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The Bible tells one great story. It is the story of God’s purpose to bring His kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. Scripture begins with creation and moves toward new creation. It begins with God forming the heavens and the earth, and it ends with God dwelling with His people in a renewed heaven and earth. That story begins in Genesis. “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). Before sin entered the world,…

Paul charges Timothy before God and Christ Jesus to preach the Word. This is not casual advice from an older preacher to a younger one. It is a solemn commission given in the presence of the living God, the risen Christ, the Judge of the living and the dead, and the King whose appearing and kingdom are coming. Timothy is not free to invent the message. He is charged to herald the Word God has already given. Over these past…

Everything breathes. Breath is essential to human life, and we rarely think about it until we struggle to find it. We breathe when we wake, walk, work, and sleep. Breath is a vital sign of life flowing within us. Paul reaches for that kind of language when he writes to Timothy: “All Scripture is breathed out by God” (2 Timothy 3:16). Scripture is not merely written. It is God-breathed. That one phrase tells us something profound about the nature of…

Paul reminded Timothy that from childhood he had been acquainted with “the sacred writings,” which are able to make one wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 3:15). What a beautiful phrase: sacred writings. The Bible is not merely an old religious book, a collection of moral lessons, or a record of ancient events. It is the holy Scripture, the very oracles of God, the full counsel of God preserved for His people. Through these writings, God…

Over the past three weeks, we have considered Paul’s words in Colossians 1:24-2:5 under the theme, “Ministry of the Mystery.” In this passage, Paul reveals the heart of Christian ministry and the heart of the Christian life. The mystery once hidden for ages and generations has now been revealed: “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27). Christianity is not merely a moral system, a religious tradition, or a church program. At its center is a living Person: Jesus…

I enjoy watching movies. It does not particularly matter whether it is a western, comedy, drama, mystery, documentary, etc. However, my favorite type tends to be musicals. There are many movies I have seen multiple times on the spectrum of complex to simple. Frequently in my conversation I will adopt a quote from these movies. The movies (though having nothing to do with my own life) become part of my life. Scripture is that way as well. I enjoy many…

The day after Jesus healed the sick servant of a centurion in Capernaum, He travels eighteen miles to a city called Nain. It is located on the northwestern edge of a mountain called Little Hermon, where the ground descends into the Plain of Esdraelon. On this day, Jesus performed one of His greatest miracles (Luke 7:11-17). As Jesus begins to enter the city, He meets a funeral procession exiting the city gates, most likely going to the sepulchral caves along…

In Matthew 18:21–35, Peter asks Jesus the question we all want answered: “How many times do I have to forgive?” Jesus replies, not with math, but with incalculable mercy. He then tells the parable of a servant forgiven an unpayable debt who, upon being forgiven, fails to be forgiving and demands payment from his fellow. Forgiveness is not a new theme for Jesus. In the Beatitudes, He says, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy” (Matthew 5:7). And…