Over the years I have talked with a steady stream of people who sheepishly admit that they are wrestling with doubts about God. Even as they are telling me this, they frequently drop their voice to the level of a whisper, afraid that others might hear their confession. Do good Christians ever have doubts about their faith? Is it wrong for people to ask hard questions or even be skeptical of some of the claims people make about spiritual experiences?

One truth we discover from this event in the life of John the Baptist is that even the strongest of believers can be shaken in their faith, and that God is neither surprised nor angry with us when these shadowy seasons come. In fact, He wants us to bring our doubts to Him because He alone can give the insight and comfort we need. So the issue is not so much whether or not we will have doubts assail our faith in God, but how we handle those doubts when they come. John the Baptist was a great prophet and highly regarded by God, yet he grew disappointed in God and Jesus. Let's let him show us how to handle doubt.

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In Luke 7:1-10 the centurion exhibited faith that released the healing power of God to another person. That it is possible to believe God for another's healing is a very important truth. Many of us have friends and family who are ill or suffering in other ways, and we would love to be able to assist them in receiving God's miracle power. Let's gather some insights concerning the centurion's faith. 

To purchase Pastor Steve's newest book Understanding Romans: Life-Changing Lessons from Paul's Greatest Letter, visit Amazon. 

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A disciple is someone who believes in the Lord and intends to serve Him. That doesn't mean you don't have another job. But we are talking about the orientation of the heart. For every disciple, the call on our lives is to preach the gospel and make other disciples. A disciple is constantly in the process of bringing people to Christ and teaching people to obey all that Jesus has commanded (Mt 28:18-20). In disciple making, our heart is what is finally reproduced in others, so we need to be sure our own heart is in order before trying to influence other people.

To purchase Pastor Steve's new book Understanding Acts: Life-Changing Lessons from the Early Church, visit Amazon. 

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What kinds of responses are we to have when we meet hostility? Jesus has just appointed 12 apostles from among his disciples. He is planning on his own disciples making other disciples. In Luke 6:27-38 Jesus talks about a disciples' attitude toward hostile unbelievers. Jesus says, "When you make disciples, you are going to hit persecution. And these are the attitudes I want you to have when you do."

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Disciples will test each of these areas: money, appetites & physical comfort, emotional peace and popularity. Each of these will tend to hold us back from obedient service. Jesus is not talking about personal disciplines or scolding those who enjoy humor or condemning anyone with a good income to hell (the poor aren't going to heaven because they're poor anymore than the rich are going to hell because they're rich). Jesus is warning us of forces that stifle fruitfulness in a disciple.

Today we're going to focus on the first area Jesus points to, and that is our money. All of the Lord's disciples are not poor, but all must have certain attitudes toward money.

To purchase Pastor Steve's new book Understanding Acts: Life-Changing Lessons from the Early Church, visit Amazon. 

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Jesus didn't trick people into becoming disciples, neglecting to mention the hardships until people were too far in to back out. He didn't try to sell them by focusing only on the benefits. He didn't suggest people try discipleship for a little while and then if they didn't like it, they could always quit. No, He came right out and explained, in detail, the persecutions they would face and the personal transformation that would be required. He wanted people to make an informed choice and to count the cost so that those who said "yes" to His invitation to ministry would persevere.

You would think that this blunt approach would prevent anyone from serving Christ, and there certainly are a majority of people who refuse His call, but Jesus is convinced there is no other way to produce people whose faith will last.

After selecting twelve men who are to be sent out as church planting missionaries, Jesus gives them, along with all the rest of His disciples, this sobering charge. Those of us who wish to be His disciples today would do well to listen to what He says. 

To purchase Pastor Steve's new book Understanding Acts: Life-Changing Lessons from the Early Church, visit Amazon. 

Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have free recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge. 

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In Luke 6:1-5, we're looking at an event in Jesus' ministry where the subject of the Sabbath comes up. We'll look at what the issues were, what the Lord says about it, and we'll look at some practical things about the business of giving a day to the Lord. We'll talk about whether it's required or not and what might be the benefits of it. 

To purchase Pastor Steve's new book Understanding Acts: Life-Changing Lessons from the Early Church, visit Amazon. 

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The new wine is an illustration that Jesus gives. The Pharisees, along with the disciples of John the Baptist, can't understand why Jesus and His disciples are not adhering to the same rituals, like fasting and Sabbath observance, that they do. Jesus answers in Luke 5:34-39 and says, "I am bringing a new spiritual walk with God. I am not rejuvenating Judaism. I am making a break and introducing a whole new walk with God." What we have as Christians is deeply, foundationally different than any man or woman in the Old Testament. Yes, there will be saved people in heaven from the old covenant, but what Jesus brought is so different that the old and new cannot be put together. It's new wine. 

To purchase Pastor Steve's new book Understanding Acts: Life-Changing Lessons from the Early Church, visit Amazon. 

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As we read Luke's account of that first Resurrection Day, we are startled by the unbelief and confusion in the disciples as they discover the Lord has been resurrected. If Jesus had never explained what would happen to Him, their response might have been understandable. But that was not the case. Jesus had clearly taught that He would die and rise again after three days (see; Lk. 9:22-24,44,45; Mt. 12:40; 16:21-25; Jn. 2:18-22). Oddly enough, though His own disciples did not understand Him, the religious leaders who opposed Him did hear Him and understood exactly what He meant (Mt. 27:62-66). Why were His own so confused, while those who didn't believe in Him were not?

To purchase Pastor Steve's new book Understanding Acts: Life-Changing Lessons from the Early Church, visit Amazon. 

Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have free recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge. 

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In this account of the Lord's calling of Matthew to be His disciple, we see a stark contrast between the heart of God and the attitudes of religious people toward unbelievers. Whereas God is merciful and aggressive in seeking to rescue lost people, religion tends to build up a wall of separation. First we need to understand how and why that wall builds up, then we need to look carefully at Jesus and listen to some of His pertinent parables to discover how God wants us to relate to unbelievers.

To purchase Pastor Steve's new book Understanding Acts: Life-Changing Lessons from the Early Church, visit Amazon. 

Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have free recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge. 

And check us out on Instagram as well!