So What Is the Great Commission? I suppose before understanding the great commission it’d be helpful to know what any commission means. A commission is an instruction or a command given to a person or a group of people, or it can refer to the group itself tasked with accomplishing a certain mission. Picture a football team. The coach draws up a pla

- The siblings Mary, Martha and Lazarus of Bethany (Luke 10; John 11)Phileo- David and Jonathan (1 Samuel 18) - Paul and Timothy (Acts 16:1-3; Acts 17:14-15)Eros- Part of a father’s instruction to his son (Proverbs 5:18-20)- The King and his bride (Song of Solomon)Agape- Between God and us (John 3:16; Romans 8:38-39)- Between us and the Lord (John

Law and Gospel Must Be Preached in TandemWhen God opens our eyes to the condemnation of sin that binds us under the law, we can immediately grab hold of the good news that Jesus Christ saves sinners. This is possible because of the Holy Spirit’s presence within us.Many preachers don’t understand the distinction. Here’s what Luther says, “It is ther

Paul remembered what he did, and he was acutely aware of the gravity of his sin. He realized that, regardless of ministry success, he was nothing without Christ. He clearly did not have a conceit problem.Therefore, arguably the “messenger of Satan” assigned to Paul was not sent by God to keep him humble, but was sent by Satan to stop Paul from, as

Why Do We See So Many Crosses at Easter Time? Easter is the celebration of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection – and therefore becoming the Savior for all who believe in him, making eternal life possible for all of God’s people. The way that Jesus gave his life was through dying on the cross.John 19:17-18 chronicles that. “Carrying his own cross

“I am my lover’s,and he claims me as his own.Come, my love, let us go out to the fieldsand spend the night among the wildflowers.Let us get up early and go to the vineyardsto see if the grapevines have budded,if the blossoms have opened,and if the pomegranates have bloomed.There I will give you my love”(Song of Solomon 7:10-12).My point here is sim

In Acts 2:1-8, Luke (author of Acts) tells us the events leading to Jesus’ ascension. Jesus ordered the disciples to stay in Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father…you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now” (Acts 2:4-5).Jesus reiterated they would receive power when the promised Holy Spirit would come on them, “

There are certain elements of culture that were dictated to the Jews, and for anyone who chose to follow the God of Israel and obey His laws. After the death and Resurrection of Christ, many of these elements were rendered obsolete under the totality of the sacrifice of Jesus. For example, after the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost, Jesus came to Pete

1. Remember Whose Story You are Really Telling Though your story may differ from that of your fellow Christians, a common theme and common hero should always emerge. After all, God has called you to give an account of what He has done in your life, not what you have done to get to where you are today. Despite what our world may believe, it’s not al

What Is Happening in Matthew 5? The general mindset within Matthew 5 is acknowledging that bad times will happen, but blessings will come through the struggle.Many recall that Matthew 5 contains Jesus’ Beatitudes, which reflect on the blessings given by God to those who persevere through hardships. From those pure in heart to those who hunger for r

The crowd didn’t listen — and in fact even talked about stoning Caleb and Joshua to shut them up (Numbers 14:10). Finally, God had enough. He appeared and told Moses He was tired of the people’s lack of respect after all the miracles and wonders He had done for them, and said He planned to destroy them. Moses begged God not to, and God agreed, but

The shoes of readiness to share the gospel of peace: Jesus said, in Matthew 28:19, “Go therefore…” It’s literal rendering is, “While you are going…” Paul also said in Romans 10:15, “And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”The shield of faith: Jesus gave us thi

I remember a story from my mother who grew up in a very legalistic church. The setting was an “old wineskin” kind of place. She was not a Christian yet and the church was pushing her to get baptized even though she had not accepted Jesus. One day she was chased out of the sanctuary into the parking lot by a man who was yelling at her to get baptize

The disciples who followed Jesus were like the servants who faithfully invested their master's money. And they were given "the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven." The crowds who followed Jesus simply because of the miracles were in the place of the third servant. They were not interested in discipleship, and they lost their chance t

1. I Am Beloved“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved” (Ephesians 2:4-5).God’s love for you is the reason He saved you. Even when you were dead in sin, He loved you so much that He sacrificed His own Son to bring you to l

- Prophet Daniel’s friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego kept from burning alive in furnace (Daniel 3:12-28)- Daniel saved from lions (Daniel 6:16-22)- Jonah is swallowed by a big fish for three days and nights, then is vomited onto dry land (Jonah 1:17-2:10).What Are Some of Jesus’s Miracles in the New Testament?In the New Testament, Jesus perfo

1. We Can’t Always Row Our Way Out of Life’s Greatest Storms As fishermen by trade, most of Jesus’ disciples had grown up on the Sea of Galilee. They knew the good fishing spots and had become familiar with the lake’s tide and weather patterns.Though their inexperience in ministry was evident throughout the gospels, the disciples’ ability to catch

Generally, historians would come to characterize his rule as dictatorial, and was defined by its close relationship with a conquering empire. This Herod was the one who ordered the massacre of the children in Bethlehem, and interacted with the Magi. His sons would rule over three distinct parts of his territory after he died, and the second Herod w

What Bible Verse Says “Thou Shalt Have No Other Gods Before Me”? The Old Testament is one place where the commandment is given. God gave these specific commandments and instructions to Moses.“You shall have no other gods before me.” (Exodus 20:3 NIV) The statement is found in another part of the Old Testament. Moses called all of Israel and told t

Abraham could have tried to hide from God, run away, or put off this mission. He could have become angry or bitter. But in his faith, he took his son up to the mountain, and God came through once again. As Abraham raised the knife, God told Abraham to stop, and that because his faith had been proven genuine, God would surely bless all nations throu