Jesus is the cure!
The world is feeding us self-affirming lies that we are all OK. The narrative goes like this: “You be you, and I’ll be me; we are all fine. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.” But we are not OK. And if we were, then why have suicide rates steadily increased in American over the past […]
The God of Restoration
In our society we typically throw away things that are broken or in terrible condition. But not God! He loves what is broken and discarded because then He can mend them and reclaim them for His glory. In other words, God is the God of restoration. Biblical restoration is when God takes something broken and […]
Pilate the People-Pleaser
Pontius Pilate was the Prefect appointed by Rome to oversee central Israel, including the city of Jerusalem, during the time of Christ. In fact, he became the pivotal figure in sentencing Jesus to death by crucifixion. Ironically, Pilate had determined three times that Jesus was not guilty of being condemned to death. So then why […]
A Prayer for Unity
When Jesus prays for us in John 17, He asks the Father to give us UNITY. But what kind of “unity” is Jesus speaking of? Does He mean that we should just all “get along,” accepting everything and anything under the “umbrella of unity?” Not at all. Unfortunately, some Christians and/or churches, in pursuit of […]
Who is the Holy Spirit
Jesus talks more about the Holy Spirit than any other single subject during His closing words to the Disciples gathered in the Upper Room for their last Passover together. He wants to assure them that even though He is going away (when He ascends back into Heaven after His crucifixion and resurrection), He will not […]
Pray Like Jesus
Everyone has probably prayed at some point in their lives—either out of desperation or celebration. But fewer actually practice prayer as a spiritual discipline. A “spiritual discipline” is a habit, practice, or experience designed to develop, grow, and strengthen one’s relationship with the Lord. Bible study, periodic fasting, attending church would all be examples of […]
Heaven and How to Get There
What will Heaven be like? How can we get there? Pastor Gary answers these two questions today’s study from John 14. Many people think that if they are good enough they will get to Heaven when they die, but then the question becomes, “How good is good enough?” Thankfully, Jesus died on a cross for our sins because […]
Love Like Jesus
Jesus tells us to “love one another” as He has loved us, and that when we do, it will show the world that we are His disciples. But how is love defined in the Bible? And how are we to demonstrate this kind of love to others? The world today defines love in a very […]
Serve Like Jesus
In today’s study from John 13, Pastor Gary teaches about the time when Jesus washed the feet of His disciples. It was a pure gesture of love and humility. The God of the Universe stooped down to wash the dirty feet of sinners! And then He tells us to “follow His example.” How are we […]
Light in a Dark World
The Bible uses multiple references to “light” and “darkness”—good and evil—right and wrong. Jesus stepped into our dark world as the Light of the world. He died on a cross to bring us into the light and to rescue us from the dominion of darkness. In today’s study, Pastor Gary talks about these terms of […]