The Power of Personal Testimony
So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” -Acts 4:18-20 A very effective way to share the Good News is to tell people what God has done for us in casual conversation.
The Best Mother You Could Ever Have
Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me. -Isaiah 49:15–16 A favorite memory of my mom was when I was ten years old. We lived opposite the Sharp Park Golf Course in Pacifica, California. When I wasn’t caddying, I searched for golf balls and clubs
Trust in the Lord: How Do I Do It?
But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit. -Jeremiah 17:7-8 Today, you may be praying, “Lord, I’m exhausted, drained of all my spiritual energy, but you know that I’m
The Restoration of All Things
A special Easter Sunday message from Dr. John I. Snyder, preached Easter Sunday 2022 in Bavaria, Germany. "He tells us, 'It's this way!' And he says, 'Pursue it. It's waiting for you, and for anyone who wants it more than anything else.'" https://www.buzzsprout.com/636826/10485429-what-easter-really-means.mp3
Holy Week: The Everyday Life of Sin
He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? -Romans 8:32 Conspiracy, lies, false witness, denial, slander, scheming, power-grab, injustice, enviousness, greed, rejection of truth, hypocrisy, self-righteousness—sin and daily life are played out vividly in the events of Holy Week. Read Matthew, chapters 26 to 28, either by yourself, together as a family, or with your friends to focus on the events of
Holy Week: Day 8 – Easter Sunday: The Day Death Died
Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will
Holy Week – Day 7: New Life
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. -Galatians 2:20 How are we supposed to view our present life of faith? This passage tells us to look at our present lives as servants of the Lord Jesus. Just as Jesus was crucified, dead, and buried, and then raised to new life,
Holy Week – Day 6: Good Friday – What’s Good About It?
But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. -Isaiah 53:5–6 Our human minds can’t even begin to grasp the enormity of the price Jesus paid for us on the cross. If we did,
Holy Week – Day 3: Children of God
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace. –Ephesians 1:7 The apostle Paul reiterates here the essence of the Gospel message: It is only through the sacrificial death of Jesus (“his blood”) on our behalf that we can say we’re forgiven of every sin. The word he uses here for this transaction is “redemption.” This comes from the realm of the slave trade, where slaves were redeemed or purchased by someone
Holy Week – Day 2: The Doorway Into Life
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. –Hebrews 12:2 If Jesus did for us what we couldn’t possibly do for ourselves, what keeps us from fixing our eyes on him and keeping them fixed where they belong? As believers through the centuries have discovered, the problems arise when we take
