4. Place confidence in a trusted person.Everyone needs a safe person to share your feelings with; what I call a true and trusted friend. This trusted person could be:Your spouseYour teacherYour coachYour ministerYour friendYour mom or dad, or both of your parentsThis person receives you for who you are and does not judge you or anything you say. Th

4. Community: God did not intend people to mature all by themselves. From birth he put infants into families to help them learn, grow, and mature. The family of God is instructed to love, encourage, admonish, and strengthen one another so that we all might grow into the full measure of Christ.When someone is genuinely sorry for repetitive sins, the

1. Isaiah Proclaimed God's Holiness The prophet’s lofty vision of God’s holiness is a major reason this book is so unforgettable. Isaiah presents an exalted picture of the Lord of Hosts in a God-focused, God-centered, and God-honoring way.In his vision, Isaiah viewed the heavenly seraphim: “And one called to another and said, ‘Holy, holy, holy is t

When Paul says “Rebuke them sharply” he uses a play on words with the false teachers’ promotion of circumcision. In effect Paul says something like, “Use the sharp knife of correction with those who wield the dull blade of circumcision.” Paul is not advocating legal action, nor is he promoting a witch hunt. But false teaching is so dangerous that i

1) ALL Scripture is God-breathed — not just what’s in red.Are the words of Jesus from the mouth of God? According to John 12:49, Jesus doesn’t speak of his own accord or in his own authority. He speaks the words the Father has given to him. So, yes, the words of Jesus are from the mouth of God.Are the scriptural words of Paul (or other biblical wri

1. PlacePick a definite place where you’ll be everyday for your quiet time. Obviously if you travel frequently this is more difficult, but the more routine you can make this the better. It should be as free of distractions as possible. This place will soon become very comfortable to you.For more ideas on place click here.2. Schedule TimePick a reas

Basically, Jesus is saying we’re all getting way more than we deserve, and we have no right to protest that someone else doesn’t deserve it.3. For the humble: The rich man and LazarusIn Luke 16:19-31, Jesus tells the parable of a rich, selfish man and the poor man who died at his doorstep, hoping for scraps from his table.The poor man, Lazarus, die

Can you hear the Messiah lyrics going through your head? Isaiah prophecies about the coming Christ. Jesus fulfills this prophecy when he is born in Bethlehem. Jesus fulfills more than 300 Old Testament prophecies when he comes to earth. And only one being can deserve the title Mighty God and Everlasting Father. Isaiah makes it clear, and people in

1. Silent Witness Growing up, I remember hearing adults say, “I am a silent witness for Christ.” They would say, “You may be the only Bible others will ever read.” And somehow use that statement to justify their tendency to never tell people the reason for their godly lifestyle. In this instance, silence is not golden. Scripture says, “We’ve overco

2:9 Of the Jew first - Here we have the first express mention of the Jews in this chapter. And it is introduced with great propriety. They have been trained up in the true religion, and have had Christ and his apostles first sent to them. Therefore, they will have a place in the foremost rank of the criminals that do not obey the truth.2:10 But glo

1. An Out-of-Control ScheduleEphesians 5:16Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.One of Satan’s greatest weapons against our generation seems to be his ability to make good people busier than ever before. We so often sacrifice the best things in life by spending time doing things that are just “pretty good.”If you desire to walk closely wit

God’s grace is for everyone. So I want to ask you: Has this grace appeared in your life? For me it appeared when I was a little boy. As soon as I was old enough to know anything, people were telling me that Jesus died for my sins on the cross. Maybe God’s grace appeared to you a little later, when you were in high school and weren’t even interested

Paul said, “As you received Christ Jesus the Lord so walk in him…” (Col. 2:6). You receive Jesus by repentance and faith, and you walk in that same repentance and faith. That is to say, this is how we “learn Christ” (Eph. 5:20) and “put on our new self” (i.e., our new identity in Christ). I think the most practically and helpful tool that Christian

Strategy #1: Convey love as well as truth.In talking to many people about the complex issue of family, I’ve found that, when it comes to our relatives, love is often assumed but seldom expressed. At least, it’s not expressed in ways that people actually feel loved. “I love you” may be tacked on to the end of a phone call. Or an obligatory “love” mi

5. Biblical illiteracy.Our people don’t know their Bible very well, and this is in large part the fault of a generation of wispy preaching and teaching (in the church and in the home). Connected to this factor is the church’s accommodation and assimilation of the culture’s rapid shifting from text-based knowledge to image-based knowledge. I’ll say

1. It’s an exciting and sometimes scary life.You get to see the work of the Lord up close; you also become the target of the enemy’s work.Okay, you’re wondering why you would become a target, when all you want to do is to be married to this terrific guy who has heard God’s call to spread the gospel. What could anyone possibly find wrong with that?

Garden of Gethsemane"Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." Luke 22:42The garden of Gethsemane is a grove of olive trees that is still there today. Some of the trees are over 2,000 years old and would have been young trees at the time Jesus was there on the night he was arrested. Located in Jerusalem

Jimmy Roh is a Ph.D. student at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and research associate at The Summit Church in Raleigh-Durham, NC, in addition to serving as Dr. Köstenberger’s research assistant.This article is part of our larger Christmas and Advent resource library centered around the events leading up to the birth of Jesus Christ. We hop

2 Chronicles 34:27, it’s talking about a sensitive conscience.our sinsby highlighting the sins of others. We sinfully judge through subtle forms of gossip and slander, both of which grieve the Spirit and divide the family of God. It’s important to havediscernment. And that means Christians can, and should, use sound judgment about whose professions

Christian people can veer toward either of these, a dualism or a monism. Neither does justice to the Bible’s picture, which is more nuanced and complex. The Bible portrays for us a world that lies under the absolute supremacy and sovereignty of the Creator, who has no rivals, who is unique, such that there is no god like him. And yet he does not go