Isaiah 40:27-31

It's easy to get lost in uncertainty. The people of God are no strangers to having their faith tested and for the Jews that Isaiah writes of in chapter 40, they had every reason to despair. Yet, Isaiah reminds them that God is faithful, God is able, and God has promised. We only need to wait on Him.

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

There is a very Western way of thinking, where we value individuality and individual accomplishments over the function of the group or team. It is everywhere, from fashion, to investment advice/business success, to the self help marketing machine but this focus on self is killing the church. More than anything else, the prescription for God's people is LOVE. With love, the church triumphs over selfish and vain ambition, even when it is cloaked in religious pretense.

Luke 1:26-38

When we think about the story of the Messiah, His life and His mission, we may identify better with one or more of the people involved. This is normal because the experiences we have may remind us of the people in the story. To which person in the story of Christ do you more closely connect?

Malachi 1:6-8

Every relationship in your life requires an investment from you, including your relationship with God. It is important for us to develop habits of spiritual discipline - reading, fasting, praying, and assembling; habits. By themselves, these activities become hollow and meaningless. Malachi brings our attention directly to this problem in ancient Israel: people who worshiped God but didn't actually care about God. He surely has something to say to us today in the busy, frenetic pace of the Holiday season.

Ephesians 6:1-4

What happens when sheep don’t have a shepherd? Literally, they will die. They are not clever or bright, and when threatened, their only defense is to run; off a cliff, into a river, toward danger. All they can do instinctually is eat. If they are to remain useful for their wool, milk and as a food source, they must be guided and protected.

John 10:1-10

Shepherding is usually defined in terms of church leadership. The Shepherd (pastor/elder) is charged to lead the flock (church). A closer look reveals that effective leadership in the home is a pre-requisite for leadership in the Family of God (see 1 Timothy 3:4-5). Anyone who leads should consider the 4 principles of biblical shepherding: knowing, leading, protecting and providing.

Ephesians 5:22-33

The union of a man and a woman is the crown of Creation. It is no wonder that Satan’s first salvo in the attack on God’s realm was an attack on the man and the woman. Divide them and chaos will ensue. It is for this reason that the Church of Christ must be a place where the chaos of the fall is corrected by straight talk as a way to restore harmony.

Ecclesiastes 1:1-9

Two weeks ago, after discussing the resurrection, several approached me to ask the same follow-up question: "What happens to my soul/spirit between the time it leaves my body at death and the second coming of Christ? Thanks." I do have a few other questions, but tackling this one on the heels of last time is most appropriate.

Don is from Ponca City, Oklahoma

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Tonight we will tackle one question: "Can I get some background on 1 Thess. 4:13-18? What does Paul mean by saying “asleep”? What does “The dead in Christ will rise first” mean?" This is one of the clearest teachings of the resurrection in Scripture. A doctrine that most Christians do not understand, believe, or teach. So we will unpack the idea of the resurrection together - both what it is, and what it is not. email