April 23 When a believer dies, does he/she go straight to heaven? Well, the story of The Rich Man and the Beggar Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31 might leave you wondering. It’s another great example of why exploring the immediate context and overarching context of a particular Bible verse or passage is so important. The immediate…
March 9 Welcome to the Gospel of Mark. Over the last ten weeks, we’ve looked at the Gospels of John and the Matthew. Each had its own “feel,” concentrating on different things. While John was more theological in nature, looking at the person and work of Jesus, Matthew focused more on Jesus’ parables and the…
January 9 Throughout John 7, we see people arguing over Jesus’ identity. Is He the Messiah? Could He be the One? Besides the questions, people also expressed their opinions: “He’s a good man.” (v. 12) “No, on the contrary, he’s deceiving the people.” (v. 12) The Jewish leaders asked, “How is this man so learned,…
We will turn our calendars to 2026 in just two days! But didn’t we flip our calendars to 2025 just last week? In this day and time, we find it easy to kick back and “rest on our laurels.” But the Bible urges us to be purposeful with our time. (Ephesians 5:16; Proverbs 19:16; Proverbs…
We finish our reading through the New Testament with today’s Bible reading. John describes Heaven as the Garden of Eden revisited with only the Tree of Life—not the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. What was lost in the Garden of Eden has been remade in the new, beautiful city of Heaven. As Adam…
In addition to reviewing the once-for-all sacrifice Jesus gave for our atonement, today’s Bible reading* includes one of the most compelling arguments for being regularly involved in a local church. As a pastor, I often hear excuses from people who have no interest in going to church. One of the most popular arguments is that they can…
