In the letter to the church in Sardis in Revelation 3:1-6, Jesus had a surprise announcement for the church and promised a surprise visit if things did not change for the better. The announcement was that, in spite of appearances of vitality, the church was really quite dead, which would have fallen as a huge surprise to the church itself and to everyone who knew the church’s great reputation. Jesus had called the church in Ephesus to remember its earlier works, but Jesus called the church in Sardis to remember something even more foundational: how they received and heard the gospel. His call to them forces us to ask ourselves how we are hearing it today.
When we considered the Covenant of Law given through Moses, we detected a major problem that we have with God’s law: we cannot keep...
Although some adults tried to keep children away from Jesus, he welcomed them in Mark 10:13-16 as models of how to enter the kingdom...
As opposition grew toward Jesus, he anticipated that it would reach his followers as well and prepare them for how to live.