[INTRO YOURSELF] [ANNOUNCEMENT: ONE SERVICE NEXT SUNDAY] [HAND OUT BIBLES] HOOK It might surprise you to learn that I was not a very good student in high school… that probably why I ended up in Bible College rather than a real school. Anyway, one class stood out above the others in my grade school career.... Read More →
As we read through Revelation, particularly chapters 7 to 10, we are swept into the grandeur of God’s final plans for humanity and creation. These chapters depict a world groaning under divine judgment—earthquakes, plagues, cosmic upheaval. Yet, woven into this vivid tapestry of destruction is an astonishing truth: even as God dismantles the earth, His... Read More →
James doesn’t pull any punches. When he calls out his audience for their divided loyalties, he labels it plainly: “Adulterers!” (James 4:4). This isn’t a gentle nudge toward improvement; it’s a wake-up call. Why such strong language? Because spiritual adultery isn’t a minor slip. It’s a betrayal of covenant love, a heart chasing after other... Read More →
Rebuke isn’t something we naturally seek out. It stings, wounds our pride, and can leave us feeling vulnerable. But in 2 Corinthians 7, Paul shows us that rebuke—when done with love and a heart for restoration—has the power to bring life-changing results. Paul refers to a letter he had written to the Corinthians, now lost... Read More →
In Matthew 21, Mark 12, and Luke 20, Jesus tells a powerful parable of a landowner who leases his vineyard to tenants. When harvest time comes, he sends servants to collect his share, but the tenants beat, stone, and kill each one. Finally, he sends his son, thinking they’ll surely respect him. Instead, they plot... Read More →
In the Gospels, we often see Jesus performing miracles, but what’s strange is that after He heals, delivers, or raises the dead, He frequently instructs those involved to tell no one about it. This pattern, known as the Messianic Secret, raises a compelling question: why would Jesus not want people to spread the news about these... Read More →
When Jesus warned about the unforgivable sin, it raised a question that has troubled many believers: What exactly is this sin that cannot be forgiven? As we look deeper into His words from Mark 3:28-30 and Matthew 12:31-32, we see that He refers to “blasphemy against the Holy Spirit” as something from which there is... Read More →
In Luke 7:36-50, we find the story of a sinful woman who interrupts a dinner at the house of a Pharisee named Simon. She falls at the feet of Jesus, weeping, and pours expensive perfume on His feet, wiping them with her hair. Simon is shocked that Jesus would allow this woman, known for her... Read More →
In Nehemiah 7:4-8:12, we see a powerful moment where the people of Israel come together to hear the Word of God read aloud after years of exile. It’s not just about listening to the words; the people are actively seeking to understand them. Ezra, alongside the Levites, reads and explains the Law to the gathered... Read More →
The story in Ezra 9-10, where Israel’s leaders command the people to divorce their foreign wives and send away their children, can be deeply unsettling. It seems unthinkable for a people called by God to care for the vulnerable, to suddenly turn their backs on their wives and children. Our initial response may be one... Read More →
In Ezekiel 43:10-11, God commands the prophet to share the vision of the temple with His people, saying, “Describe the temple to the people of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their sins.” This might seem strange at first—why would the description of something as beautiful as God’s temple cause shame? The answer lies... Read More →
When I read today’s passage, one thought struck me above the others: Israel, now “desolate,” would finally have its “Sabbath Rest.” This isn’t just about a nation lying in ruins—it’s about the spiritual renewal that only comes after the flames of destruction have swept through. Imagine a forest. For centuries, forest fires were a natural... Read More →