I love to call my Mom on the phone as often as I can. Now almost ninety years old, she remains well aware of my lifeand also has a deep “heart” understanding of my two brothers and four sisters. I thank God for her physical and emotional care for me over the years, and today I cherish her spiritual support as we talk of God’s Word and see the power of prayer.
Jesus Christ taught many things. Perhaps one of his best known teachings is about sowing seed and bringing forth fruit.
If you are reading this, you must have life. It allows you to breathe, think, and act. It is a gift from God, for God is life.
After a sinless life, always doing the will of his Father, Jesus Christ gave his life for us. He was dead and buried. Then God fulfilled His promise and raised him, as the angel declared on that glorious day.
I was ten years old and we had just moved into town. I first saw her playing kickball and admired her pretty face, athleticism, and spunky drive—and something new sparked in my heart. Over the next six years, this exciting and uneasy feeling continued as she dated others and I never had the courage to tell her how I truly felt. I was “in love” according to all the books and movies I knew, but I wasn’t sure what it all really meant.
Christian churches today differ in their approach to leadership. But what is the pattern for church leadership that the Bible shows among first-century believers in the Book of Acts? In looking at ekklēsia, the Greek word most often translated “church” in Acts, we see churches that are locally self-governed and are supported by energized ministers.