When people read the Bible, they may be surprised to find shocking stories of wickedness mixed with stories of great faith, sometimes in the very same people. In other words, it contains stories of people like us. Judges reports on the chaotic situation in Israel after the death of Joshua during which a series of deliverers rescued God’s people time and time again from self-inflicted problems. At the end of the book, things spiraled out of control, but this failure reveals the main point of the book. In the end, the judges could not have lasting success but were signposts pointing forward to the answer to their failures and ours.
Because of a general persecution in Jerusalem, the believers were scattered and took the gospel to Judea and Samaria, where many believed in Christ.
The Thessalonian Christians show us what it looks like to live out God’s grace under persecution.
In John 12:27-50, we have Jesus' final appeal to the world before spending his final days focused on his disciples. After explaining the meaning...