In Roman times, you were either free or you were a slave owned by a free man. Times have changed by the grace of God, but in Paul’s day that’s how it was. A man named Philemon got a lette…

In Roman times, slaves made up over half the population. Paul wrote about one of these slaves while in prison. Let’s learn from Paul’s admonition to the owner of Onesimus, a man named Phi…

Human slavery has existed throughout history. But where the Gospel has been embraced, slavery has faded away. The New Testament has something to say about this practice, which was common throughout t…

In Greek, the word “witness” is the word known in English as “martyr.” In the early church, dying for Christ went hand in hand with being His witness. The Apostle Paul went to…

Many early Christians met death as martyrs for the faith. Even now, believers around the world face persecution and even death. The day may come when American believers face the same fate. So we must…

What kind of legacy will you and I leave behind? The Apostle Paul left a legacy of faithfulness to Christ to the very end of his life. He died as a martyr in Rome. But how should we as Christians fac…

Psalm 116:15 says, “Blessed in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.” Multitudes of believers have given their lives for the faith. Are we ready to do the same? We must be pre…

At the mall we’re assailed by lights, trees, tinsel, ornaments, and all sorts of holiday cheer. What you won’t find there is much reference to the Christ, whose coming is the reason for t…

Like a diamond, the purity of Jesus radiates in many facets as we behold His glory. Isaiah gave us names describing these characteristics in the ninth chapter of his prophecy. In this message we look…

Christmas morning is fast approaching. But have we given thought to the One who was born that day? In this message, we pause and consider the position God the Father has given Jesus His Son, the one …

Kings have a total claim on people’s lives, time, and taxes. We’re not used to that type of authority in America. Many see kings as relics of a bygone era. But in this message, we’l…

In ancient times, kings had almost absolute power. A person’s life or death was in the king’s hand. In our day, presidents and congresses come and go. In this message we look forward to a…

The baby Jesus will be a baby no longer when a thousand-year reign of peace dispels the darkness of war and suffering. Isaiah the prophet lifts our spirits by reminding us of the future reign of Chri…

Jesus will return one day as King of Kings. But in His first coming, He was a servant to the will of God, giving His life to save His people from their sins. In this message we begin looking into thr…

Jesus came in poverty that we might be rich. In fact, according to the prophecies of Isaiah, He came as a servant. In this message we continue a look at Christ the servant, the one whose life, death …

Sometimes it seems the rich get richer on the backs of the poor. That’s a far cry from the teachings of Jesus. He taught us by example how to serve one another. In this message we look more at …

In a Nazareth synagogue, Jesus opened a scroll of Isaiah the prophet. He began to read of good news for the poor, freedom for prisoners, sight for the blind, and liberty for the oppressed. Jesus endi…

The people of Jesus’ day were ruled by the Roman Empire. Some saw in Jesus the political deliverer that had been foretold. But Jesus had a larger deliverance to make: a deliverance from the pow…

The peace on earth spoken of in the Christmas story will not happen until Jesus sets up his kingdom on earth. He will deliver the whole world from the scourge of war. But when He first came to live a…

At crucial times, great leaders arise, often from simple roots. They’re seen at the turning points of history, and they are often called upon to make momentous choices. In this message we meet …

To save her people from extinction, Esther faced the risk of execution to beg the king of Persia to rescind a royal edict. She didn’t try to avoid the situation. She knew that at that key momen…

While many people prefer to mind their own business, Esther got involved at a crucial point in the history of the Jewish people. She spoke at great personal risk. We must do the same to face the daun…