The church at Antioch in Acts 13 sent out men who were called, qualified, and capable. They were not looking for somewhere to send someone to be “an encouragement” to them. They were not looking for a place of service elsewhere for those who could not or would not serve effectively in their own local church.

The Jews and the Samaritans had a long history of animosity and hatred toward each other. That is why it was not a strange thing that Jesus was treated rudely and refused when He sought accommodations in Samaria.

How will you be remembered? Perhaps that is not the correct first question—will you be remembered? I suppose each of us would like to think that our lives will have meaning and influence beyond our own days. Just what will we leave behind: money, debt, or both a physical and a spiritual inheritance?

Remember when your mother taught you to “think before you speak”? It’s good advice for when you speak electronically, too. God commands us, “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.”

The Bible is the basis and foundation of everything I believe. This is why I reference so much Scripture when I write about music. There are at least 500 verses in the Bible that refer to music. The Bible instructs believers to praise God, “In psalms and hymns and spiritual songs” (Ephesians 5:19).

You will never have a great teacher who does not have passion. The personality of individual teachers may be different and their passion may come out differently, but you have never been taught by a great teacher that did not have a passion for what he was teaching.

How do you say “thank you” for God’s goodness? Really, it’s impossible to fully express our thanks. But when your heart is overflowing with gratitude, it will find an outlet.

After you have received the gift of eternal life, God doesn’t want you to live in doubt. He wants you to know that you have received eternal life and a new relationship with Jesus Christ. This is the theme of the entire book of First John. I would like to look at three undeniable promises of eternal life God has given us:

Most churches want to reach people; anyone who is actually trying to fulfill the Great Commission gives serious thought to strategies for doing so. Along with an aggressive outreach effort to reach people, many churches employ programs, campaigns, and various other tactics to keep guests once they have come.

The next six weeks are some of the busiest on the calendar. Between now and Christmas, life can easily swallow us up in a whirlwind of holiday preparation and activity. Yet, these busy weeks also hold some of the most sacred moments of the entire year…if we will intentionally look for them.