The church I grew up in did not have a New Members Class. When one began, it became the most popular class in Sunday school. The class name piqued interest: "I'm Saved, Now What?" 1 Peter 1:13-21 is a biblical, fundamental, practical answer to that question. Verses 3-12 explain the reality of our salvation in Christ. Verse 13-21 explains the response to our salvation in Christ. There are three ways we should respond to the God who has saved us: Verse 13 says live in hope. Verses 15-16 say live in holiness. Verse 17 says live in fear. The call...

The beginning of Mark 7 contrasts with the ends of Mark 6. In chapter 6, the popularity of Jesus is at an all-time high, as he feeds the five thousand, walks on water, and heals the sick. Jesus was beloved by the common people. He was despised by the religious leaders. Mark 7:1 reads: "Now when the Pharisees gathered to him, with some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem..." "Pharisees means "separated ones." The Jews departed themselves from non-Jews. Pharisees separated themselves from fellow-Jews who did not live in strict adherence to the Law of Moses and the...

James the Just was a man of prayer. A first-century historian reported that James spent so much time in prayer, his knees became hard and calloused like a camel. Church history remembers the author of this letter as "Camel Knees." I am not sure if James would have been offended by this nickname. James would have been offended if he was accused of having soft, smooth needs that spent little or no time in prayer. To be prayerless is to be non-Christian. Prayer is to faith what oxygen is to the lungs. Show me a person who does not pray,...

The Roman government exiled the apostle John to the aisle of Patmos, because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. He was not there alone. On the Lord's Day, John was filled with the Holy Spirit. The glorified Christ revealed himself to John. In Revelation 1:19, Jesus commands, "Write therefore the things you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this." John wrote what we call the Revelation or Apocalypse. It is predominantly about things to come in the last days. It begins with the things that are. Chapters 2...

A man was given a tour of heaven in a dream. As the tour ended, he noted a particular building was skipped over. The angel warned that he did not want to see that building. This only heightened the man's curiosity. The angel showed him. It was a building filled with beautifully wrapped presents. When the man asked what these were, the angel answered these were gifts God had prepared for his children that were never claimed in prayer. If a building in heaven houses unclaimed gifts, many boxes would contain the unwanted gift of wisdom. When facing trials, we...

Timothy was left in Ephesus to lead the church in Paul's absence. It was apparently a temporary assignment. But no one knew when or if Paul would return. In 1 Timothy 3:14-15, Paul writes, "I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth." 1 Timothy gives practical instruction to lead the church to be the church. But this letter is more...

Canute the Great was King of Denmark, England, and Norway. He was praised as a great monarch. But he feared his people thought too highly of him. On one occasion, Canute ordered his servants to place his royal chair by the seashore. Sitting on this throne, he demanded the waves to recede. Waiting for the waters to obey his command, he got wet as the waters splashed around him. Finally, Canute stood and rebuked her servants, claiming that only the Lord who created the heavens and earth is worthy of praise. Psalm 93 calls us to put our seats by...

What Should the Church Be Devoted To?

A Prepared Statement of Grateful Praise

When Jesus Gets Sick of Church

The Incarnation of Jesus Christ

I Can See Clearly Now!