The sovereign nature of God makes the entire heavens and earth subject to Him. Paul alludes to this in his message to the Athenians. “He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings” (Acts 17:26). He is sovereign and He…

Spiritual growth is not optional for the Christian—it is commanded. Peter wrote, “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Pet. 3:18). In fact, he goes further and urges believers to give “all diligence” to their growth (2 Pet. 1:5, 10). Growth does not happen accidentally. It requires intentional effort to become more like Christ. In…

In Acts chapter 2, Peter delivers his sermon at Pentecost, which culminates in the establishment of the church of Christ. Through signs, scripture, and reasoning, Peter makes the case that Jesus is both Lord and Messiah (v. 36). In verses 16 through 21, Peter quotes what the prophet Joel foretold about this day. In this passage, we see a phrase that appears…

“He is not here” were the words spoken to the women by the heavenly messenger outside the tomb of Jesus. The truth behind these words is the focal point of the eternal plan of God to save the world. If there is no empty tomb, there is no redemption, no salvation and the gates of heaven are closed to us forever and…

It is hard growing up. In the short time leading to adulthood, a child can experience a wide variety of issues, tragedies, heartbreaks, losses, mistakes and disappointments. And, in the world teens are living in today, these challenges are compounded in ways that are hard for older generations to comprehend. Sometimes, when children are experiencing the trials of life, the only thing…

Sometimes people hear sermons or read articles about “doing good works” and “working out your own salvation” and “always abounding in the work of the Lord” and “doing the will of the Father in heaven,” and they are sometimes filled with doubt or grief or trepidation (or even negative emotions toward the one who focused on those portions of Scripture).  And here’s…

Last week we established from the Scriptures that being a Christian is not a “part-time” job. In that article, we showed how this truth applies to parents as they rear their children. However, this concept has many other vital applications in our lives as Christians. Think about how it applies in the three areas mentioned in the following paragraphs. True Christianity has…