“They worshiped together regularly at the Temple each day, met in small groups in homes for Communion, and shared their meals with great joy and thankfulness….”  Acts 2:46 (TLB)   Spiritual growth happens best in community.  We are better together!  From the beginning of the New Testament church at Pentecost, these new Christ followers experienced the blessing of community through both large group worship gatherings at the Temple and small group fellowship in homes.  Small groups help to sustain and generate spiritual life.  We call them Life Groups because of th ..read more

“On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people ….” Acts 4:23 (NIV) There’s something about this verse that leaps off the page at me and gives me comfort and encouragement. It affirms the value of deep, abiding connections with other Christ followers who share a common purpose and passion. Friendships that you can lean on in difficult times. These kinds of close connections provide support that emboldens you to keep on keeping on when you’re tempted to give up or give in under pressure. Such was the case for Peter and John. The cultural climate of their world was hostile to th ..read more

“This priceless treasure we hold, so to speak, in a common earthenware jar - to show that the splendid power of it belongs to God and not to us. We are handicapped on all sides, but we are never frustrated; we are puzzled, but never in despair. We are persecuted, but we never have to stand it alone: we may be knocked down but we are never knocked out!” 2 Corinthians 4:7-9 (Ph) Christ’s followers are described as clay pots containing a priceless treasure.  The pots used in biblical times were common, cheap, breakable, baked clay pots.  Still, these common earthenware jars, as expenda ..read more

“As Jesus was on His way, the crowds almost crushed Him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. She came up behind Him and touched the edge of His cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped. ‘Who touched Me?’ Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter said, ‘Master, the people are crowding and pressing against You.’ But Jesus said, ‘Someone touched Me; I know that power has gone out from Me.’ Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at His feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why ..read more

“… you belong in God’s household with every other Christian.”   Ephesians 2:19 (TLB)  Like most of us, you have no doubt experienced the pain of rejection and exclusion. If you’ve ever been overlooked or, worse, forgotten, you know what I’m talking about. It hurts. It can make you wonder if you’ve become invisible to God as well. Don’t believe it! In her excellent devotional “Overlooked Gems,” Allison Allen says, “In Christ, we are not rejected, forgotten, excluded, or marginalized. In Him, we are accepted in the Beloved. In Him, we have a seat at the table. In Him, we are cons ..read more

“When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven.” Nehemiah 1:4 (NLT)  Nehemiah is one of my favorite books in the Old Testament. I love the raw emotion and passion of this ordinary man that God used to do an extraordinary work. You get an idea of his character in the first chapter as you listen in on the first of twelve prayers recorded in this book. His prayer in Nehemiah 1:5-11 (NLT) is the longest one. When confronted with the desperate situation of his fellow Jews in Jerusalem, he prays, “Then I said, ‘O LORD, God of ..read more

“Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw Him walking on the lake, they were terrified. ‘It’s a ghost,’ they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: ‘Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.’ ‘Lord, if it’s You,’ Peter replied, ‘tell me to come to You on the water.’ ‘Come,’ He said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’ Immediately Jesus reached out His hand and caught him. ‘You of litt ..read more

“At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, ‘Ask for whatever you want Me to give you.’” 1 Kings 3:5 (NIV) “So give me the wisdom I need to rule your people with justice and to know the difference between good and evil. Otherwise, how would I ever be able to rule this great people of Yours?" 1 Kings 3:9 (TEV) If you were promised one wish, what would it be? How would you respond if God came to you as He did Solomon and said, “Ask for whatever you want Me to give you.”  Think about that carefully for a moment. What would you ask for? Implicit in this ..read more

“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Hebrews 4:16 (NIV) Under the Old Covenant, before Christ was crucified and rose again, only the High Priest could enter the most holy place called the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle or the Temple once a year to make atonement for the sins of the people. The people were excluded from access to the Divine Presence of God that rested on the Mercy Seat of the Ark of the Covenant. That all changed, though, when Jesus died, and the veil of the Temple that separ ..read more

“Open my eyes to see wonderful things in Your Word.” Psalm 119:18 (TLB) Yesterday we saw the miracle of a blind man healed in Luke 18:38 when he cried out for mercy. Though blind, he could see what those around him with perfect vision could not see. He could see that Jesus was the promised Messiah, the Son of David! He put his faith in Jesus and was healed. But he didn’t need physical eyesight to have spiritual insight. So many of us today have great physical vision yet cannot see the spiritual truths of God’s Word. We are blind spiritually. Only when we receive the Lord Jesus as our Savior m ..read more