Background of 1, 2, 3 JohnThe author of these three short letters is the Apostle John. He is also known as the Beloved Disciple, one of the Sons of Thunder (Mark 3:17), and John, son of Zebedee. We first meet John in Matthew 4:21-22. He, his brother, and Peter have been fishing all night and caught no fish. Jesus calls out to them from the shore to

1. Discovering Definitions In Hebrew, God’s instruction for His people is communicated with words that are far less legal and far more relational than the English rendering explains.The word for commandment in the Ten Commandments passage found in Exodus 20 is דּ dabar which means more literally “word.”1 This is much less legal in nature than the se

Ephesians 2:10: Do good works.Ephesians 2:14: Be at peace with God and with others.Ephesians 3:9: Share the gospel.Ephesians 4:1-4: Be unified in HimEphesians 4:15, 5:2: Speak the truth and walk in loveEphesians 4:17, 22: Don’t act like the world or who you used to be.Ephesians 4:25: Speak the truth.Ephesians 4:28: Do honest work and share with oth

“I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.” (Isaiah 43:25)“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ, God forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32)In his great grace and mercy, God chooses to forgive and not to keep a record of your wrongs. You must do the same

First, we need to remember the power of the gospel. Paul reminds us that the gospel is “the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16). There is no self-help book, no firey preaching, no amount of human effort that can change us into the image of Jesus. All over the New Testament, the good news of Jesus Christ changed people

Evangelists can look like missionaries, men and women who go to other regions or lands to teach about Jesus.Evangelists can look like neighbors, who share their personal faith with people one-on-one.Evangelists can look like kids, who tell friends the stories about Jesus they heard in Sunday School.Evangelists can look like writers, who post blogs,

Marriage Is a Glorious Institution Worth Treasuring When it comes to my wife, I have no shame in affirming the wisdom of Solomon who wrote:“He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord” (Proverbs 18:22).“An excellent wife is the crown of her husband” (Proverbs 12:4).“An excellent wife, who can find her? For her worth is fa

“Christ himself will wipe every tear from the eyes of our new resurrection bodies as we live securely in his presence forevermore (Rev. 21:4).”God delivers on His promises. That’s the message of Joshua. And that is easy to connect that to the gospel story. All humanity, even Joshua, ultimately fails to bring about the fullness of God’s kingdom. Jos

What Does This Look Like for Us Today?There’s an outdated adage which stated, “As goes the church, so goes the nation.” What has transpired in addition is, “As go the leaders, so goes the church.” Many so-called “churches” are nothing more than a name stamped on the side of a building, bearing little resemblance to what Christ calls His church. Evi

As we train up our children, it is vital that we teach them that they have honor with Christ that cannot be taken away from them. Whether they are rejected by others or shamed by them, their identity is secure in the Lord. If young people can believe this and live this, think about how impactful these young people will be, especially as they grow i

Flee youthful passions. (v.22)Pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace. (v. 22b)Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; for they breed quarrels. (v. 23)Following is the remainder of the chapter which is worthy to observe:“And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil

In the Old Testament, the name Judea (and not Judah), makes its first appearance in the Book of Ezra as a province of Persia. It is here that it is designated as different than the region of Samaria, Galilee, Perea, or Idumea. And that is how it is considered most often in the New Testament.If nothing else, Judea was the province in which Jesus was

2. God gives peace, joy, and hope (see John 14:27 and Romans 15:13)3. God offers eternal life in Jesus (see 1 John 5:11)4. God provides added protection through the armor of God (see Ephesians 6:11-13)5. God grants grace (see Philemon 1:25)6. God forgives (see Ephesians 4:32)7. God is present always (see Matthew 28:20)8. God is our help in times of

In deep distress, Joseph remains faithful in believing that God had not forgotten him, even when everyone else seemingly had. In this time, there is no evidence that Joseph ever had another dream or utilized his ability to interpret dreams – until one fateful day in captivity. When that day came, Joseph was ready when God began to use him for an am

What Are Other Times Daniel Prayed in the Bible? Daniel prays throughout, you guessed it, the book of Daniel. And we often find him praying in the strangest of places. I’d love to break down several of these times of prayer and what this says about the nature of prayer itself.Daniel 2 - Nebuchadnezzar’s DreamTo cut a long story short, the king of B

Whether I’m logged online or driving in the car, I’m confronted by people, places, and things promising happiness. I want to be happy—we all do—so I often find myself chasing the next thing I believe will make that happen. If I can just {fill in the blank}, I’ll find true happiness.The Christian living in today’s age chases God over the pursuit of

1. Reveal Your Emotions to God “Now from the sixth hour darkness fell upon all the land until the ninth hour. About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Eli, Eli, Lama Sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?’” (Matthew 27:45-46).I don’t imagine there is any circumstance we could experience that is as

What Is Prayer? I’ve often heard prayer defined as “talking to God.” And that is true - but I’ve found that prayer time can consist of much more. For instance, it has led me to moments of silent meditation, quiet listening for His leading, or even singing out what was on my heart at that moment.One of the Merriam-Webster Dictionary definitions of t

How Does God’s Economy Work? Although a country’s national economy is complex and affected by numerous outside influences (that can often be unpredictable and baffling), God’s economy is much simpler and much easier to predict, and is clearly laid out in Scripture as the principle of “seedtime and harvest.”Unlike a nation’s economy that is affected

What Does the Bible Say about Conflict? Why does Jesus, who is called the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6), say “do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth…I have not come to bring peace, but a sword (Matt. 10:34)”? In order to understand this, we must have a good definition of conflict and also understand there are different types of co