Bart Byl on Matthew 28.

Early on Easter Sunday, Mar of Magdalene and the other Mary go to the tomb and discover it's empty! An angel sitting cheerily on the stone tells them that Jesus is risen, and they must run and tell the disciples. The eleven go to Galilee to meet Jesus on the mountain — not the high mountain from which the devil tempted Jesus with all the kingdoms of the world, but the mountain of his triumph. It's here, clothed with all authority in heaven and on earth, that Jesus commission the disciples to be his witnesses to the world, strengthened by his promise to be with them — and with us — always, even to the end of the world.

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Tbilisi International Christian Fellowship is a Christ-centred family of believers in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Bart Byl on Matthew 21:1-11.

On Palm Sunday, Jesus requisitions a couple of donkeys — and a handful of Old Testament prophecies — to reveal himself as Israel's true king. But he's not the violent man of blood the people want. He's the King of Peace, who comes to suffer with and for his people. And days later, he will be leaving the city, crowned with thorns, to be enthroned on the cross.

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Tbilisi International Christian Fellowship is a Christ-centred family of believers in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Bart Byl on Colossians 3:5-17.

An artist doesn't impose their will on their material. They listen to it, entering into a conversation with it, figuring out what it wants to do. That's what gentleness is. We're called to that same responsiveness and openness towards others, respecting their integrity as those who share in God's image, being sensitive to what the Holy Spirit is doing in their lives. After all, we're all broken people who require careful handling.

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Tbilisi International Christian Fellowship is a Christ-centred family of believers in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Bart Byl on Hebrews 10:19-39.

When we see others abandon Christ, it should fill us with a holy fear. The sin I am indulging could be the beginning of the road to apostasy. Our Master calls us to lifelong personal allegiance. We can't summon up perseverance from within ourselves, though. Our faithfulness must be grounded the One who promises, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."

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Tbilisi International Christian Fellowship is a Christ-centred family of believers in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Bart Byl on Psalm 15.

Goodness is no bland, shapeless quality. A good man or woman is a person with a core of iron, who stands for what is right and true in the midst of evil. Why? Because they live under God's holy eye and are longing to be in his holy presence. This is the kind of person God wants to live with on his holy mountain.

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Tbilisi International Christian Fellowship is a Christ-centred family of believers in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Bart Byl on Ephesians 4:17-32.

Kindness is being sensitive to the needs of others and meeting those needs. It’s the very opposite of our old life before meeting Jesus. Now we learn to be others-focussed. That means telling the truth, working hard to help others, speaking words that build people up, and forgiving others when they sin against us. We express kindness because we’ve experienced God’s unlimited kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

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Tbilisi International Christian Fellowship is a Christ-centred family of believers in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Bart Byl on Psalm 58.

Russia's unprovoked attack on Ukraine this week was an act of great evil. In Psalm 58 David gives us words to express our outrage at unjust, violent strongmen to our God who is righteous and true. As we pray we renounce violence and leave it to the Lord to take vengeance, remembering that the cross is the supreme demonstration of divine justice—the only justice that brings healing, forgiveness, and restoration.

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Tbilisi International Christian Fellowship is a Christ-centred family of believers in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Bart Byl on James 5:7-11.

Waiting is one of the hardest things to do—but what if it's where God does most of his work in his life? That's why we need to develop patience, the capacity to endure a long period of difficulty without losing heart. We must learn to trust that God is good and wise, and that he himself is marvellously patient with us.

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Tbilisi International Christian Fellowship is a Christ-centred family of believers in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Conrad Henney on John 14:12.

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.”

Bart Byl on James 3:13-18.

Peace: wholeness, flourishing, life in harmony with God, ourselves, and the world around us. What does it mean to live in peace in the midst of a violent world? James points to bitter envy and selfish ambition as the root problem, all because "you do not ask God". When we are secure in God's care, we no longer need to fight with others for scarce resources. We're freed to say, "I was wrong," and "I forgive you."

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Tbilisi International Christian Fellowship is a Christ-centred family of believers in Tbilisi, Georgia.