To receive communion well means receiving the body and blood of Jesus, placing our hope in Him alone. But it also means receiving His bride, the church…and not just the church in general, but a church. We can only take communion well when we take it, in part, as a commitment to a local church.... Continue Reading

Paul wants the Ephesians to experience a far deeper understanding of God’s love in their understanding and experience. At the same time, he says that the love of Christ is so great that we will never fully understand it. No matter how much we get God’s love, we’re only starting to get it. Paul wants... Continue Reading

As you return to your Lord, the enemy will rear his head and say, “You might go home, but the years you have wasted are mine. The seeds of sinfulness you planted will continue to produce fruit. There is nothing you can do to get those years back.” Instead of serving God storing up treasures... Continue Reading

Peter argues that this promised prophet is Christ (Acts 3:19-26). Our Lord Jesus himself claimed to be such a prophet (Luke 13:33) who spoke the words of God (John 14:10; 12:49-50; Matt. 7:29). Not only did he claim to be a prophet, but he fulfilled his prophetic role “in all His teaching: His teaching concerning... Continue Reading

If faithfulness to Christ is the call that stands above all others, at what point do we become unfaithful to Christ by remaining in fellowship with those who are denying Christ in their teaching or behaviour? If our overarching calling is faithfulness, at what point are we so compromised in our affiliations that we have... Continue Reading

Christ did not go to the cross to atone for your sin and bring you forgiveness to leave you to yourself to see if you could hack it. He called you, and He will keep you. Even when He sends His rod of correction, it is His love that is dealing with you, not His... Continue Reading

For every follower of Jesus, there was a time when he went from interesting to stunning, from intriguing to mouth-stopping, from inspiring to everything — from great man to God himself. When we fed on his word those first few weeks, we ate like we had never had a real meal. When we drank the... Continue Reading

If you still feel pure – go to Psalm 51 – sinners by nature and practice steeped and shaped in iniquity. Pause on Romans 3:23 so see if you fall short. Look to the Sermon on the Mount: what do you find there? Meek and making peace, uncompromising in persecution, an angry murderous word –... Continue Reading

God wanted Gideon, Israel, Midian, and the entire world to know one thing:  that He doesn’t need human beings to accomplish His mission. Perhaps we need to be reminded of this. Too many times we work in our own strength, thinking that we can fix problems we are facing on our own. We rarely consult the Lord... Continue Reading

We worship on the first day of the week, moving from rest to work on the following six days. Such is the great privilege of living in the resurrection power of Christ. This affects every moment of our lives and should move us to prepare to meet the Lord and experience the peculiar joy that... Continue Reading