Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been tagged as “christianity”
Many of us have developed a view of the early church without acknowledging the culture of its time, which largely influenced the church. Greek and Roman culture played a role in shaping the early church, so we should know what those cultures were all about! After studying the Orthodox foundations of our faith last week, we continue learning about the …
A bad reputation is brewing among evangelical Christians. As a whole we’ve been found lacking in our knowledge of biblical doctrine. That’s a problem we need to address! Dr. Michael Svigel is part of the solution. He’s written RetroChristianity: Reclaiming the Forgotten Faith and is a voice of wisdom on the topic of doctrinal development in the early church. Dr. …
Do you ever feel like you’re getting the short end of the stick? That things just aren’t fair because you don’t have the same opportunities as someone else? Many of us have felt that way, but God made sure that we never have to feel that way about salvation. As we study Ephesians today, we’ll see how God leveled the …
Our 2-week study of Ephesians begins this week, and that means we’re learning about Greek culture and checking out the city of Ephesus from the book of Acts! Remember when a mob rioted to try to drive Paul out of its city for disturbing its pagan businesses? That city was Ephesus, a thriving, powerful, commercial hub in the Roman Empire. …
Everyone views Jesus differently. Some think He was a prophet, others think He was a teacher, and still others think He was a common man. Of course, Christians worship Him as our loving Savior, the One we live to please and around whom we build our lives. For the next three weeks we’ll study what some important people groups thought …
The Rapture is overlooked or purposely avoided by many today. This might leave you asking, “Is the Rapture really that important? Does the Bible even tell us anything definite about it?” You bet! The Rapture is a huge part of biblical prophecy and one of our greatest hopes as believers, and God’s Word tells us all we need to know …
Even though we’re far from January 1, this weekend marks a New Year celebration—Rosh Hashanah, the fall feast that celebrates the Jewish New Year. God established this holiday as the Feast of Trumpets for the Israelites in Leviticus. It’s a happy celebration but also one of remembrance. Nothing symbolizes this better than the shofar, which is blown on Rosh Hashanah …
I really messed up. God’s not going to forgive me this time. Can you relate to this feeling? Paul addressed this sentiment in Romans 11, the chapter we’re studying in the conclusion of our 3-part series on why Israel still matters to God. Some were questioning if Israel’s sins had caused God to reject them altogether. The comforting answer: Absolutely …
Salvation is the blessed hope of everyone who accepts Jesus’ sacrifice to forgive their sins. In Romans 10, Paul shares that his greatest desire and prayer was for the Israelites to be saved. But his message was hard for them to understand. Though they had zeal, it was misplaced. They focused on earning righteousness by keeping the Law, when they …
Here’s a sad thought: Many churches and Christian leaders teach that Israel, the nation of God’s Chosen People, doesn’t matter to God anymore. Much of the world feels the same way. But how can this be? Maybe these people just need to read Romans 9–11. We’re studying these three chapters in our three-part series “Israel Still Matters to God.” We’ll …
