9 Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. 10 Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. 11 Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord...
1 On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. 2 Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. 3 Then, what looked like flames...
11 Because we understand our fearful responsibility to the Lord, we work hard to persuade others. God knows we are sincere, and I hope you know this, too. 12 Are we commending ourselves to you again? No, we are giving you a reason to be...
27 Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one...
18 This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. 19 Joseph, her fiancé,...
This weekend, Bill taught from Isaiah 11, asserting the prophet’s promise of a redeeming Savior as the foundation of the Christmas celebration. Isaiah’s prophecies were issued around 700 BC, after the northern kingdom of Israel had been conquered and taken into exile. Therefore, his prophecies...
Growing up in a western, enlightened society I learned to look down on everyone else’s understanding of the world. I learned empirical values. I learned to despise the childish notions of our ignorant ancestors. Accordingly, Greek mythology, demonic activity and supernatural phenomena were classified with...
1 At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. 2 (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census....
57 When it was time for Elizabeth’s baby to be born, she gave birth to a son. 58 And when her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had been very merciful to her, everyone rejoiced with her. 59 When the baby was eight days old,...
We don't belong here. This idea is a difficult one for us to remember. Our lives feel normal, busy, and often, harried. Our homes provide us with a safe haven in the evenings; we control and protect the comfort we find there. We have an...
1 This is my second letter to you, dear friends, and in both of them I have tried to stimulate your wholesome thinking and refresh your memory. 2 I want you to remember what the holy prophets said long ago and what our Lord and...
1 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed. 2 He has sent me to tell those...
Scripture unfolds for us a grand narrative of God’s work in the world for the redemption of the world, one that continues even today. As He directs all things for this purpose, He continues to work through His people – finite, sinful people. In the face...
Christmas is about a relationship. I didn’t say that Christmas is about relationships, as in relationships with friends and family. Of course, this season brings many intentional moments to be with friends and family. But those relationships, important as they are, aren’t the best part...
1 When Jesus had finished giving these instructions to his twelve disciples, he went out to teach and preach in towns throughout the region. 2 John the Baptist, who was in prison, heard about all the things the Messiah was doing. So he sent his disciples...
1 Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a shoot— yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root. 2 And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear...
1 Later that same day Jesus left the house and sat beside the lake. 2 A large crowd soon gathered around him, so he got into a boat. Then he sat there and taught as the people stood on the shore. 3 He told many...
39 A few days later Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea, to the town 40 where Zechariah lived. She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth. 41 At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the...
This weekend brought to a conclusion our series on Esther, an orphaned Jewish castaway whose improbable rise to Queen of the Persian Empire became an instrumental piece in the preservation of the Jewish people. As we examine the last two chapters, an initial decree from...
26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, 27 to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. 28 Gabriel appeared to her and said,...
35 Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because...
1 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. 3 The law of Moses was...
My husband was in Kenya, and I was in Charleston visiting family when I got a text from my friend. There had been an announcement at Grace about the partnership with Pastor Suhas, an Indian believer who would be hosting a Christmas gathering for the...
4 “Dear friends, don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot do any more to you after that. 5 But I’ll tell you whom to fear. Fear God, who has the power to kill you and then throw you into...
Unless you’ve been living in a cave, or too busy decorating your home for the holidays, you’ve heard of some big events around the world -- the recent spat of bombings across the world (most notably in Paris and Beirut), followed by a debate over...