God wants you to have friendships. And the key to friendship is love. The bedrock of our Christian friendships must be love for one another. It's not easy to do this- there is sin in the world. But Christ loved us even when we were enemies, and the Gospel is the glue that sticks us together. Through the cross, the wall of separation has been torn d…

How do we deal with conflict in a Christian way-- We need to learn to listen well, and we need to learn to speak with grace in a way that builds up and edifies the other person. This may be unnatural to us, but God is calling us to something different. We are all depraved, and we are all in need of forgiveness. A lot of heartwork has to happen in o…

There is a great need for the Gospel to be taken to the ends of the world, and this verse gives us the foundation, the method, and the hope of missions. --Christ, the Good Shepherd, came to earth to gather His sheep from lostness and darkness. And He MUST bring them into His fold. These lost sheep hear the voice of their Savior through the lips of …

At some point in every relationship, there is conflict. How do we handle this conflict as Christians-- Do we view it as an opportunity to grow in our relationship with God and each other-- We need to ensure that we are fighting fairly and watching out for communication barriers. We need to fight for unity and not victory, and we need to build each …

This is a text that absolutely requires us to stand up and do something with it. Either we walk away from this and say, -I need this Priestly King Who was willing to die for me- - or we say, -I am in control of my own life.- The question we should be asking ourselves is, -Did Jesus die for me--- It was because of our sin that He died and experience…

Throughout the ages, evil people have conspired against Christ -Psalm 2-. Here the Pharisees attempt to ensnare the Son of God Himself, Who reacted in calm meekness- but they are outmaneuvered and forced to leave the scene, convicted of their spiritual adultery and unfaithfulness to Jehovah. Without a legal court proceeding against the woman whom t…

Throughout the entire Gospel of Mark, Jesus has been talking about the coming of His Kingdom. Now it looks like that has failed. But the irony is that when He seemed to be defeated, He was actually receiving His crown. Even when He was mocked and ridiculed and tortured, He was really the true King. And the cross was not the end of the story- He did…

These words of Jesus - -Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise- - leap out as us because He is speaking these words of life as He Himself is dying. Here we see several striking contrasts. --1- In the midst of the wicked lies, blasphemy, and mockery from those who were around the cross that day, Jesus speaks His word of truth…