HOW TO PREPARE FOR CHRISTS RETURN Determine to finish well. How? Remain in fellowship with Christ. Stay close. If you wander, come back. If you stray, return. If you sin, repent. Keep short accounts. Remain. Which is to abide, to stay, to live and walk in constant fellowship with Jesus. This is not working or

CHRIST IS BOTH THE MEDIATOR AND MEANS OF SALVATION The Greek word translated here in the NLT as the sacrifice that atones is the word hilasmos. This word is often translated as atonement or propitiation. It points back to Israels sacrificial system, whereby a lamb without spot or blemish was offered as an atonement for

BELIEVING THE EYEWITNESS TESTIMONY CONCERNING JESUS The apostle John opened his first letter as he did his gospel, and as Moses did the Torah, with the phrase: the beginning. Also, similar to his gospel, John referred to Christ as the Word (Greek: λόγος, logos). In Johns gospel, he spoke of the Words divine preexistence and

REMEMBER WHAT THE PROPHETS AND APOSTLES SAID In the apostle Peters second letter, he shared his intent to stimulate their thinking by urging them to always remember the words of the holy prophets and of the commands of Jesus given through the apostles. In this way, Peter put the writings of the apostles on equal

THE WRITING ON THE WALL King Belshazzar of Babylon gave orders to bring the gold and silver vessels from the treasury that his predecessor, Nebuchadnezzar, had taken from the Temple in Jerusalem. He and his nobles partied, praising the gods of silver and gold as they drank from Jerusalems Temple goblets. It was at that

DID GOD REALLY SAY? The apostle Peter viewed holy Scripture as Gods very Word. He described its authorship simply as God spoke and men wrote. He said that their pens were not moved by their own wisdom nor initiative, but by the Holy Spirit. The apostle Paul agreed with Peters high view of Scripture writing,

THE LOVE THAT COVERS SIN The apostle Peter emphasized the importance of staying together as a Christian community in the face of increasing persecution. He wrote that the most important feature of such a unified community is love. For love doesnt look for offense or imperfection. Indeed, it overlooks such things, keeping no record of

ARE YOU ALWAYS READY TO TALK ABOUT JESUS? The apostle Peter wrote to encourage those who were being persecuted not to fear nor worry about those who threatened them. Instead of giving into fear and worry, they were to worship Christ as Lord in all areas of their lives and to always be ready to

RISING UP TO GIVE THANKS Psalm 119 was written as a tribute to Gods Word. Written as an acrostic poem based on the Hebrew alphabet, the psalmist described the many ways he was thankful for Gods righteous law. His thoughts concerning Gods revealed Word were so wonderful that he arose at a time when most

A PRAYER FOR GODS PERSPECTIVE The psalmist asked the Lord to help him turn his eyes from worthless things, so that his life might be revived by following Gods perspective. He recognized his temptation to focus on things that do not last and to spend his life pursuing them. And in the process of pursuing