For many people the local church has often been perceived as a place of either irrelevance, suspicion, or hypocrisy. Full of imperfect people, the church has always had, and will continue to be a community where people struggle through life together, imperfectly. But under God, the church can actually thrive as it submits to Jesus’s Lordship. But what does a healthy church actually look like? When a church is doing and being what God has called it to do and be, what does it look like? In 1 Thessalonians 1 we get a snapshot of a young yet healthy church that challenges us to think about our own spiritual health.

When it comes to life there are many worries we all face. Not the least of these worries is financial security. Money now, just as in Jesus’s day, can cause us significant stress while at the same time providing great opportunity to see God at work. In his teaching in Luke 12 Jesus offers us a way forward beyond the grip of worry as he reminds us of our heavenly Father’s generosity.

We live in a world that is increasingly busy. Screen time, work, study, and a thousand other things keep us moving from morning to night. In the busyness of everyday life we can forget about our God given purposes and responsibility. Yet with the appearing of Jesus we will all give an account for the use of our time, talents, and treasure. In Matthew 25:14–30 we have a parable challenging us on how to maximize our opportunities and God-given responsibilities.

Money is one of those subjects that many Christians feel awkward talking about. Some traditions seem to make too much of money so other traditions respond by saying nothing at all. With this in mind, how should we think about money? In 2 Corinthians 9 Paul addresses the issue of wealth head on by addressing how the disciple of Jesus should think and act in regard to money.

Central to the Christian faith is the death and resurrection of Jesus. Knowing the centrality of his work on the cross, Jesus established the practice of the Lord’s supper as a perpetual reminder of God’s love for us. In the Lord’s supper we celebrate, remember, affirm, and reflect on God’s kindness to us. In 1 Cor 11 the apostle Paul helps us focus on the significance of this sacred meal in the life of the Christian life.

For many Christians the concept of God as judge is something we might feel uncomfortable with. Judgment, however, is something that is crucial to who God is, and how he responds to wickedness. In Jeremiah 52 we are reminded of God’s kindness to us as he executes justice while providing hope for the repentant sinner.

The people of God in Jeremiah were on the precipice of judgment. The Babylonians would soon come and take them into captivity. In the face of difficulty the word of the Lord through Jeremiah once again confronts Israel as to their faith. Will they trust in themselves, or will they submit to the Lord? By contrasting two types of tree, the prophet Jeremiah points to the reality of the choices we make in regard to trust, as well as the outcomes of that choice.

One of Jeremiah’s key themes is that of tearing down and building up. In this passage the prophet Jeremiah seeks to tear down Israel’s inappropriate attraction to idols while building up their vision of God. God, unlike the useless idols of the world, is the unique, living, and eternal king who is worthy of Judah’s worship, as well as ours.

One of the great challenges of every age is understanding how we relate to and enjoy a relationship with the God of the universe. One of the most common responses to this desire is to be religious. Religion is an attempt to engage with and practice devotion to God. But is religion helpful in this pursuit? What is the way to engage with God? In Jeremiah 7 we get a strong warning about the dangers of being religious in pursuit, but being devoid of a relationship with God in practice. In this section of Scripture God gives us a strong warning about the folly of religiosity without a genuine relationship with him.

We live in a world that is full of despair. At a personal, community, and global level our world is full of hardship and difficulty. Our situation, of course, is nothing new. It is in a similar context that God called a prophet named Jeremiah to speak words of judgment and hope. In the opening of the book of Jeremiah we see God’s calling of the prophet and are reminded again, that no matter how difficult our circumstances God’s presence brings us confidence.

At the end of God’s great redemptive story is the promise of eternal life in heaven with him. But what is the nature of that eternal life? For my people heaven appears boring, mysterious, and vague. In this section of Revelation we get a great vision of God’s glorious plans for his children.

As the Scriptures unfold the picture of God’s plans become clearer. With the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, Christians now have a message to proclaim. It is not a message of self-help, its a message of God’s wonderful offer of forgiveness which now comes through Jesus.

In God’s unfolding story we continue to see God’s plan coming to pass through ordinary people. In 2 Samuel we see David graciously engaging with king David through promising to establish through him the one who will bring about God’s eternal plans.

There are not many topics that are more interesting yet less clear for us than Angels and Demons? Do they exist? If so, what do they do? Should I be afraid? What role if any should the unseen realm play in my day-to-day life? How do we think about Angels and Demons in light of the good news of Jesus?

An often thankless task, Motherhood and motherly love are wonderful gifts God gives. In Luke 1, we reflect on the announcement of Jesus’s birth given to Mary. In this passage we will see that God uses ordinary everyday faith and obedience to change the world.

The Bible is the most influential book in History. Though containing 66 books, and written by over 40 authors, the Bible actually reflects one larger story, the story of God and his purpose for his creation. In Genesis 1:1–2:3 we have a big picture of not only who God is, but who we are as his creation, and the purpose for our being. Genesis 1:1–2:3 provides us with the opening act of the unfolding good and perfect plan of God.

Before his ascension Jesus commissioned his followers to take the good news message out to the world. But what does that look like? What does it look for a modern follower to be a disciple of Jesus? What is our mission as the people of God. In Matthew 28:16–20 Jesus calls not only the eleven disciples, but all of us who know him to take his good news to the world.

The resurrection of Jesus is central to Christian hope. Three days after the brutal arrest and death of Jesus the most glorious of statements is made by angelic hosts. ‘He has risen!’ The resurrection of Jesus changes everything. Hope in the midst of chaos, life in the face of death, victory over the powers of sin and death. All of this comes, ‘just as he said.’ Because Jesus’s word is sure we can trust his promises for our futures.

Rejection and betrayal hurts deeply. In this account Jesus is rejected by a friend, his disciples, and a large crowd. This betrayal, however, is part of God’s larger plan that will bring not rejection, but reconciliation for rebels.

The second coming of Jesus Christ is the subject of interest to many. When will he return? Are we living in the last days just before his return? What should we expect when he returns? In Matthew 24 Jesus assures his disciples of his return and shapes both our expectation of when that will occur and how we should live in the meantime.