I remember those early days. I was saved in 1984 in Sicily. I was in the Navy back then, but left the service soon after. I married my best friend and we moved to Rhode Island. We were both new believers, babies in the faith. I remember those days like they were yesterday – which … Read more
Today’s reading is from James Montgomery Boice with questions I’ve developed from the text. Enjoy! “The third characteristic of the early Christian church was worship. There was “the breaking of bread” and “prayer.” “Breaking of bread” stands for the communion service, and prayer, although it is something we can do individually and at different times, … Read more
Today’s reading is from James Montgomery Boice with questions I’ve developed from the text. Enjoy! “Not only did it devote itself to the apostles’ teaching, but the early church also devoted itself to fellowship at many levels. [John] Stott says that “the word ‘fellowship’ was born on the Day of Pentecost.” This is because Christian … Read more
Today’s reading is from James Montgomery Boice with questions I’ve developed from the text. Enjoy! “Acts 2:42–47 describes the early church. It is presented as a model church … [I]t was a model in many important respects … These verses tell what developed in the church and how it functioned in those remarkable days after … Read more
The Hebrew and Greek words that underlie the English word hope in our Bibles combine two important ideas: waiting and confidence. Biblical hope, as has been said many times, is more than a wish for how things could be. Biblical hope is an absolute confidence that things really are the way God says they are. … Read more
Dream with me. Dream of the day when God will make everything right. Isaiah 9 looks forward to the true Christmas day, the day the Savior of the world would be born in Bethlehem. He would come to remove gloom from those who were in anguish. “The people who walked in darkness,” he said, “have … Read more
Tertullian was an early Christian apologist who lived in ancient Carthage, what is now Tunisia. Mary and I spent a few weeks in Tunisia a while back taking in the history and beauty of this important center of early Christianity. Tertullian lived from about A.D. 155 to A.D 240, but his influence continues to reverberate … Read more
I can think of no darker words than these two: no hope. Craig Biehl called them the two unbearable words. He writes: “Two small words. When heard on the battlefield, in the hospital waiting room, or in our darkest thoughts, they bring despair. Two words that carry such anguish that no one can withstand their … Read more
True peace can never exist where violence is present. Like the word ‘peace’ itself, the word ‘violence’ is also multidimensional. When a nation’s safety is threatened by some rogue regime, it’s often left with no option but to fight. And so, we have war. Eventually, one nation’s force overwhelms the force of the other nation … Read more
Biblical peace is not only the absence of bad; it’s also the presence of good. It means more than just ‘not’ fighting with my neighbor, but its actively working for his good. John the Baptist came with a powerful message of warning. Watch it carefully: “He said therefore to the crowds that came out to … Read more