1 Peter: suffering and glory
Christians just don't fit in, and that's not easy for the first-century church. Christians are suffering all over the world (1 Pe 5:1), and the Christians in modern-day Turkey need to know why. They need to know how to deal with it. They need to know how to live. And...
James: what does true faith look like?
Imagine you grew up learning the Law of Moses, doing good works and observing the commands that God had given to His people Israel. Now, all of a sudden, you're told that Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God, the long-awaited Messiah, the seeking savior whose death on...
Philemon: how to accept a runaway slave as a brother
Philemon (fi-LAY-moan) is a good guy. He loves Jesus and the other believers (Phm 5). He as refreshed the hearts of many saints (Phm 7). He's a church leader in the Colossae area (Phlm 2, Col 4:17). Paul even considers him a beloved brother and a fellow worker...
Titus: setting up an orderly, counter-cultural church
The churches on the island of Crete need leadership, correction, and order. Establishing churches is Paul's forte, but Paul doesn't sail to Crete to organize things. He already has someone on the island he can trust. That man is Titus. Titus is Paul's partner in...
2 Timothy: Paul’s solemn charge to carry on the gospel ministry
Paul is about to die. He had devoted his life to spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ. He had fought for sound teaching in the churches. He had trained pastors. He had corrected individuals, churches, and even apostles. He had testified before kings. Now Paul's work...
1 Timothy: the pastor’s guide to sound teaching and godliness
Timothy was Paul's protege, his "child in the faith" (1 Ti 1:2). Paul had left Timothy in the city of Ephesus to steer certain men away from false doctrine and provide sound leadership. This is Paul's follow-up letter. 1 Timothy is about sound doctrine and godliness....
1 Thessalonians: how to keep growing in faith, love, and hope
Timothy had good news for Paul: the church they had founded in the city of Thessalonica was growing. The members were loving one another. They were standing firm in their beliefs. They were holding up under persecution for their faith. The gospel is sounding forth...
Colossians: establishing your faith in Christ
Paul had never been to Colossae, but he'd heard from a good friend that the church in that city was blossoming in faith and love. They'd been rooted in Christ---but young churches had been misled before. Paul desperately wants to encourage the church and head off any...
Ephesians: walking in grace, peace, and love
You're a Christian. Now what? Paul's letter to the Ephesians has the answer. The church at Ephesus (a city in the Roman Empire) had been established during Paul's two-year stay (Ac 19). They heard the call, they believed, and they turned away from their old idols and...
2 Corinthians: forgiveness and reconciliation in the church
When Paul wrote his first epistle to the church in the city of Corinth, they had been going through all kinds of divisive problems. Paul had urged them to put God's glory first and love one another, but he wasn't the only one telling them what to do. When Paul came...
