What we see is that in early church’s practice of living together, in their sacrificial generosity, they had unity. And that ties directly to the phrase in 1 Thessalonians 5:13, I skipped over in the previous posts. In those previous posts I emphasized “live…with each other.” Paul says, “Live in peace with each other.” Peace. InContinue reading “Church family peace requires small groups – 1 Thessalonians 5:13–15, 26, Part 3”
Monthly Archives: April 2025
Christians are to “live…with each other” – 1 Thessalonians 5:13–15, 26, Part 2
Have you ever heard of the Ephrata Cloister? The Cloister was a group of Christians who practiced communal living from 1732–1934. They viewed themselves as a kind of monastic (celibate) community, with noncelibate “householders.” Because I live about 20 minutes from the Cloister, I have toured it, and I find it an eerie experience, cult-like.Continue reading “Christians are to “live…with each other” – 1 Thessalonians 5:13–15, 26, Part 2″
How do you handle yourself when you disagree with someone? – 1 Thessalonians 5:13–15, 26, Part 1
This past week, there was an awkward moment during class discussion in a Bible class I teach for a local Christian college. We were discussing Hebrews 10:25 which says “Let us not give up meeting together.” That verse teaches Christians to be committed to gathering together regularly and consistently. I asked the students if theContinue reading “How do you handle yourself when you disagree with someone? – 1 Thessalonians 5:13–15, 26, Part 1”
People rarely leave churches for good reasons – 1 Thessalonians 5:13–15, 26, Preview
A ministerium pastor recently told me about a situation in his congregation ten years prior. He was not the pastor at the time. Here’s what happened. At a church business meeting, someone proposed they fire the youth director due to lack of funds. The congregation voted for that, effectively firing the fellow on the spot. ChurchContinue reading “People rarely leave churches for good reasons – 1 Thessalonians 5:13–15, 26, Preview”
You can experience God’s power in your life – Evidence for Jesus’ Resurrection, Part 5
Are there areas of your life that are feeling dead? Areas where you long for new life? Maybe work. Maybe a relationship. Maybe it’s the general stress of life in 2025. Just like he transformed the Apostle Paul’s life, Jesus’ resurrection is the pathway for new life for us. Paul would go on to writeContinue reading “You can experience God’s power in your life – Evidence for Jesus’ Resurrection, Part 5”
Evidence for Jesus’ Resurrection, Part 4
There is one more piece of evidence that I believe supports the idea that Jesus resurrection is true. Think about the fact that the Jewish religious leaders hated Jesus. I pause at that word “hate.” I don’t think it is too strong. When we read the Gospel accounts, the many interactions between Jesus and theContinue reading “Evidence for Jesus’ Resurrection, Part 4”
Evidence for Jesus’ Resurrection, Part 3
In all four Gospels, guess who the first people are to discover and talk about the resurrection of Jesus? The Disciples of Jesus, right? No! It wasn’t the men; it was the women followers of Jesus who discover the resurrection. The fact that all four gospel writers specifically describe that it was women followers ofContinue reading “Evidence for Jesus’ Resurrection, Part 3”
Evidence for Jesus’ Resurrection, Part 2
Is it believable that Jesus’ disciples stole his body? For sure, the disciples had cause to steal the body. They had just given three years of their lives to follow Jesus. They were invested in Jesus. Furthermore, he had made claims that he was going to rise from the dead. So to save face andContinue reading “Evidence for Jesus’ Resurrection, Part 2”
Evidence for Jesus’ Resurrection, Part 1
Earlier this week I was reflecting on what Holy Week was like about twenty years ago at Faith Church. We had Maundy Thursday service on Thursday nights, then Good Friday morning we had the Cross Walk, including a big wooden cross with the wheels that we would take turns placing on our shoulder and walkingContinue reading “Evidence for Jesus’ Resurrection, Part 1”
Evidence for Jesus’ Resurrection, Preview
Imagine you’re at Easter dinner with family and friends, and someone asks you, “You don’t really believe in the resurrection of Jesus do you?” You respond, “I do believe in the resurrection of Jesus.” They press in, “Seriously. A dead person comes back to life? That’s ridiculous, right?” What do you say to them? OneContinue reading “Evidence for Jesus’ Resurrection, Preview”
Engaging Scripture 