We have recently experienced Valentine’s Day when all kinds of love was being proclaimed on cards and in person. Arthur Rouner has a delightful little book titled How to Love
As Jesus and his disciples strolled along the streets of Jerusalem, they observed ways that the Jews in the Roman-dominated city were violating laws expressed in the Torah. In this series of lessons we have considered Jesus’ response to major violations dealing with murder, adultery
In this lesson series, distinct means “living above the norm.” When Jesus teaches about sexual purity in his lifetime, he was challenging his listeners to live above two lifestyles.
Road rage. Workplace hostility. Conflict management. These are phrases that have entered our common language. While some people run from anger and conflict, others seem to embrace it. In our study today, we don’t need to hide from conflict, but we can appropriately and carefully
In my church, when a candidate is baptized, the pastor has the candidate remain in the water after immersion for further instructions. He places a pinch of salt on the candidate’s lips and encourages the new member to become salt in the world to create
Our text for today’s lesson focuses on what are called the Beatitudes of Jesus. Each beatitude begins with the translation of the Greek word makarioi for blessed. It has the meaning of “happiness” and describes what Jesus intends for those who become disciples of his
Psalm 8 is one of the psalms characterized as Songs of Praise to the Creator. Even though the entire book of Psalms is often described as praise to God, this psalm speaks eloquently to the question, “What is Man?” or, as John Stott labels it,
In the closing verse of last Sunday’s lesson, Paul affirmed that all of the gifts described in 1 Corinthians 12:4-10 are “the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each man just as he determines.”
Tucked away in Paul’s first letter to the Corinthian church are many questions about the beliefs that should guide them in their church life and personal behavior.
In the earlier chapters of Ephesians, Paul discussed deliverance from death, reconciliation at the cross and union with Christ. In this lesson, we turn to one of Paul’s powerful prayers to gain greater understanding of how the Christian is strengthened by God’s power through his
