The first three chapters of Ephesians explain the gospel in terms of God’s redemptive plan, our powerlessness to save ourselves, and God’s bringing together Jew and Gentile alike. Then in chapter 4, Paul begins to list ways to apply the gospel message. “Therefore,” he says and proceeds to give us commands that are grounded in the gospel

Through Adam’s disobedience, sin entered the human race, affecting human dominion and the environment. Look at all that is cursed in Genesis 3:14–19. If we cannot tell from the world itself that the whole place is messed up and we along with it, the truth is plain enough throughout all the narratives that make up the Bible. From the fall of mankind

1. 1 Corinthians 10:13“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”Many Christians claim this verse as a “promise” that God will never allow them to experience more d

1. We live in a broken world.The Bible tells us that when sin entered the world, all of nature was cursed. Because of this, death is a promised component of this life and, to put it simply, bad things happen. Before the fall of man, the weather was perfect all the time. There was no change in season, no rain or snow storms, earthquakes, tornadoes o

Step one—pray (ask for God’s help); step two—remember (recall old times; ask your spouse today why he/she first loved you); and step three—understand (grasp that desire follows love). That’s what is in our text. She wants to be kissed (she desires him) because/“for” (Song of Solomon 1:2) he loves her. Start loving each other.Men, especially, take t

In the crisis that followed, Daniel relied on the same resources that are available to us.First, Daniel prayed. He had no assurance that God would reveal the dream to him, but he was not afraid to ask big things from a big God. So many times we don’t even do that. We don’t have from God because we don’t ask (James 4:2).Second, Daniel went to other

Jesus-blessed and praised be His name for it!-is for me according to the energy of His love in all that He is, in all circumstances and forever, and in the activity of that love according to which He gave Himself. He loved the Church and gave Himself for it. This is the source of all our blessings, as members of the assembly.(Adapted from John Darb

1. Deuteronomy 31:8“It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” – Deut. 31:82. Isaiah 41:10“…fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” –Is. 41:103. Psalm 40:1

1. You're engaging with the BibleIt should go without saying believers will be engaged in studying the Scriptures. However, leadership must often begin restating the obvious. Transformation can be recognized in people when their minds are sharpened by the Bible, their perspectives are shaped by the Bible and their actions are directed by the Bible.

1. Walk with God.For starters, if you are interested in knowing God’s plan for your life, then you must learn to walk with God. You need to develop a relationship with Him. Christianity is all about relationship rather than just religion.And so you must cultivate your relationship with God. You must seek to know Him and not just seek to know about

The righteousness of which Paul speaks, especially in the letters to Galatia and Rome, stands in contrast to the righteousness that is based on the fulfillment of the law by man as the covenant partner of God. It is "the righteousness of faith" and "the righteousness of God" ( Romans 10:6 ; Philippians 3:9), and is most certainly the gift of God. F

The tension is eased somewhat when we account for differences in genre. Language behaves differently in different literary genres. Imagine that you are playing cards. You see in your hand an ace of spades. Is that good or bad? It depends upon whether you’re playing Spades or Hearts, and actually can be more nuanced than that. Likewise in language:

We must rethink what we are asking people to do when encouraging them to embrace the gospel. Consciously we are asking them to consider that God is the object of the longings of their naturally rebellious and deceitful hearts. In application to our own hearts we are acknowledging the same. Faith, not works, is how we come to know God, taking Him at

Second, while we value what we've learned in the past about God and His ways, we need to live with anticipation of learning more. God is always shedding new light on people who have received past revelation with acceptance and faith. He doesn't leave us to stagnate. When we decided to follow Him, we implicitly committed to be repeatedly surprised a

1. Does God’s Word motivate me to worship?I will praise you with an upright heart, when I learn your righteous rules. - (Psalm 119:7)We often have many reasons for studying God’s Word—is worship one of mine? The psalmist says in verse 7 that he wants to learn the Lord’s righteous rules so that he can praise him with an upright heart. He says in ver

Verse of the Day:Lamentations 3:24 “I say to myself, ‘The LORD is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!’ ”Challenge:Tell a stranger that your hope is found in God. Share the hope of your Savior to someone who has yet to know it.Taken from 30 Words: A Devotional for the Rest of Us by Jarrid Wilson. Used by permission of Kirkdale

Copyright 2011 Timothy J. Demy and Thomas Ice Used by permission. All rights reserved.Kregel Publications P.O. Box 2607 Grand Rapids, MI 49501Photo credit: ©GettyImages/Ig0rZhThis article is part of our larger End Times Resource Library. Learn more about the rapture, the anti-christ, bible prophecy and the tribulation with articles that explain Bib

Psalm 2 informs us of the high cost of failing to heed Psa 1. It’s a lesson that will be repeated over and over again in the rest of the psalter. If we are one of the blessed described in Psa 1, then we are on the side of God and His anointed. We are thus allied with Israel’s king (Psalms 2:6) and the ongoing struggle against the nations (Psa 2:1).

The Bible Must Be AssimilatedFor the Bible to become a living, breathing, life-giving reality for you, you must assimilate it. You don't just read a cookbook, you eat the meal. If you don't assimilate it, no matter how much you appreciate it, what good is it? And with the Bible, it means that you are to take it into your mind, to thoroughly compreh