In today’s Bible reading*, following his brief greeting, Paul assures the Thessalonians that God will take care of those who persecute Christians. I’m sure the Thessalonians were on board with Paul’s promise until they read what is now labeled as 2 Thessalonians 1:7, “This will take place at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from…
Well, things finally come to a head in today’s Bible reading*. The Judaizers have raised such a ruckus that the church has its first council, the Jerusalem Council, to codify how the church should handle its first major problem. The problem: Does a new convert to Christianity have to be a good Jew in order to…
In today’s Bible reading*, Paul brings out the fact that believers are not servants; they are sons. There is a tremendous difference between the responsibilities of a servant and the privileges of a son. Several years ago, some friends of ours adopted a baby girl from an unwed teen. It was a win-win-win and to…
James doesn’t mince words about suffering. He is clear that there is no shortcut to spiritual maturity. He begins his book urging his readers to rejoice whenever they experience trials. And he wraps up his book with today’s Bible reading*, urging his readers to be patient in suffering. (James 5:7-11) He fills in the gaps…
Dr. Luke describes the events of the first Easter Sunday Morning in today’s Bible reading*. He begins with some of his disciples bringing spices to the tomb to prepare Jesus’ body for a proper burial. Because the Sabbath was only a few hours away when Jesus died, they only had time to place his body…
In today’s Bible reading*, we hear the familiar chant from the crowd, “Crucify Him!” John records Jesus’ appearing before Pontius Pilate. The Jewish leaders urge Pilate to sentence Jesus to death. They tell the Roman ruler that he is no friend of Caesar if he doesn’t sentence Jesus to death. But Pilate doesn’t think Jesus…
