Jesus the Messiah: Unlocking Old Testament Prophecy
The ancient Hebrew Scriptures predict the coming of a Messiah, who will rescue His people and bring peace and justice to the world. Throughout the centuries, Jesus’ followers have claimed…
Topic > Christian Beliefs > Future >
Embracing the “newness” God has in store for us!
At the start of a new year, it’s smart to slow down, take a breath, and consider all the “new things” coming up! Let’s get excited about the future.
The Future & The Three Faiths of Jerusalem, Part VII
In Jerusalem, three major world religions confess that there is one true God. Each has a hope for the future. Yet down through the centuries, followers of Judaism, Christianity, and…
What will your legacy be?
Each day we write another chapter in our own personal legacy. So when you finally leave this earth, what kind of story will you leave behind? Let’s discuss how we…
Eternal Perspective
Tricia Mingerink’s young adult Christian fantasy series The Blades of Acktar contains a scene where the protagonist is forced to watch friends and family martyred for their faith. A fearful person, she was struck by the peace with which each martyr faced death. In a moment of clarity, she realized that these believers were not bound by their immediate circumstances. The fear borne out of her exclusive focus on the present melted away as she embraced a perspective of eternity in God’s presence.
What Do We Want?
“I went from the horse-and-buggy to a man walking on the moon,” said the old man to his granddaughter, who shared this story with me recently. But then he mused, “I never thought it would be so short.”
Life is short, and many of us turn to Jesus because we want to live forever. That’s not bad, but we don’t comprehend what eternal life really is. We tend to crave the wrong things. We long for something better, and we think it’s just ahead. If only I were out of school. If only I had that job. If only I were married.…
The 7 Churches of Revelation, Part VII: The Lukewarm Church (Laodicea)
Get a fresh perspective on the book of Revelation and Jesus’ message to churches in all times. Travel to the land of the Bible with host Joe Stowell to visit the ancient sites of the seven churches described in Revelation. Gain insights into God’s love for the world, His warning and correction for the churches, […]
Not One Sparrow
My mother, so dignified and proper her entire life, now lay in a hospice bed, held captive by debilitating age. Struggling for breath, her declining condition contradicted the gorgeous spring day that danced invitingly on the other side of the windowpane.
All the emotional preparation in the world cannot sufficiently brace us for the stark reality of goodbye. Death is such an indignity! I thought.
I diverted my gaze to the birdfeeder outside the window. A grosbeak flitted close to help itself to some seed. Instantly a familiar phrase popped into my mind: “Not a single sparrow can fall to the ground…
The 7 Churches of Revelation, Part VI: The Promiscuous Church and the Church before an Open Door (Thyatira & Philadelphia)
Get a fresh perspective on the book of Revelation and Jesus’ message to churches in all times. Travel to the land of the Bible with host Joe Stowell to visit the ancient sites of the seven churches described in Revelation. Gain insights into God’s love for the world, His warning and correction for the churches, […]
The 7 Churches of Revelation, Part V: The Dead Church (Sardis)
Get a fresh perspective on the book of Revelation and Jesus’ message to churches in all times. Travel to the land of the Bible with host Joe Stowell to visit the ancient sites of the seven churches described in Revelation. Gain insights into God’s love for the world, His warning and correction for the churches, […]
The 7 Churches of Revelation, Part IV: The Church that Compromised (Pergamum)
Get a fresh perspective on the book of Revelation and Jesus’ message to churches in all times. Travel to the land of the Bible with host Joe Stowell to visit the ancient sites of the seven churches described in Revelation. Gain insights into God’s love for the world, His warning and correction for the churches, […]
Singing with Violet
An elderly woman named Violet sat on her bed in a Jamaican infirmary and smiled as some teenagers stopped to visit with her. The hot, sticky, midday air came into her little group home unabated, but she didn’t complain. Instead, she began wracking her mind for a song to sing. Then a huge smile appeared and she sang, “I am running, skipping, jumping, praising the Lord!” As she sang, she swung her arms back and forth as if she were running. Tears came to those around her, for Violet had no legs. She was singing because, she said, “Jesus loves…
Foreigners and Nomads
Born in Jakarta, Indonesia, I maintained Nigerian citizenship because of my parents’ diplomatic status. I once met a lady from Indonesia who excitedly launched into her native tongue after learning my birthplace. Embarrassed, I informed her that I was only there briefly and had no knowledge of the language. I was born in the country—but am not of it.
Building For Eternity
Our Lord was not referring here to a cost which we have to count, but to a cost which He has already counted. The cost was those thirty years in Nazareth, those three years of popularity, scandal, and hatred, the unfathomable agony He experienced in Gethsemane, and the assault upon Him at Calvary— the central point upon which all of time and eternity turn. Jesus Christ has counted the cost. In the final analysis, people are not going to laugh at Him and say, “This man began to build and was not able to finish” (Luke 14:30).
The 7 Churches of Revelation, Part III: The Church About to Be Tested (Smyrna)
Get a fresh perspective on the book of Revelation and Jesus’ message to churches in all times. Travel to the land of the Bible with host Joe Stowell to visit the ancient sites of the seven churches described in Revelation. Gain insights into God’s love for the world, His warning and correction for the churches, […]
The 7 Churches of Revelation, Part II: The Church that Left Its First Love (Ephesus)
Get a fresh perspective on the book of Revelation and Jesus’ message to churches in all times. Travel to the land of the Bible with host Joe Stowell to visit the ancient sites of the seven churches described in Revelation. Gain insights into God’s love for the world, His warning and correction for the churches, […]
The Kingdom We Long For
I remember the way grief hung so heavy the morning after news broke of the deadliest mass shooting in US history in 2016.
Farming Hope
I’m not a farmer, but I once attempted to be one as the guest of a self-sustaining community. The group lived together in dormitories, eating their meals together as a family. They grew most of the food they consumed and raised cattle for milk and meat. During my stay, I performed a number of barnyard chores, from shoveling dung to taking the old cow on her morning walk around the property—leash and all!
At Home With Jesus
“There’s no place like home.” The phrase from popular culture reflects a deeply rooted yearning within us to have a place to rest, be, and belong. Jesus addressed this desire for rootedness when, after He and His friends had their last supper together, He spoke about His impending death and resurrection. He promised that although He would go away, He would come back for them. And He would prepare a room for them—a dwelling-place. A home.
He made this place for them—and us—through fulfilling the requirements of God’s law when He died on the cross as the sinless man. He assured…
