Who needs a message of hope? We all do, of course, yet hope has special meaning for people living under adverse conditions. The earliest audiences for the letter of 1 Peter were small groups of Christians under attack, little bands of exiled believers huddling in scattered communities.
Read More community, persecution, encouragement, hope
Not only does Jesus tell his disciples to pray for the coming of the kingdom in the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:10), he tells them in his great commission to actively pursue building the kingdom (Matthew 28:18-20). In this chapter of Scripture, the people respond to Nehemiah’s encouragement and assessment of the situation in Jerusalem.
Read More encouragement, repair, work, community, strengthHaving looked squarely at the characteristics of those who are opposed to the gospel and to everything that is good, Paul now urges Timothy to consider three important truths. All of these come out of Timothy’s past experience and push him to re-examine both the reason and the purpose of his present ministry.
Read More truths, Conviction, God’s Word, encouragement, faith