Saul (aka Paul) vehemently fought against the early followers of Jesus. He stood by in approval as people stoned Stephen to death and did all that he could to stamp out followers of Jesus. He thought his actions were faithful to God, but God had other ideas on the road to Damascus. Acts 9:1-19 Meanwhile […]
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The Seven Chosen In the early days of the church the Apostles struggled to figure out an effective and efficient way to organize themselves. This uncertainty led to conflict. Something needed to be done to bring order to the chaos. Acts 6:1-7 Now during those days, when the disciples were increasing in number, the Hellenists […]
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After Jesus resurrection and ascension, His disciples tried to figure out what to do next. The first step was to replace Judas so they would once again number 12 Apostles. The discernment process involved the prayerful casting of lots, basically rolling dice to determine which of the two God called to take Judas’ place. Acts […]
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Following several years of preaching, teaching, and healing, Jesus’ opponents finally gained the upper hand. Jesus knew that the end of his ministry on earth had come. He gathered the disciples together for one last Passover meal before leaving Jerusalem for a night of prayer. Knowing that death awaited placed Himself in God’s hands. Luke […]
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Mary In a small, backwater town of Nazareth God appeared to a young girl with promises beyond belief. The son of God would be born. Luke 1:26-38 Luke 1:26-38 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name […]
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God called Jonah to go to Niveveh and proclaim God’s word. Jonah had other ideas and ran as far away as he could. God persisted. Jonah 1:1-17 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai, saying, 2 “Go at once to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it, for their wickedness has come […]
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The book of Isaiah spans the time from the end of the nation of Judah, into their exile in Babylon, ending with the return to the promised land. In Isaiah we hear words interpreting current events in light of God’s work in the world. We experience despair and hope, judgment and mercy, history and prophecy. […]
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Many years after Saul and David, and after the Promised Land split into two nations (Israel and Judah), Ahab and Jezebel ruled in the nation of Israel. They ignored God and followed Baal, a God of other nations. Elijah served as God’s prophet, a thorn in their sides. After a show-down between God and Baal […]
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Saul served as the first king of Israel and his reign did not go well. He quickly lost God’s favor and the prophet Samuel anointed David to be the next king. For years Saul had a love/hate relationship with David, but eventually he sought to take David’s life to protect the throne for himself and […]
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After Joshua and the people of Israel conquered and settled in the Promised Land challenges continued to arise. Throughout the time of the judges they lived as a loose confederation of tribes. Neighboring nations periodically invaded and captured some of the territory, requiring God to raise up a leader to bring them back to freedom. […]
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