Did you think about heaven or the Lord’s return this week?  If you did, what sort of thoughts filled your mind and heart?  When the Apostle Paul thought about the return of Jesus Christ he thought about people who were transformed by the gospel.  Specifically, he thought about how the Thessalonians would be a source of joy for him at the appearing of the Lord. During his ministry in Thessalonica, Paul made a major investment in the lives of the...

Does it seem that work, school, or the household routines enslave you to a here and now focus of life? When was the last time that you spent intentional time meditating on the return of Christ, heaven, or some aspect of God’s eternal kingdom? The New Testament epistle of 1 Thessalonians offers a corrective to this enslaving here and now life focus by ending each chapter with some reference to Christ’s return. For example, chapter 1:10-11 ends...

Definitions of the gospel are not complete apart from I Corinthians 15. Verses 1-8 declare the gospel in terms of the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Within the larger canonical context we understand that the gospel includes a rich tapestry of details that encompasses the deity and the humanity of Christ, the return of Christ, the exaltation of Christ, the ministry of the Holy Spirit, and the theology of God as Creator...

I often find myself pursing the question, how does God motivate His children to accomplish His will, to obediently follow His Word, and to love Him with all of their hearts? I wonder this because as a parent I want to encourage my children to love the Lord and to do His will. I wonder this because throughout my days of ministry both in and out of the classroom, I have made many attempts to encourage brothers and sisters in Christ to follow the...

I reformatted some material from Tim Keller, “All Life is Repentance” for a chapel presentation that I wanted to share with you. I was encouraged, challenged, and focused as I worked with it. I hope it serves you in some way. Luther’s first thesis nailed to the door of the Wittenberg Cathedral acknowledged that the Lord willed the entire life of the believer to be one of repentance. Why? This is the way that we make progress...

Have you ever run away from the Lord and doing His will in your life? Have you ever refused to share the gospel with someone because you did not want them to experience the forgiveness of God? Have you ever been really upset with the Lord? If you said yes to any one of these situations, did you prevail over the Lord? The book of Jonah presents the prophet of God doing these very things during a season of his life. Despite all his efforts to...