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Unfrozen
At a roundtable discussion about reconciliation, one participant wisely said, “Don’t freeze people in time.” He observed how we tend to remember mistakes people make and never grant them the opportunity to change.
There are so many moments in Peter’s life when God could have “frozen” him in time. But He never did. Peter—the impulsive disciple—“corrected” Jesus, earning a sharp rebuke from the Lord (Matthew 16:21–23). He famously denied Christ (John 18:15–27), only to be restored later (John 21:15–19). And he once contributed to racial divisions within the church.
The issue arose when Peter (also called Cephas) had separated himself from the…
Many Gifts, One Purpose
Corn, also called maize, is the staple food in my home country of Mexico. There are so many different types. You can find yellow, brown, red, and black cobs, even mixed ones with a wonderful spotted pattern. But people in the cities usually won’t eat the spotted cobs. As restaurateur and researcher Amado Ramírez explains, they somehow believe uniformity is a synonym of quality. Yet the spotted cobs taste good, and they make excellent tortillas.
The church of Christ is much more similar to a spotted ear of corn than to a cob of just one color. The apostle Paul used…
A New Community
My friend Carrie’s five-year-old daughter, Maija, has an interesting approach to playtime. She loves mixing together dolls from different playsets to come up with a new community. In the world of her imagination, everything belongs together. These are her people. She believes they are happiest when they’re together, despite being different sizes and shapes.
Her creativity reminds me of God’s purpose for the church. On the day of Pentecost, Luke tells us, “Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven” (Acts 2:5). Though these people were from different cultures and spoke different languages, the Holy Spirit’s arrival…
A New Community
My friend Carrie’s five-year-old daughter, Maija, has an interesting approach to playtime. She loves mixing together dolls from different playsets to come up with a new community. In the world of her imagination, everything belongs together. These are her people. She believes they are happiest when they’re together, despite being different sizes and shapes.
Her creativity reminds me of God’s purpose for the church. On the day of Pentecost, Luke tells us, “Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven” (Acts 2:5). Though these people were from different cultures and spoke different languages, the Holy Spirit’s arrival…
Celebrating The Beauty Of Unity In Diversity
Today on Discover the Word, we conclude our two-week series on building unity within the church called “Why Can’t We All Just Get Along?” As we’ll see, it’s not about getting everyone to think the way we do, but letting God transform our hearts to be like His. Learn to celebrate differences and the beauty […]
Encourage The Unity That Jesus Desires
It’s been said that America is a “melting pot.” But sometimes this blending turns into a clash of cultures. It’s been that way since the beginning. And today on Discover the Word, we’ll see how the church in Rome grappled with embracing all kinds of backgrounds and what the apostle Paul said to encourage the […]
Building Unity With Intentionality
You probably know the old adage, “Birds of a feather flock together”! We’re most often drawn to people who are like us. So how do we intentionally build unity with people who are different? That’s the question that was on the apostle Paul’s mind when he wrote his letter to the Romans, and it’s the […]
"Ready in Season"
Many of us suffer from the unbalanced tendency to “be ready” only “out of season.” The season does not refer to time; it refers to us. This verse says, “Preach the Word! Be ready in season and out of season.” In other words, we should “be ready” whether we feel like it or not. If we do only what we feel inclined to do, some of us would never do anything. There are some people who are totally unemployable in the spiritual realm. They are spiritually feeble and weak, and they refuse to do anything unless they are supernaturally inspired. The proof that our relationship is right with God is that we do our best whether we feel inspired or not.
A Biblical Perspective On Whose Job It Is To Judge
No one wants to be labeled as “judgmental.” And today on Discover the Word, we seek to answer the question, “Why Can’t We All Just Get Along?” It’s a conversation about gaining a biblical perspective on whose job ultimately it is to be the Judge. Is that your job? Is it my job? Listen today […]
“. . . And In All Things Charity”
Augustine said, “In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, and in all things charity (or love).” That’s a good rule to live by. And today, the Discover the Word team turns to the book of Romans to see how we can learn to accept one another in our differences. Begin week two of their series “Why […]
Gaining God’s Heart While Following His Law
When a student decides to become a lawyer, they hit the books! A lot of books. But today, the Discover the Word team sums up God’s law in one sentence. And while it’s easy to state, living it out sure isn’t. So how do we gain God’s heart and follow His laws? It’s another way […]
When God Calls Us To Submit . . . Or Resist
From preschool to adulthood, submission to authority isn’t all that popular. But today on Discover the Word, we’ll see how God calls us to submit to governing authorities and when we’re called to resist. Learn to live in the tension of being a citizen of heaven living on earth when you tune in to Discover […]
Division Is Nothing New . . . What’s The Solution?
From politics to personal relationships, it seems like people are more divided than ever before. Even in the church! But today, the Discover the Word team learns that division is nothing new and the bottom-line solution offered by the apostle Paul to the Romans still applies to us today. Join the conversation on Discover the […]
Unity In God’s Kingdom
When we think of “gifted” people, it’s usually in reference to someone who’s a cut above the rest. More talented, more intelligent, more gifted! But today on Discover the Word, we’ll see how each of us is gifted for the purpose of unity in God’s kingdom. “Why Can’t We All Just Get Along?” Listen today on […]
Living At Peace With Those Around Us
Don’t you wish everyone could just get along? From bickering families to warring nations, the world is filled with people who can’t seem to get along. So how can we learn to live at peace with those around us? Today on Discover the Word, the team will start a two-week study in the book of […]
