seeking him first (22-34). Anytime our trust is not in God, we are in danger in trusting in the wrong things.
Luke 7:1-10 is an unusual account of a different kind of man. Most people don't see themselves the way others see them. Most of us think we are more deserving and worthy than we really are. But the centurion in this story saw himself as unworthy when everyone who knew him thought he was worthy. This lesson explains why that was true.
As Jesus set his face toward Jerusalem and started walking the road toward the cross, he still interacted with people along the way. This lesson briefly examines four people from Mark 14 and 15 who had to make decisions about Jesus. All of us have to make these decisions too. Subscribe in iTunes Subscribe on YouTube
What causes Jesus to sigh? In Mark 8:11 some Pharisees asked Jesus for a sign which resulted in Jesus giving a disapproving sigh. Even today, our attitude and actions are sometimes a sign that causes Jesus to sigh.
Our culture demands we go, go, go. It translates into being busy, busy, busy. Biblically speaking, we must allow our faith to work and serve, but we must remember that work demands rest. In Mark 6:30-31, Jesus shows us after we work we should "rest a while."
