Apr 18, 2017

Like any letter, this one had to eventually come to a close. Paul had to wrap up what he was saying and draw his thoughts to a single conclusion. And for Paul, that was a warning against divisions and obstacles. His greatest fear was the influence that false teachers might have on the believers in Rome,...

Apr 17, 2017

Unity and diversity. These are two of the characteristics that mark the church, the body of Jesus Christ. And Paul is going to stress both qualities as he wraps up his letter to the Romans. In a world where social standing and ethnic elitism ran rampant, the church provided a refreshing glimpse into the way God intended...

Apr 16, 2017

Paul was a non-stop whirlwind of activity when it came to the gospel. He rarely took a break from his missionary travels and, even when he stopped in any city or town for very long, he was busy spreading the good news about Jesus Christ to anybody and everybody who would listen. Jews, Gentiles, rich, poor, slave, free,...

Apr 15, 2017

Sometimes it can feel as if living the Christian life is impossible. The standards feel too lofty, the expectations, too great. Many of us feel pressure to meet the expectations of those around us – well-meaning fellow believers, who give us a list of rules to keep or criteria to meet. We feel the need to...

Apr 14, 2017

Most of us as Americans don’t like the idea of committees. We are inherently individualists who have each inherited a built-in independent streak. Few of us like to be told what to do and would prefer to do things our way, on our own timeline and all by ourselves. We are a pull-yourself-up-by-your-own-bootstraps kind...