Acts 24 - Are You Willing to Speak Up?

Romans 4 - How Are You Made Right with God?

Romans 4 - How Are You Made Right with God? The apostle Paul writes about Abraham from the Old Testament. Abraham lived a long time ago and is considered an important figure in the Bible. Paul explains that Abraham was justified or made right with God, not because of his good deeds, but because of his faith. Paul gives an example and explains that if someone works and earns money, their paycheck is not a gift but something they have earned. When it comes to a relationship with God, we can't earn our way into His favor. Instead, it is through faith, like Abraham had, that we are made right with God. Paul goes on to explain that faith is trusting and believing in God's promises, even when we can't see them yet. He uses Abraham believed in God's promise of having many descendants, even though he and his wife were very old and didn't have any children yet. Abraham looks up and simply trusts God’s promise. God graciously responds by entering into a covenant with him, promising that Abraham will become a father of many nations, that God’s blessing may come to the whole world. Abraham's longevity along with others found in Genesis 5-11 can be explained in a helpful article from BioLogos - https://biologos.org/articles/long-life-spans-in-genesis-literal-or-symbolic #newtestament #romans #jesus #faith #spirituality #christianity #mission #outreach #bless #diversity #evangelism #discipleship #earlychurch

Romans 3 - Are You Righteous On Your Own Without Jesus?

Romans 3 - Are You Righteous On Your Own Without Jesus? In light of the controversy in the Roman church, what’s the advantage in being Jewish? The Jewish people were entrusted with the words of God through which we are all made aware of our sin and our need for God! Paul emphasizes that both Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin and stand guilty before God. Paul quotes several Old Testament passages to emphasize the universality of human sinfulness, declaring that "there is no one righteous, not even one. "The human heart is so broken we all need God. But the good news is that because of Jesus’ death on the cross, He became the sacrifice of atonement so that all people may be made right before God. #newtestament #acts #jesus #outreach #faith #spirituality #christianity #mission #bless #earlychurch

Romans 2 - Do You Judge Others?

Romans 2 - Do You Judge Others? Just after the list Paul writes describing the ways we have fallen short in our thoughts and our actions, he writes in Romans 2 about not judging others. He points out that it was God’s kindness in our lives that led us to turn to him. In other words, when we understood God loves us in spite of our sins, we willingly repented. We asked him for forgiveness. As followers of Jesus it should be our kindness towards others that leads towards their repentance to God. One of the biggest challenges in the early church was the ethnic and cultural challenge of creating a new community made up of Jews and Gentiles. Paul points out that through Jesus now all need a circumcision of the heart by the Spirit. In other words, knowing the law is not what makes us right with God, it’s obeying the law. We have all fallen short of that, but fortunately as J.I Packer wrote in Knowing God:“Jesus lived the life we should have lived and died the death we should have died in our place, to reconcile us to God and to give us eternal life.” #newtestament #acts #jesus #faith #spirituality #christianity #mission #bless #outreach

Romans 1 - Do You Worship Created Things Rather Than the Creator?

Romans 1 - Do You Worship Created Things Rather Than the Creator? Paul writes to the Romans about his desire to come and visit and his calling as an apostle to the Gentiles, a messenger and witness that Jesus is the Son of God as demonstrated by his death on the cross and resurrection from the dead. This “gospel” or “good news” is that we can be made “right with God” by faith. In other words, when we try to follow all the rules in order to get to God, we will always fall short. And just in case we think we are righteous on our own not needing Jesus’ sacrifice, he reminds us how we are all without excuse and able to see the beauty of creation which points to God but instead we worship what God created rather than the Creator. For example, God created sex as a gift in the context of marriage, but instead lust has so affected our minds we see men and women as objects for our own pleasure. Sometimes the “wrath of God” is demonstrated when God gives us what we want allowing us to experience the consequences of our evil choices. #newtestament #acts #jesus #faith #spirituality #christianity #mission #bless #outreach

Romans - An Overview

Romans - An OverviewWe meet Saul in the book of Acts. He begins as someone who opposed Christianity but becomes known as Paul and starts multi-ethnic churches throughout the Roman Empire. His letters were passed around from church to church and have become part of the New Testament. Understanding the context of his letters helps us understand what was happening so we can apply what we read to our lives.Having been expelled from Rome for a few years, the Jewish believers came back to find the Gentile believers were not following many of the Old Testament laws and rituals. Paul addresses their tension and calls them all to live in unity as representatives of the Kingdom of God and God’s new humanity.The book of Romans reminds us that the gospel proclaims salvation by faith in Jesus Christ for all people, Jew and Gentile alike, revealing God's righteousness and inviting believers to live transformed lives in accordance with God's grace.Join us in reading 1 chapter a day, 5 days a week.Start by praying God would speak to you, read the chapter, watch the video devotional, write down what you can apply in the comments or in your journal, and then live it out!#newtestament #acts #jesus #outreach #faith #spirituality #christianity #mission #bless #earlychurch