SCRIPTURE: 2 Thessalonians 1-2 “Your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.” (2 Thessalonians 1:4) These young believers had been severely persecuted… yet they remained strong. They also heard that they had missed the Lord’s return (2 Thessalonians 2:2). I don’t know much about the end of time, but I am inspired, by these believers. Persecution and confusing…
Author: Norm
More amazing that we realize!
SCRIPTURE: Acts 15:1-11 “Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.” (Acts 15:1) Christians have been adding on to God’s grace for centuries. Unless you belong to the true church, or unless you are baptized the proper way. Unless you speak in tongues, or unless you tithe, or pray for…
Church growth Acts style
SCRIPTURE: Acts 14:21-28 “Strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith.” (Acts 14:22) As a missionary, Paul keeps moving on after starting a church. I think about the new believers as he moves on, how weak in their faith. No bibles, no Christian book stores, no internet sermons, no churches. Nothing but the memory…
His grace in me!
SCRIPTURE: Acts 14:8-20 “We too are only human, like you.” (Acts 14:15) I am just a messenger, human, like everyone I serve. I am not superhuman, nor am I less than human. There’s no fear that people will mistake me for a god. But my weaknesses might qualify me as a fraud. “For I am the least…
Beacon of light
Talia Biel is a member at Crossroads Church. She is a sincere Jesus follower with a gift for connecting her faith to real life, and for sharing that through her writing. Check out her blog “Holding On To Faith. “Beyond the trees, there’s always light… Sometimes, I just wonder why we were put on this earth in…
Multiplication or division?
SCRIPTURE: Acts 14:1-7 “The people of the city did not agree with one another.” (Acts 12:4) There is certainly something divisive about Jesus. How can you hate a message of love, of mercy, of generosity, of compassion? But what if many people start living the Jesus life? It will impact the families and communities of those people….
Breaking the cycle
SCRIPTURE: Psalm 137 “Happy is the person who pays you back according to what you have done to us.” (Psalm 137:8) Can you imagine watching someone take your baby and smash them against the rocks? I get sick just thinking about this; I get the anger and anguish of those who endure this. This psalms ends with…
Seasons change
Talia Biel is a member at Crossroads Church. She is a sincere Jesus follower with a gift for connecting her faith to real life, and for sharing that through her writing. Check out her blog “Holding On To Faith. “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens” (Ecclesiastes 3:1) You know…
Encouraged and built up!
SCRIPTURE: 1 Thessalonians 4-5 “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:11) The ‘normal’ way of life in this world is immoral, selfish, godless living. As a Jesus follower, I am committed to living ‘abnormally’, like Jesus, like God. Living the Jesus-life ought to make us stand out,…
Spirit extinguisher?
SCRIPTURE: 1 Thessalonians 1-3 “Our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction.” (1 Thessalonians 1:5) I am both inspired and discouraged by how Paul describes these new Jesus followers. The transformation was so deep, so profound, everyone was talking about it. I would love to see this…