The term ‘Christian’ basically refers to a follower of Christ. It should be the desire of every believer to follow Jesus. As Paul continues to express his thankfulness for the believers at Thessalonica, he highlights what it looks like to truly follow the Lord. Like the Thessalonians, are you known as one who follows the…
Everything we are as believers in Christ is defined by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Gospel is all-encompassing. Everything hinges on the Gospel. The Gospel is the good news of Jesus revealed to us through the written Word. The Bible does not just contain the Gospel; the Bible is the Gospel. Genesis through Revelation,…
We all have those days of reminiscing various seasons of our lives. We remember special occasions and specific people. Those who have impacted our lives in a special way may often flood our memories. The apostle Paul wrote a letter to a church that was dear to his heart. He starts the letter by…
Do you feel dirty? Shameful? Undone? Do you feel the weight of guilt on your shoulders? David said in Psalm 51 that his sin was always before him. He was constantly aware of his sinfulness and his sinful tendencies. The apostle Paul himself proclaimed in Romans 7:15-25, “For what I am doing, I do not…
Proverbs 18:24 says, “A man that hath friends must show himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” Relationships can often be a sticky subject. We all have relationship issues from time to time. We have experienced thriving relationships and we have experienced broken relationships. When it comes to being…
We all have memories from our childhood that rises to the surface of our minds from time to time. I have many such memories. One memory in particular serves as a reminder of how God provides exactly what I need in the moment I need it. When I was a very young boy around 6…
It is often said that we should not ‘reinvent the wheel.’ This statement coincides with another thought, ‘if it’s not broke, don’t fix it.’ These statements certainly contain truth. There is no need to create something that has already been created. There is no need to change something that is working just fine. We are…
In the chaos of a fallen world we long for peace. In Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi we are given encouragement on how we can experience true joy. There is nothing like a church that is filled with joy. You can sense it when you walk through the doors. This joy fills our…
As we experience the joy of knowing Jesus we must learn to continue in that joy. We must press on. The Christian journey is one that is filled with unspeakable joy. We are pilgrims in this world. We are on a journey to our Heavenly home. This journey is filled with many ups and downs.…
I love the words to that precious hymn: ‘Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus,and to take him at his word;just to rest upon his promise,and to know, “Thus saith the Lord.” Jesus, Jesus, how I trust him!How I’ve proved him o’er and o’er!Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus!O for grace to trust him more! O how…
Pastor Chris Noland 