Although the word church appears only three times in all of the gospels, in Matthew 16:13-23 and Matthew 18:15-20. However, the church figured large in the mission of the apostles, who they went out and made disciples by starting churches everywhere. By studying these three instances of the word church, we discover that Christ gave authority to his church to open the kingdom of God to those who receive the gospel. The health of Christianity and our own health depend on our recognition of the church’s kingdom authority.
During three weeks, we will look at Matthew 6:1-18, moving from the outside toward the Lord’s Prayer in the middle. First we considered Jesus’...
Even though you enjoy many good things in life, is there one big thing that is missing? Abram (later called Abraham) was rich, powerful,...
Recognizing the key role that hope plays in our lives, we encourage each other by saying, “Keep your hopes up!” We also realize that...