It was the Passover, the annual celebration of Israel’s exodus from Egypt. It was the Last Supper Jesus would have with his disciples before his death on the cross. During dinner, Jesus announced, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” The sorrowful disciples asked, “Is it I, Lord.” In Matthew 26:23-24, Jesus answered, “He who has dipped his hand in the dish with me will betray me. The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.”  Jesus demonstrates...

I love the church! This is not the party line I am paid to repeat because I’m a pastor. With deep conviction and unwavering confidence, I believe the church is the hope of the world! And I am not merely talking about the idealized universal church, made up of all true believers in all places at all times. I am talking about the local church, warts and all.  The church matters to me. And the church should matter to you! Why does the church matter?  Jesus builds the church. The first statement about the church in the Bible is from the...

Will it last? That is the most crucial question of any building project. While there are other factors to consider, nothing matters more than whether that building will stand the test of time. The same principle applies to the church. The size of a church may impress people.  The gifts of a church may attract people.  The work of a church may benefit people.  That will not matter in the end. What is done for Christ and the church only has legitimate value if it has lasting value.  You may build great cathedrals large or small, You may build skyscrapers grand and tall, You may conquer all the failures of your past, But only what you do for Christ will last. Will it last? That...

Is it right for Christians to sue one another? We live in a litigious society. If we suffer an actual or perceived wrong, we may not take matters into our own hands, but we will take you to court. Whether the opposing party is a fellow Christian is irrelevant. We feel we should not allow someone to take advantage of us if we can do something about it. To ask if it is right is a strange question to us. But just because a thing is legal does not mean it is moral. And it does not mean it is the Christian thing to do.  1 Corinthians 6 addresses the ethical dilemma of Christians suing one another. The disputes were civil, not criminal. No...

Matthew 16:13-20 predicts the sovereign construction of the not-yet church: “I will build my church.”Ephesians 4:11-16 explains how the church is built up in Christ.  Ephesians 4:1-3 exhorts the church to walk in unity: “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the body of peace.” Verses 4-6 states the grounds of unity: “There is one body and one Spirit – just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to...

A disgruntled reader wrote the editor of his local newspaper, arguing that the paper was not what it used to be. The editor replied, “It never was.”   The same can be said about the church. In a real sense, the church at its birth was the church at its best. But we should not look back wistfully for some non-existent “golden age” of the church. The church has never been perfect. It will not be perfect until the Lord presents it to himself without spot or blemish. Until then, the church is in the process of becoming. We are reformed and being reformed. The Lord is building his church. But we must work together through our growing...

In the late 1800s, a small church in Mayfield County, Kentucky, had two deacons who hated each other. One Sunday, one of those deacons nailed a small wooden peg to the back wall for the pastor to hang his hat. When the other deacon saw the peg, he was outraged that he had not been consulted. An argument ensued, and the members took sides. The church split was called the Anti-Peg Baptist Church.  Some things we laugh at because they’re funny.  Some things we laugh at because they’re true.  Some things we laugh at to keep from crying.  Churches fight, split, and die because of congregational conflict. There are...

Acts 2 records the birth of the church on the day of Pentecost. As the disciples prayed in the Upper Room, the sound of hurricane-force winds swept through Jerusalem. Investigating the sound, the crowd found the disciples praising God in languages they had not learned.  The crowd dismissed the disciples as drunk. Then Peter arose and addressed the crowd. The disciples were not drunk but filled with the Holy Spirit. He proclaimed that Jesus – whom they crucified but God raised from the dead – was the Messiah. Cut to the heart, the people repented of their sins and trusted Christ for salvation. Acts 2:41 says, “So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.” Acts 2:42-47 picks up the story. It is a summary of...

Some Christians are known as “prayer warriors.” They may not hold any church title, office, or position. Yet they are easy to identify. They are the ones members go to when they need prayer. It is good for the church to have members who are devoted to prayer and know how to get a prayer through. But this designation should not be for an elite group that is specially trained in warfare prayer. Every Christian is to be a prayer warrior. That is the message of Ephesians 6:18.  Ephesians 6:10-20 is the most clear and comprehensive statement about spiritual warfare in the Bible. The Christian life is a battleground, not a playground. If you live for Christ, Satan will fight back. Ephesians 6:10-13 calls us to combat readiness: “Finally,...

Before electricity, a famous musician performed a sold-out concert on a pump organ. After the concert, the young man who pumped the organ said to the musician, “We had a great concert tonight, didn’t we?” “We did not have anything,” replied the offended maestro. “I had a great performance.” Nothing happened the following evening when the musician began to tickle the keys. He kept playing, waiting for the sound of music, but to no avail. The musician finally went behind the organ and asked the young man, “What’s going on?” He replied, “It looks like you’re not having a performance tonight!”  That...

A small town was selected for the site of a hydroelectric plant. A dam would be built across the nearby river, submerging the city. When the project was announced, the citizens were given ample time to arrange their affairs and relocate. During those months, a curious thing happened. Home improvements, neighborhood upkeep, and infrastructure repairs ceased. The city looked and felt abandoned long before the citizens moved away, and the waters came. One resident explained: “When there is no hope for the future, there is no power in the present.”  That’s a life lesson worth remembering: Hope for tomorrow produces strength for today. There are three types of people. Some have no hope. Circumstances have made them downcast, defeated, discouraged, depressed, and desperate....

In 1865, William Ross Wallace wrote a poem entitled “What Rules the World.” It was an ode to the power of motherhood to influence society. The poem is largely forgotten. But its refrain remains a commonly quoted proverb: “For the hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world.” No one would argue with Wallace’s sentiments. But there is one great exception. The birth of Jesus is the cradle that rocked the world. Luke 2 records the birth of Jesus. In Chapter 1, angels predict the miraculous births of Jesus and John the Baptist. But these relatives will not be peers. Their births reveal that Jesus was greater than John. Chapter 1 records the birth of John...