Christians can either be killing their church or building their church during Covid. Here is Romans 12:9-13, Paul lays down both the posture and the actions of someone who is building the church. Its every Christians duty to be an active church builder.
Everyone is tempted. And every temptation seems to include the same basic elements. Knowing these elements can help us identify temptations to sin more clearly in the fog of the spiritual battle. The first temptation to sin came from a snake to a woman standing naked and innocent in a garden. From here we learn much about how our enemy operates.
David, having just ascended to the throne of Israel, is challenged by rebellious kings and rulers. In the midst of this, he teaches us about the promised King, who is God's son and will ultimately bring an end to all rebellion against God.
Christians have long recognized the value of independent Bible reading and prayer. Why? What do we have to gain from this practise? Are we in sin if we fail to read our Bibles? How do you really pray? What do you pray for? These are great questions to ponder as we prepare to flip the page of calendar to a New Year.
The first man was created alone and that was not good. Thus, God created from that man the first woman - bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh. She was presented to her husband as a glorious bride to help him fulfill what God had called him to do and be. And this early picture of the ideal union all points forward to something far greater than the best marriages on earth. The union of God with His people forever in the New Creation.
One of the greatest things in the world came about in the midst of massive pressure, trouble and adversity. The church did not begin in a bed of roses, yet the Lord did a great work! What can we learn from the those early days to carry us through our days of testing?
What makes a man, a man? Are men and women different? At its very core, what does it actually mean to be a man? Looking carefully at the creation of the first man will tell us a lot about these kinds of questions and point us in a direction of wholeness and purpose.