Encountering Christ Jesus as our lasting “Prince of Peace” gives us a place to take our grief, anxiety, and fear, so that we, in turn, can become people who exude the generosity and gentleness of God.
When the prophet Isaiah called the promised Messiah the ‘Everlasting Father’–a surprising thing to call a little child–what did he mean? How might this title illuminate our understanding of who God is and the hope he offers, even for those who have a complicated history with their own fathers.
While many think of Jesus as a great teacher, moral example, or inspiring historical figure, Scripture presents a far richer and more astonishing portrait. Isaiah declares that he is “Mighty God.” What does this title mean, and what difference can it make in a person’s life today?
The Advent season reminds us of the coming of a brilliant light that meets us in our darkness. This source of hope, Jesus, offers us presence and wisdom in a way that brings powerful healing and restoration.
Like the famous words announced on the intercom of the London Tube, the church’s call is to “mind the gap” between God’s Kingdom and human culture, creating loving dialogue that help people experience the beauty of Jesus Christ and his good news.
Whether through unjust treatment or uncontrollable trials, suffering in life is inevitable. The question is–how we respond? This extraordinary story shows us how to persevere through pain, not only with courage, but other-wordly joy.
The transforming power of the gospel shines through in this story of two women from vastly different backgrounds. Remarkably, the first convert in Europe was a female Asian business leader—a powerful reminder that God’s grace reaches across every boundary.
For many, religious rules are comforting. But the gospel invites us into a radically healthy but utterly paradigm-shifting freedom from old rules and regulations. The church is meant to be the beating heart, the epicenter, of that message of freedom.
What makes for a healthy church in a large city? What we see at the first-century church at Antioch, the third-largest city in the Roman empire at the time, is a beautiful case study: people coming to faith in Jesus, healthy dedicated leaders, Christians trained to be faithful disciples, and uncommon generosity–all marks of God’s gracious hand at work.
Traditionally, it was assumed that the good news of Jesus was reserved exclusively for the religious. But God gives vision to both a religious man and non-religious man to correct the cultural understanding of who this good news was for.