2 Corinthians 2:5-6:13 Having a different perspective can drastically change our experience. If we go into a day thinking that it will be terrible, then it probably will be. On the other hand, if we recognize the difficulty and still choose joy, then we can walk in it. Paul gives us the perspective we need in 2 Corinthians. He says, “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting ...

Romans 15:1-16:27; 2 Corinthians 1:1-2:4 "The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet" (Romans 16:20). It might seem like a paradox to say that the God of peace will crush someone, but for peace to be accomplished, evil must be vanquished. This image of Satan being crushed goes back to the beginning of the Bible. After Adam and Eve's rebellion, God promised that "he (the seed) will crus...

Romans 11:1-14:23 Why do you do what you do? As you consider your actions, what are your motivations? Most people tend to be motivated by feeling good, by the pursuit of comfort, and by pleasing people. God calls us to be motivated by what he has done for us. Paul spends the first eleven chapters of Romans detailing what God has done to deal with our predicament of sin. He finished this section by...

Romans 8:18-10:21 We are more sinful than we realize, but more loved than we can imagine. Tim Keller spoke of this reality many times during his ministry, and he ultimately got the idea from Romans. After Paul has spoken of the depths of our sin in the first few chapters of the letter, he takes us on a tour of God’s love. He speaks of God’s gift of the Spirit who “helps us in our weakness” (Romans...

Romans 5:1-8:17The Gospel and the Book of Romans is a message of bad news and good news. For us to fully embrace the good news, we have to first wrestle with the reality of the bad news, which is true of our world and true of us. Paul gives us a lot of bad news in Romans 5-8. We live in a world of sin, we have committed innumerable trespasses, and what we deserve is condemnation and death. This is...

Romans 2:1-4:25 Our world loves to speak of human rights and dignity. What gives us rights or value at all? The only sure foundation for these things is an eternal God. We are not valuable because we evolved or because others say we are important, rather, God tells us that every human has dignity, value, and worth. This beautiful truth is also complemented by the fact that we are all sinners. Paul...

1 Corinthians 16:1-24; Acts 19:21-20:6; Romans 1:1-32 When was the last time you shared Jesus with someone? Paul tells us that to do so is not an optional part of the Christian life, but it is an obligation. When we encounter God's grace, our automatic response should be to share this with others and to do so without shame. We may be afraid of hurting a relationship, rocking the boat, or not knowi...

1 Corinthians 14:1-15:58 What are we trying to communicate to people when we get into a spiritual conversation with them? It can sometimes feel overwhelming to know where to start and what to share. Paul helps us by boiling things down into that which is of "first importance" in 1 Corinthians 15. We are to make our main message that Jesus died for our sins and was raised on the third day according...

1 Corinthians 11:2-13:13 Understanding our identity is critical to living well. In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul claims that every believer is part of the "body of Christ." When we place our faith in Jesus we are instantly connected to his body. Paul deals with two potentially wrong ways of responding to this truth. The first is to think we are not necessary. We may feel like we have nothing to offer and...

1 Corinthians 8:1-11:1 “Why aren’t you playing pool?” I asked my father this question at a Sunday school class party where he was the teacher of the group. I could not understand why my father, who was a good pool player, did not take on the other men. He quietly shushed me and later explained that Carl, a rough-hewn man in the class, had come through life frequenting squalid pool houses and did n...

1 Corinthians 4:1-7:40 When we look into a mirror, we see an image of ourselves, but do we see ourselves rightly? Some people look into a mirror and, due to body dysmorphic disorder or negative self-esteem, are unable to see themselves accurately. Similarly, Paul is concerned the church in Corinth is filled with people who cannot see who they are. He is afraid they are filled with stunning pride t...

Acts 18:24-19:20; 1 Corinthians 1:1-3:23We often interact with people who have had bad experiences in churches and, even if they have not, they have read about church scandals, issues of abuse, and foolishness that happened in churches. A few years ago, there was an article about a pastor who had berated his congregation for not helping him purchase a luxury watch he felt he deserved. Many people ...

1 Thessalonians 5:12-28; 2 Thessalonians 1:1-3:18; Acts 18:4-23We may feel like the only people saying Jesus is coming back are strange people on TV holding up placards, but the truth of Christ’s return is in the message of 2 Thessalonians. The reality of Christ’s return must be believed, shared, and acknowledged. There were some in Thessalonica who thought they had missed Jesus' return, but Paul ...

Acts 17:16-18:3; 1 Thessalonians 1:1-5:11 Thank you. This is a simple phrase with profound effects. Saying thanks not only shapes our hearts but also impacts the receiver of those words. If we are honest with ourselves, our speech is often marked far more by complaints, anger, and frustration than thanks, which in turn shapes our hearts and emotions.As Paul writes his first letter to the church in...

Acts 15:22-17:15 Paul’s ministry was focused on evangelism and discipleship. Many of his missionary journeys consisted of traveling to new cities where the gospel had never been. He would spend time in popular gathering places like synagogues and marketplaces and share Jesus with people who had never heard his name. As he traveled, he also spent time going back to cities where he had previously be...

Galatians 3:24-6:18; Acts 15:1-21 Who are you? If you are asked this question at a party, there are several different ways you could answer. You could answer with your name, your job, your hobbies, or, if you want to be weird, you could answer you are a child of God. When we place our faith in Christ, we are adopted by God and unconditionally brought with love into his family. This new family mean...

Acts 14:21-28; Galatians 1:1-3:23 Gospel. Gospel. Gospel. This is the repeated refrain of Paul throughout the book of Galatians. He knows if the church loses the gospel, then they have lost everything ─and they are on the verge of losing it. In Galatia, a lot of things had been added to the pure gospel message. They had placed Jewish tradition, law keeping, morality, and a host of other things alo...

Acts 12:6-14:20 Jesus commanded his disciples to go into all the world and make disciples of all nations. The book of Acts is the beginning of that story which continues today. The beginning of Acts was largely focused on the work of Peter making disciples among Jewish people, and our reading today transitions the spotlight to Paul. Paul's focus is largely going to be on making disciples of Gentil...

Acts 10:1-12:5 New things are constantly starting. There are new restaurants in town, a new NBA season started a month ago, new friendships are being formed─all sorts of new things. In the same way, Jesus' death and resurrection brought a new thing. The old covenant was replaced by a new covenant; thus, a new way of relating to God the Father has been made available to us. Peter was introduced to ...

Acts 8:1-9:43 As we look at the world around us, we see it is changing faster than ever before. There are changes in politics, economics, and technology. What does not change is our relationship with God. In the UK during the late 1700s, society had slipped into immorality and decadence. Church participation had drastically declined, similarly, as it has globally in recent years. Then John Wesley ...