As we conclude our series on the book of Romans, Paul gives us warnings about people who might deceive us to follow a personality instead of Jesus. They take the gospel message and twist it to serve their own selfish ambitions. We need to weigh all things against the truth of the Bible.
In chapter 16, the Apostle Paul expresses his personal thanks for others who have supported his ministry. It's a good reminder that serving is best done in community, using our gifts to serve the Lord together.
As we get to the tail end of Romans, this great work that the Apostle Paul has written that has made a tremendous impact throughout the centuries, a beautiful book that deals with our relationship with the Lord.
As the Apostle Paul is concluding the book of Romans, he's reminiscing on the things that the church has learned and now looking forward to the future that the church has before them.
The body of Christ spans many different cultures, people groups, languages, and worship styles. Yet, through all of this diversity, we find great unity in Christ.
The Apostle Paul is encouraging us to carefully consider our lives to see if we are serving those around us and seeking to bless them. Even though we have freedom in Christ, we should be mindful of those around us.
The body of Christ is worldwide, and we see a lot diversity in cultural traditions and styles of worship. What beliefs do we need to hold to strongly, and what does this talk about meats and veggies have to do with our faith?
Is our love for God reflected in how we respond to the world around us? Are we going through life only seeking to serve our own wants and desires, or do we see our blessings as resources we can use to serve others?
In Romans 13, the Apostle Paul tackles the intersection of three hot button issues: religion, government, and taxes. These were created by God for the benefit of people and, as Christians, we're called to submit ourselves to the governing authorities in our society.
We get to the heart of Romans 12 and examine how we, as Christians, should respond to people and the circumstances of life. God calls us to respond differently than the world would, and through that, we bless those around us. And what is up with heaping burning coals ...?
This passage is really the transitional section of the book of Romans that takes us from a place of understanding really who we are in Christ and now how to live for Christ.
It can be easy to get into the mindset that we want God to come alongside us and do what we want. Instead, we should surrender our will to God and let Him flow through us to bless others in this world. Through that we can find true happiness and meaning.
In today’s passage, the Apostle Paul examines how salvation began with God’s people, the Jews. Through God’s kindness, Gentiles were grafted in, not because of anything we did, but simply by the mercy and grace of God.
God wants us to make a difference in this world and stand for truth, not just what is popular in the culture around us. The body of Christ can only be effective when we are working together on mission to serve the people around us.
The message of the Gospel contains tremendous power to transform our lives. When we share that message of hope with the world, we should do it through a spirit of love and compassion. We're not trying to win arguments; we’re trying to love those around us.
The Apostle Paul reminds us in Romans 10 that the gift of salvation is open to all who will simply receive it. It has nothing to do with our performance but with the work Jesus accomplished for us on the cross.
Does God harden people's hearts? Paul responds to this hot button question in Romans 9 and examines how the human heart responds to the sovereignty of God. It’s only because of the grace of Jesus that we have any standing before God.
Through Christ our future is made secure, and we can place our hope in that. God loved us so much that Jesus gave His life for us. This world will throw a lot of stuff at us, but nothing can ever separate us from the love of Jesus.
Jesus offers us the gift of being adopted as children of God and the ability to have a deeply personal relationship with Him. When the struggles of life threaten to overwhelm us, we can call, "Abba!" "Daddy!"
As we begin Romans 8, Paul examines the new life we have through the Holy Spirit. We are no longer slaves to our sinful nature; we have been raised from death to life.
In our human nature, we can respond to God by either becoming rebellious and saying no to the rules, or becoming religious and trying to follow all the rules. Fortunately, Jesus gives us a third option though grace in a relationship with Him.
In Romans 6, the Apostle Paul talks about the newness of life that we have through Jesus. Through His sacrifice, we have been brought from death to life and made new in Him.
We are all doomed to spiritual death because of our fallen nature. But, through the free gift of grace in Jesus, we have been given spiritual life and hope for our future.
Romans 5 begins with a very pivotal word - therefore. In the first four chapters, Paul outlines the fallen nature of all mankind. He spends the rest of the book exploring the goodness and grace of God.
One of the best ways to gain someone's trust is to join them in their suffering. This is what Jesus has done for us — he found us in our sin and gave his life in order that we might have life through Him.
In Romans 4, Paul reflects back to the life of Abraham and quotes Genesis in describing him by saying, “He believed and it was credited to him as righteousness." We explore the deep meaning and depth of this seemingly simple phrase.
The beginning of Romans shows us the depravity of mankind. Today’s passage begins with the two most pivotal words in the Bible, “but now.” We come to understand that the grace of Christ is where we can put our trust and faith.
The first few chapters of Romans is a fairly uncomfortable section of scripture. It's not intended to disturb you and just to leave you there, but it's going to build within us something great that Jesus wants to do.
In Romans 2, the Apostle Paul examines the risk of "moralism” and comparing ourselves to others. This can lead us to feel like we are superior to others or cause us to diminish others to feel better about ourselves. Instead, we need to recognize we are all in need of the saving grace of Jesus.
In Romans 1, the Apostle Paul examines what it looks like when our hearts reject God and choose to worship ourselves instead of the God, the Creator of the universe.
The book of Romans is written to the city of Rome among the Roman people. And when this letter was written, it's thought of that the the church in Rome likely began in a Jewish synagogue.
