Topic > Christian Beliefs
Fair Play
When Singaporean runner Ashley Liew found himself at the head of the pack during a marathon at the Southeast Asian Games, he knew something was wrong. He quickly realized that the lead runners had taken a wrong turn and were now behind. Ashley could have taken advantage of their mistake, but a strong sense of sportsmanship told him it would not be a genuine victory. He wanted to win because he was faster—not because those ahead of him had made a mistake. Acting on his convictions, he slowed down to let them catch up.
In the end, Ashley lost the race…
Understanding God’s Grace
Today on Discover the Word, the team and New Testament scholar Con Campbell wrap up their first week of a series in the book of Ephesians. They’ll be studying what it means to be alive “In Christ,” laying hold of a firm understanding of God’s grace that sets you free from sin and death. Be […]
Comfort Shared
“God sent you to me tonight!”
Those were the parting words from the woman standing in front of me as we exited our flight to Chicago. She had sat across the aisle from me, where I learned she was headed home after several flights in a round-trip that day. “Do you mind if I ask why you had such a quick turnaround?” I inquired. She glanced downward: “I just put my daughter in rehab for drug abuse today.”
In the moments that followed I gently shared the story of my son’s struggle with heroin addiction and how Jesus had set him free.…
Jesus Is Bigger Than You Can Imagine
When the Titanic was built, people couldn’t imagine how something that large could float! But today, ships are far larger and grander! And today on Discover the Word, you’ll see that Jesus is bigger than you could ever imagine. That means there’s always room for your faith to grow. So join the group at the […]
His Agony and Our Access
Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples….”Stay here and watch with Me.” —Matthew 26:36, 38
We can never fully comprehend Christ’s agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, but at least we don’t have to misunderstand it. It is the agony of God and man in one Person, coming face to face with sin. We cannot learn about Gethsemane through personal experience. Gethsemane and Calvary represent…
How Do You Live A Life That Points To God’s Glory
In a culture that cries, “It’s all about me!” how do you live a life that points to God’s glory, and not your own? Today on Discover the Word, the team and New Testament scholar Con Campbell explore how to truly live “to the praise of God’s glory,” as they continue their study in the […]
The Way to Permanent Faith
Indeed the hour is coming…that you will be scattered… —John 16:32
Jesus was not rebuking the disciples in this passage. Their faith was real, but it was disordered and unfocused, and was not at work in the important realities of life. The disciples were scattered to their own concerns and they had interests apart from Jesus Christ. After we have the…
Front-Porch Relief
On a particularly hot day, eight-year-old Carmine McDaniel wanted to make sure his neighborhood mail carrier stayed cool and hydrated. So he left a cooler filled with a sports drink and water bottles on their front step. The family security camera recorded the mail carrier’s reaction: “Oh man, water and Gatorade. Thank God; thank you!”
Carmine’s mom says, “Carmine feels that it’s his ‘duty’ to supply the mailman with a cool beverage even if they’re not home.”
This story warms our hearts, but it also reminds us that there is One who will “meet all of your needs,” as the apostle Paul…
“If You Had Known!”
If you had known…in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. —Luke 19:42
Jesus entered Jerusalem triumphantly and the city was stirred to its very foundations, but a strange god was there– the pride of the Pharisees. It was a god that seemed religious and upright, but Jesus compared it to “whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of…
Our Identity Rooted In Christ
Who are you? An answer to that question might consist of your name, a family history, a description of your job, or just a picture of your face. But today on Discover the Word, we will discuss with New Testament scholar Con Campbell the freedom and power we have when our identity is rooted “In Christ.” […]
“In Christ”
Today on Discover the Word, we welcome seminary professor Con Campbell to the table. Together, we’ll be studying Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus to discover how an identity “In Christ” changed everything for these early church believers. Learn what this can mean for your life, too! Listen today to Discover the Word!
The Glory That’s Unsurpassed
…the Lord Jesus…has sent me that you may receive your sight… —Acts 9:17
When Paul received his sight, he also received spiritual insight into the Person of Jesus Christ. His entire life and preaching from that point on were totally consumed with nothing but Jesus Christ— “For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Corinthians…
Despised for All of This
Susannah Cibber gained fame in the eighteenth-century for her talent as a singer. However, she was equally well known for her scandalous marital problems. That’s why when Handel’s Messiah was first performed in Dublin in April 1742, many in the audience did not approve of her role as a featured soloist.
During that inaugural performance, Cibber sang of the Messiah: “He was despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3). Those words so moved Rev. Patrick Delany that he jumped to his feet and said, “Woman, for this be all thy sins forgiven thee!”
The connection…
The King’s Crown
We sat around the table, each person adding a toothpick to the foam disc before us. At our evening meal in the weeks leading up to Easter we created a crown of thorns—with each toothpick signifying something we had done that day for which we were sorry and for which Christ had paid the penalty. The exercise brought home to us, night after night, how through our wrongdoing we were guilty and how we needed a Savior. And how Jesus freed us through His death on the cross.
The crown of thorns that Jesus was made to wear was part of…
