Both Ephesians and Colossians begin with Paul addressing the recipients as “faithful” and “saints” who are “in Christ” (Ephesians 1:1, Colossians 1:2). He goes on to tell the Ephesians that they are blessed in Christ (1:3), chosen in Christ (1:4), and redeemed in Christ (1:7). He lets them know that …
What Does It Mean to Walk in the Spirit?
According to Romans 7-8 and Galatians 5, within the Christian, there is a struggle of the flesh against the Spirit. What does it mean to walk in the Spirit? Everyone has a carnal (sinful) nature. This nature leads us to do things that we don’t want to do. These are …
What is the Gospel?
All men are under sin (Romans 3:9-19) and need to be rescued. All the world is “guilty before God” (Romans 3:19). We are “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1), following after Satan, the prince of the power of the air. All mankind is, by nature, “fulfilling the desires of …
Don’t be Afraid
Has fear ever held you back? Are you afraid to do the right thing in a certain situation? Maybe you feel like you want to get out of the boat and walk on water–but you’re afraid. Maybe you’re afraid of having faith. You know that Jesus can do something really …
12 Short Prayer Principles
I recently read the book “Praying With Paul: A Call to Spiritual Reformation” by D.A. Carson. With each chapter, I jotted down one principle of roughly one sentence in length. These were not summary statements of the chapter, but rather they were my personal take aways, lessons I learned from …
An Introduction to the Book of Revelation
At the beginning of 2012, it was in the news that someone was predicting the world would end right around December 21, 2012. This date corresponded to the end of the ancient Mayan Calendar. It would have run 5,126 years, beginning in the year 3114 B.C.. Do the math and …
If Jesus had a Résumé
Have you ever thought about Jesus qualifications to be our Savior? Have you ever considered who He really is? In this message, I explore Colossians 1:15-23, one of the great Christological passages in the bible. Here’s the passage: Colossians 1:15-23 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the …