2023 Week 10 Reading – Hebrews 3

When reading the book of Hebrews I find it especially helpful to remember the broader context of what the original readers were experiencing. The author is writing to believers from a Jewish background. They had heard the gospel and they had embraced the truth that Jesus was the promised Messiah and Savior. However, in […]
2023 WEEK 7 READING – ACTS 19

In Acts 19:21-41 we find the account of a riot in Ephesus. When you read the passage, it becomes clear that these people are passionate about Artemis (their city goddess). At one point they spend two hours shouting “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians.” We look at this and it seems foreign- so different from […]
2023 Week 5 Reading – Acts 8

The book of Acts traces the spread of the best news in the world. It’s the news that the promised Messiah King has arrived; he has died; he has risen; he will come again. This news needed to be spread, and that’s exactly what we see happening here in Acts 8. This need doesn’t go […]
2023 Week 4 Reading – Acts 4

In the first half of Acts 4 Peter and John are arrested by the temple guard and thrown in jail overnight. The next day they are brought before the council, interrogated, and threatened. After the Jewish leaders reluctantly release them, Peter and John return to the fledgling church. It’s their response at this point that […]
2023 Week 3 Reading – Mark 14

We live in a society that prizes self-confidence. A lack of self-confidence is often seen as a fatal flaw and the presence of self-confidence almost as a guarantee of success.
2023 Week 3 Reading – Mark 12

By the time we get to Mark 12 the conflict between Jesus and the Jewish leadership is nearing its zenith.