Ruth is a fantastic example of loyalty in the Bible; in several ways, she shows us what loyalty is. We are a people who leave. We have let loyalty in our lives slip and when things get tough, we separate from others. But in Ruth, we see an example of someone who stuck through circumstances no matter what. And she was rewarded for her loyalty! We can expect that the same may happen for us as well.

In this 5-week series, we're looking at the stories of 5 prominent women in the Bible to see what we all can learn from them and we're starting out looking at Esther! Esther did what is right at the risk of being wronged and shows us exactly what it looks like to make righteous and courageous decisions. God honors the actions of his chosen people (when they are following Him) but he can't honor actions you never had the courage to take!

God had a great plan for Abraham that involved having a son with his wife Sarah. But instead, Abraham took matters into his own hands and tried to execute it a different way. When we do evangelism our way instead of God's way, we cheapen God's value and may even be introducing people to a false god. We need to introduce them to a God who judges but who also extends grace. And it starts with being honest about sin (and God's saving grace) in our own lives.

There's an amazing story in Genesis where Abraham fights for the people of Sodom and Gomorrah and essentially negotiates with God to spare their lives. We need to likewise fight for the people in our lives who don't yet know God, whether they aware of it or not. Most of the time, this means foregoing the masses and focusing on the few, seeing them the way that God saw us. Lost, alone and in need of rescue.

Sometimes it's hard to talk to people about serious topics and we all have days where we'd rather just be left alone. But God never promised we'd always be comfortable and, indeed, calls us to leave our comfort zone from time to time. But God does promise to bless those who accept the call and speak to others about Him.

The ideas of Evangelism and Multiplication are closely linked. In the same way that God told Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply (physically), he wants us to multiply others by bringing them to Christ. But, in order to do that, we have to be connected to Christ ourselves - that is the only way we can fulfill this command from God. And we are expected to fulfill it - our life on the vine is determined by how much fruit we produce.

All human beings have intrinsic value - we know that because the Bible says that God created us in the likeness and image of God. This means that, in some ways, we can be like God. But what does that mean? What is God like? He wants to be in relationship with his creation and is willing to go to great lengths to see that accomplished. Therefore, we need to be doing the same thing - bringing people back to God.

At this time of year, many of us think about the promise of Christmas: hope, peace, joy and love. But where do these ideas come from in Scripture? We're looking at the first 2 chapters in Luke this week to see these themes in the Christmas story.

Christianity is for everyone. There is no division amongst believers whether Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female. We all serve the same Lord and everyone is included in God's invitation. In the same way, ministry is for everyone. It isn't reserved for pastors and evangelists - everyone is included in the call to share the gospel message with those who have not yet heard.

Do you love unconditionally or are there certain conditions that must be present before you can love certain people. Genuine love shows itself in the way we treat others, not in the words that we say. If we want to truly love others - genuinely - we need to focus on what is good and let the future hope that we have dictate our present actions.