The centurion whose servant was deathly ill understood the concept of authority perhaps more than anyone else in the Gospels aside from Jesus himself. This man worked under authority because he was given a level of authority. As a centurion, he would have commanded approximately 60-80 soldiers and been responsible for their discipline. His authority ... [Continue Reading]
Happy Saint Patrick ‘ s Day!
Seven years ago today I was riding on the DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transit) in Ireland, sad that I was not going to get to enjoy the annual Saint Patrick's Day parade in Dublin because of the dreaded Foot and Mouth Disease. The government was concerned that such a large public gathering could be catastrophic to the economic livelihood of the country. So my ... [Continue Reading]
The lonely, narrow road (Matthew 5-7)
It's not hard to understand why people don't like Jesus' teachings. After all, it's not like He said stuff that was easy to swallow: Love the people who persecute you, don't look at a woman and lust, don't judge others unless you're ready to be judged. What Jesus taught was divisive and challenging, and people didn't like it ... [Continue Reading]
The overflow of the heart (Matthew 12:1-21; Mark 3; Luke 6)
Have you ever paused to think about what kind of fruit falls from an orange tree? Don't think too long because the answer is pretty easy: oranges. The same is true with an apple tree... it bears apples. Wouldn't it be truly amazing if you had an apple tree that produced oranges or an orange tree that produced apples? It would be amazing ... [Continue Reading]
The Cross: Die to Live
The latest sermon from LifePoint High School Student Ministry. In this second and final message of the series we are taught that the cross isn't just the place where we go to die with Christ; it's also the place where we go so we can live. Download the_cross_part_2_die_to_live.mp3 ... [Continue Reading]
Do you want to be healed? (John 5)
At first glance Jesus' question to the lame man by the pool of Bethesda seems nothing more than insensitive. If not that, at least it seems like there should be an obvious answer. The man was waiting by the pool, hoping that someone would help him in when the waters started stirring. After so many years of this not happening, it's surmisable ... [Continue Reading]
How far will you go? (Mark 2)
I'm curious how far you will go to bring someone you know to Christ. In Mark 2 we learn of four guys who wanted their friend to see Jesus. The friend was a paralytic, and he wasn't able to push through the massive crowds. So these guys cut a hole in the roof of the house and lowered their friend down to the place where Jesus was ... [Continue Reading]
Quenching the thirst (John 2-4)
Jesus' approach to the Samaritan woman at the well should be a guide for us as we learn how to handle people outside of the church. A study of the culture teaches us that the woman was an outcast (traveling to the well at the hottest time of the day - when other women wouldn't be there) and living an immoral life (having several past husbands in addition to ... [Continue Reading]
Not what they expected (Matthew 4; Luke 4-5; John 1:15-51)
As I read through the Gospels I am really fascinated by the way Jesus never ends up being the way people expect. Even John the Baptist is surprised when Jesus wants to be baptized. It seems like Jesus should have gone to the religious people, but He didn't. Instead He made his company with those who were needy. I wonder if we would even ... [Continue Reading]
Fishers of men (Matthew 3; Mark 1; Luke 3)
When Jesus called Simon (Peter) and Andrew to be his disciples he made a promise to them: "I will make you fishers of men." The two guys were fishermen, and this promise was apparently intriguing to them because they then followed after Jesus. History teaches us that Peter was really the one to begin evangelizing and building the early ... [Continue Reading]
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 99
- 100
- 101
- 102
- 103
- …
- 129
- Next Page »
Connect with Me