As the early Church grew in numbers and influence, persecution increased. Stephen is the first recorded Christian martyr, and his testimony provides a model for serious Christian commitment in every generation. His powerful prayer compels us to take seriously our status as outsiders in this world.

Robert Louis Stevenson once wrote, “Life does not consist of having a good hand at cards, but of learning how to play a poor hand well.” The ancient Chronicler would have agreed, adding that in the game of life an essential part of learning how to play is learning how to pray. The presence of God overcomes the liabilities of the past and the uncertainty of the future.

An absolutely essential verse, here is Paul’s confession of the power of the cross in his own life. It stood between him and his past. His self-life was nailed there, and this new life was no longer derived from vain struggles to be religious, but from the indwelling and overflowing life of Jesus. 2024 is, for Evergreen, the Year of the Crucified Life! 

Contending for the Faith is not the most pleasant of spiritual duties, but it is action required of particular generations of Jesus-followers at moments of intense spiritual warfare. Jude writes at just such an historical moment. His words are disturbingly relevant for believers today.

The story of Christmas didn’t begin in the manger in Bethlehem. It actually began long ago in the plan of God before creation. The entire sacrificial system of the Old Testament was a huge canvas that pictures man’s need for an innocent substitute to die in his place. Jesus is the eternal Lamb of God, sufficient to provide for our redemption. Merry Christmas!

Christmas reminds us that God’s baby is the answer to the problems of our day. Isaiah predicted a coming, mysterious Someone who would be the ultimate solution to all man’s fearful battles. That coming Someone would be the Son of God, Immanuel, “God with us.”

From newborn King to homeless fugitive, the story of Jesus rapidly changes circumstances. Left unchanged, however, are the plans of God and the faithfulness of Joseph. The authentic Christian life displays “a long obedience in the same direction.”

On the surface, Mary’s song does not seem to be a revolutionary composition. Yet it has been described as “the most revolutionary document in the world.” Mary sings of revolution as quiet as it is certain, as inward as it is radical, as spiritual as it is durable. Her Christmas transformation can be ours as well.

Nehemiah now joins Ezra in leading the people of God toward restoration; and his account of revival connected to the Word of God is a recipe for facing the cultural challenges of the church in our own generation. A church moves from maintenance ministry to spiritual victory when God’s Word inspires certain transformations among the saints.

The final events of Ezra are sad, but hopeful. Despite the lessons of the exile, God’s people failed to give attention to the most basic requirements of His expectations. What can be done to recover? Then and now, the answer is the same…conviction and repentance.