Revelation seminars tend to flourish in times of great cultural stress, as church leaders insist that the visions John saw just have to correspond to contemporary events. But to all those who think they can discern the time of Jesus’ return, Matthew 24:36 should provide a rather clear rebuke –…

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died to save you from your sins. That’s the good news – but why do so many people hate to hear it? In fact that’s the one thing on which atheistic communist governments, radical Islamists, and secular progressives all agree – they are all…

Bible Readings for November 4 – Matthew 23; Luke 20-21 Have you ever felt like the world’s coming to an end? Wars and disturbances – not just overseas but in the streets of America’s largest cities. Earthquakes – not just in California this year, but in Kansas and even in…

“Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.” That’s what Jesus said in Matthew 22:21, and on this election day, we American Christians should recognize that we do indeed have two allegiances, two sets of responsibilities. We are citizens of our respective…

Why do you want to follow Jesus? In yesterday’s passage, we learned that just because we are Christians, we should not expect worldly happiness or wealth. Today, we learn that political power should also not be considered part of the package. Think about it. When Jesus’ disciples came to the…

To Jesus’ Jewish listeners, this teaching was simply outrageous. In those days, the Pharisees were the good guys, the straight-arrow types. They read the Bible and really tried to put it into practice in their lives. Indeed, the self-description of this Pharisee in verse 12 still puts most of us…

Do you believe in Jesus? Many of us have the sort of faith that Martha had at the beginning of this passage. We are sure of His love for us, and we are confident in His power – up to a point. For notice the way Martha speaks in John…

What is our responsibility to the poor, those who, for whatever reason, truly cannot help themselves? That was Lazarus’ situation, as Jesus described it in Luke chapter 16. Verse 20 says he “was laid” at the rich man’s house, which implies that he couldn’t walk there himself. And whatever disease…

When God invites us into fellowship with Him, what gets in the way? Well, what were the excuses the people in Jesus’ parable made for not coming to their host’s dinner? The first one had just bought a piece of land and wanted to inspect it (Luke 14:18). And it…

What would you like to be doing today? Maybe you’re interested in the sort of mission work Jesus sent the seventy out to do at the beginning of this chapter (Luke 10:1). Or maybe you’ve taken Jesus’ story about the Good Samaritan seriously (Luke 10:30-35), and you’d like to care…