The 20th chapter of John’s gospel presents us with two different people who both need the same thing, hope. The need a reason to hope and believe and Jesus gives it to them. Biblical hope is certain and thick, it’s the equivalent to a promise or a...

Jesus died because we are not good enough. In fact, even our goodness can be quite twisted. That is why we need Jesus as our substitute there upon that blood-stained tree. He was condemned that we might be pardoned. He was abandoned that we might be...

Christians aren't immune from trouble, and sometimes these troubles make us wonder if we are going to make it all the way to heaven. We are opposed by forces outside of us, accused by forces within us, and face circumstances that threaten to...

The opening of John 12 is a story about a dinner party happening about a week before the Passover. The week to come is going to immerse Jesus into the longest week of his life. He has told his disciples all that is to come, yet still they remain...

Here in Acts 25 we overhear a conversation between Governor Festus and King Agrippa as they discuss the legal case against Paul. In it, these two non-believing dignitaries conclude that the essence of Christianity boils down to, “A certain Jesus, who...

It’s not when everyday life is going swell, but when you hit bumps in the road, that you meet the living God in a new way and realize that he truly is God in your life. In many ways this is the story of Paul’s life during his two years of house...

In Acts 24 Paul is the courtroom of Governor Felix having been accused of insurrection. The twist in this judicial hearing comes in the end, because when Felix is to deliver his verdict, he delays for two years without concluding. So, it is, for two...

In this dramatic mini-episode of Acts, the name of God is absent from the story but the hidden hand of God is at work in it all. The promise of being taken safely to Rome, in verse 11, is fulfilled in an ongoing way through the means of a little boy...

In this passage, we see that, despite Paul's foibles and fears, God continues to go with him. We are reminded that the Bible shouldn't be read as if it were a book of heroes to admire or examples to follow. Rather, it is filled with the...

In this study in Acts the Apostle Paul is accosted by an angry mob, assaulted and arrested. Ironically, because he showed up to church, or in his day, the temple! However, this frightening experience opened the door for Paul to fearlessly face the...