“Turning, Serving, Waiting” – Thessalonica: The Young Church in Action

Many Christians think that we are living on the brink of the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Such was also the case for the apostle Paul and the newly formed church in the city of Thessalonica in 49 A.D. The church was being greatly persecuted, yet the Thessalonians themselves were gaining a resounding [...]

Thessalonica: The Young Church in Action – “Grace to You and Peace”

What’s in a verse? The very first verse of the apostle Paul’s first letter to the young church in Thessalonica is absolutely packed with significance. Although the form of greeting in letters was common in the Greco-Roman world, by the power of the Holy Spirit Paul elevated it to an entirely new level. Join us [...]

1 Thessalonians: The Young Church in Action – Welcome to Thessalonica!

A relatively young city in the ancient world, Thessalonica was an important commercial city in the bosom of the Roman empire. Known as “the gem of Macedonia,” Thessalonica lay along the important Roman road, the Egnatian Way. It also boasted of verdant farmlands to the north and sat on one of the busiest seaports in [...]

Government: Where’s My Allegiance?

We live in an age in America (or many other places, for that matter) where unbridled criticism of the government is the norm. If our candidate or party is not in office, we feel free to cast aspersions. Whether or not the criticism is warranted, we must ask the question, “As Christians, what is to [...]

Genesis 1-11 The End of an Age

As we come to the conclusion of the first section in our “Genesis: Starting for Home” series, we arrive at another genealogy. Like the other genealogies we’ve encountered in Genesis, this one is also of great significance, as it traces the righteous line of Shem down through the generations to the birth of Abram, who [...]