A wealthy man took a journey carrying a great treasure. A thief joined him to steal the treasure. But the rich man was wise enough to be careful of newfound friends. At night, they stopped at an inn. The rich man let the thief bathe first. Then he hid the treasure under the thief’s pillow. As the rich man bathed, the thief searched for the treasure in vain. He finally gave up. As he departed, the rich man said, “The treasure was closer than you thought.”  This is a sad parable of how many Christians seek to obtain a blessing. In too...

Matthew 13 records seven parables Jesus told about the mystery of the kingdom of God. The first is the Parable of the Sower. The Parable of the Wheat and the Tares is the second kingdom parable. Both parables draw agricultural pictures of sowing and reaping. But there are critical differences between the two parables.  The Parable of the Sower is about good seed in good and bad soil. The Parable of the Weeds is about good and bad seed in good soil.  A landowner sowed seed in his field. In the darkness of the night, his enemy planted weeds in the field. As...

The New Testament church practices two ordinances: Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.  Baptism is a rite-of-initiation that celebrates Christian conversion. The Lord’s Supper is an ongoing practice that celebrates Christian fellowship.  We call baptism and the Lord’s Supper ordinances, not sacraments. They are rituals Christ has commanded the church to observe. They do not provide, renew, or secure salvation. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are symbols of salvation. But...

The first thing that jumps out is that Peter says six times more to wives than husbands. It is a matter of inspiration, not inequality. In Ephesians 5:22-33, Paul devotes three verses to wives, nine verses to husbands. Regardless, the gravity of a text is to be measured by its content and context, not verse count numbers. Paul and Peter had different agendas. Paul wrote to Christian couples, instructing husbands and wives to mirror the relationship between Christ and the church. Peter exhorted Christians to live with hope in a hostile society. Hostile opposition may come from civil authorities, workplace leaders, or family members....

A culture war broke out in the Roman Empire. Christians were “on the wrong side of history.” An “cancel culture” maligned Christians who refused to fit in. Many Christians would be martyred during the persecution that was soon to come. Peter wrote this letter to encourage the church the stand firm in this spiritual warfare. His counsel was offensive, not defensive. 1 Peter is not a survival guide. It is a battle plan. The apostle was more concerned about their witness than their welfare.  1 Peter 2:12 says, “Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as...

Our text is a part of Peter’s call to Christian submission.  Verses 13-17 instructs Christians to be subject to civil authorities. Verses 18-25 instructs servants to be subject to their masters.  This exhortation to Christian servants was personal. Many of Peter’s readers would never deal with Roman government officials. But most of them were servants who lived under the authority of their masters. This exhortation was also difficult. They were not just to submit to masters who were good and gentle. The character of the master was not an excuse for rebellion. They were also to submit to masters who were unjust....

We, who are African Americans, naturally bristle at texts like this. The suffering of our forebearers during America’s history of chattel slavery makes us uncomfortable with the subject of servants and masters. The matter is worsened by “slave theology,” in which slaveholders used passages like this to keep slaves in bondage. But we must not allow the difficulty of the subject or the misuse of the text to cause us to ignore, minimize, or reject what the Spirit says to the church. 2 Timothy 3:16 says, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction,...

Local churches scattered throughout the Roman province of Asia Minor faced growing cultural hostility. The Roman government would soon ban the practice of Christianity. It would lead to genocidal persecution that would last for centuries. How should these Christians face the current opposition? How should these Christians face the coming persecution?  Peter wrote this letter to answer these questions. This middle section of the letter addresses how Christians should live in a hostile society. 1 Peter 2:11-12 says, “Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep...

There is a general sense in which every person is a recipient of the kindness of God that sustains life. But it is a far greater thing to be enriched by divine favor. In this regard, some of blessed; others are not. Deep down, every human soul desires to be blessed by God. Many do not acknowledge, understand, or embrace this longing. They spend their lives seeking worldly blessings that do not satisfy. Proverbs 10:22 says, “The blessing of the Lord makes rich, and he adds no sorrow to it.” What is the blessed life? Psalm 128 answers.  The ascription reads: A Song of Ascents. Psalms 120-134...

Warren Wiersbe wrote of Native American chiefs and warriors who met in 1805 at Buffalo Creek, New York, to hear a minister from the Boston Missionary Society present the gospel. In response, Red Jacket, one of the leading chiefs, responded: “Brother, we are told that you have been preaching to the white people in this place. These people are our neighbors. We are acquainted with them. We will wait a little while and see what effect your preaching has upon them. If we find it does them good, makes them honest and less disposed to cheat Indians, we will then...

Identity crisis is a developmental event in which a person experiences confusion, uncertainty, or reorientationof their sense of self. It is to struggle with the question, “Who am I?” It happens when children become teenagers. It happens when youth pass from adolescence to adulthood. It happens when adults face postpartum depression, midlife crisis, or empty-nest syndrome.  An identity crisis is not exclusive to people. Institutions can also suffer an identity crisis. An organization can lose its sense of purpose, mission, and calling. The church can also suffer an identity crisis. The 16th-century Protestant Reformation was a turning point in which the church worked through an identity crisis. Revival functions the same way. Revival is secondarily about...

Under Construction. Excuse Our Mess.Open During Renovation.  When you see these signs, what is your response? Do you boycott that establishment until changes are made? You will if that place or thing does not matter to you. If it is important to you, you will continue to patronize it even with some things out of order.  We respond that way to every institution except the church. Many people’s commitment to the church is sustained as long as they can maintain some false notion of the perfect church. Once they discover something that fails to live up to expectations, they change churches, devalue the church, or abandon the church. There are no perfect churches. The church is...