This past Sunday in my message, "Encountering a Broken World," I mentioned how God works through broken people, referencing a list of examples from the Bible. A few people asked me to share that list with them, so here it is. “For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven” …
A Prayer for Renewal based on 2 Timothy 1
"For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline." (2 Timothy 1:6-7) Lord, my God— The Giver of every good and perfect gift,You are …
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Putting on the Character of Christ in Divided Days
"As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received." (Ephesians 4:1) In Ephesians 4:1, Paul urges the Ephesians—and us, through them—to live a life worthy of the calling we have received. The unity of the church in divided times is tied into putting …
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The Surprising Reality of Disunity: insights from Philippians
In Philippians we see Paul do something rarely seen in any other letter. Near the end Paul specifically names two individuals, exhorting them toward unity. He writes in Philippians 4:2-3: “I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. Yes, and I ask you, my true …
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What Does It Mean to Live in the Kingdom of God?
Near the end of his magnificent letter to the Romans, the Apostle Paul calls early believers to live fixed on the most important things, not superficial things such as what we eat or don’t eat, what we drink or don’t drink, but true life in the kingdom. This is how Paul describes the Christian life …
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Matthew Erickson 