POLITICS CAN’T CHANGE PEOPLE’S HEARTS Those who put their trust in political leaders and parties will always be disappointed because they are led by mere men. Only the One who can change the human heart can change the human condition. This proverb, along with today’s Old Testament reading from 2 Kings, both proclaim and illustrate
DON’T LET FEAR KEEP YOU SILENT After Paul preached Jesus as the Christ to the members of the Corinthian synagogue, they opposed him. But he didn’t let fear of opposition stop his preaching of the gospel. Instead, he shifted his ministry focus to the Gentiles in the city. Yet, the opposition among the Corinthian Jews
HOW THE GREAT COMMISSION ENLARGES OUR HEARTS After Paul and Barnabas finished their first missionary journey, they returned to their sending church at Antioch. What a joy it must have been to return to this large and prosperous church. After giving their report, they continuing teaching and preaching in Antioch. Yet after a while, Paul
ELISHA’S MINISTRY FORESHADOWED THE MESSIAH’S When the prophet Elisha was given an offering of bread, he instructed his servant, Gehazi, to feed the people with it. But Gehazi answered that there wasn’t enough to feed the one hundred men gathered there. But Elisha had heard from the Lord that there would not only be enough
THE CHURCH KNOWN MORE FOR ITS SENDING CAPACITY THAN ITS SEATING CAPACITY Imagine attending a worship service that ends not with an invitation to lunch, but with a commissioning service that puts you on the next boat going out to sea. That’s what happened to Barnabas and “Saul” (“Paul”). Oh, to have worship services
HAVE YOU BUTCHERED THE OXEN AND BURNED THE PLOW OF YOUR FORMER LIFE? God directed Elijah to anoint a prophet from behind a plow. He didn’t send him to a finishing school for prophets, but to a farm where Elisha was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him. His father must’ve been wealthy to
THE PERSECUTION THAT RESULTED IN PROLIFERATION Jesus had instructed His disciples that they were to be His witnesses to the “end of the earth” (Acts 1:8), yet it wasn’t until after the persecution in Jerusalem that they truly began to fulfill His call. As they scattered throughout the Roman world, great numbers of people turned
GOD’S DESIRE FOR THE NATIONS After Elijah warned King Ahab about the coming drought in Israel, he fled to the wilderness. Eventually, the Lord sent Elijah out of Israel to the land of Sidon, where God had commanded a widow to provide for his needs. In this way, God both protected Elijah from Ahab and
THE BLESSING AND BEAUTY OF UNITY Psalm 133 was written by David and is one of the fifteen psalms with the inscription, “Songs of Ascent.” These psalms (120-134) were to be sung while ascending up to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem to worship. In this way, worshipers brought their praise with them to the Temple.
BE A BARNABAS After Saul became a follower of Jesus at Damascus, he returned to Jerusalem. There he sought to meet with the apostles, but they were afraid and didn’t believe he had changed. But one of the disciples named Barnabas, whose name means “Son of Encouragement,” vouched for Saul and presented him to the