Breaking Down, Breaking Bad AS WE GATHER The book is only twenty-one verses, but the impact of today’s Epistle is powerful! In his shortest New Testament letter, Paul appeals to a slave owner named Philemon on behalf of a repentant runaway named Onesimus. Within this bold appeal is the powerful display of Christ’s work of […]

Have faith! AS WE GATHER Today’s Word is all about faith. The reason for the existence of the Church and why we are here today is this very thing called faith. Faith is a divine gift from God. It is not just a thought or the production of our minds. Faith is the assurance and […]

Mission (Un)expected, Mission (lm)possible AS WE GATHER It often seems that God has laid an impossible mission before us. How can He draw from all nations, and how can He work through us to do it? But this is the God for whom nothing is impossible and the same God who has insisted that He […]

Division and Perfect Peace AS WE GATHER Jesus says, ” Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division” (Luke 12:51). But wait! What about “Peace on earth, goodwill to all’.? Is not Jesus the Prince of Peace? Indeed He is, and the kind of […]

Let It Be AS WE GATHER How easy it is to become anxious when things go differently than we had hoped. We worry about ourselves and our loved ones. We experience everyday anxietiesand big cosmic ones too. Sometimes anxiety can become so serious that professional help is needed. Paul writes in Philippians 4:6, “Do not […]

Life after Death AS WE GATHER Encounters with our risen Savior change us. This was certainly the case for the apostle Paul. His encounter with the resurrected Jesus while on the road to Damascus changed him in a dramatic way — from Pharisee to apostle, from persecutor of Christ to follower of Christ. It’s no […]

God’s Word Brings Life AS WE GATHER If the widow into today’s Old Testament reading would have known what a roller coaster is, she surely would have felt like she was on one! In just eight verses, she goes from doubt to belief, from death to life. This Gentile woman has taken the prophet Elijah […]

When the Jailhouse becomes a Church House AS WE GATHER The world might tell you, “If life hands you lemons, make lemonade.” That can be a difficult task without water and sugar. Still God promises that He will give us all that we need to bring glory to His name. How does God want us […]

Eternally True Truths AS WE GATHER We live in a world awash in change. Things that we’ve counted on to be true are questioned, and things that we’ve questioned are emphatically stated to be scientific fact. Yet veracity and insistence do not a truth make. Truths stated within creation apart from our Creator can never […]

The Ministry of Life AS WE GATHER This is a week of waiting in the life of the Church. The faithful of all ages, reflecting the anticipation of the disciples, are waiting for the coming of the Holy Spirit promised by Jesus. Also, there is a waiting and longing in the Church for the final […]