April 24, 2023
The Rich Young Ruler
Jesus was on the rich young ruler’s side. Jesus was pulling for him. . . .
New Testament
New Testament features Bible-based articles that help readers understand the message of Jesus, the early church, and the teaching of the apostles. Explore resources on the Gospels, Acts, the Epistles, and Revelation—covering historical context, key themes, doctrine, and practical application for discipleship and ministry. You’ll find guidance for studying passages faithfully, tracing the gospel story, and applying New Testament teaching to church life, ethics, and everyday following of Christ. This hub supports readers who want to grow in Scripture and live out the truth of the New Testament.
March 1, 2023
Why the Resurrection Matters
By Steve Wyatt His name was Cleopas—and he felt hopeless. So did his friend. These two friends had gone to Jerusalem to join up with Israel’s latest, greatest world-changer—another prophet, this time from Nazareth, who was rumored to be the one who would forever end Rome’s tyrannical reign. But instead? Although they had left hopeful, they were returning hopeless. Have you ever been there . . . hopeless? • Yes, these guys were believers. • Yes, they had grown to deeply love Jesus. • Yes, they had dropped everything to follow him. Here’s the problem: Jesus was trapped behind a huge stone, and
January 1, 2023
Grace and Truth
New Testament Theology Embodied in Jesus and Carried Out in Cultural Chaos
November 28, 2022
Showing Up
Communion reminds us of a beautiful part of the Christmas story. . . .
March 1, 2022
Authentic Messiah
By Jerry Harris Belief has incredible power, doesn’t it? And to think, in some ways, we believe the same story of the Messiah the people of Israel have believed for thousands of years. It is quite revealing. Christ is a Greek term translated from the Hebrew word Messiah, and it’s more a title than anything else. It came from a compilation of Old Testament Scriptures like Deuteronomy 18:18. It means “anointed,” and it was reserved for prophets, priests, and kings. But this one person, this “super” person, would be all three. The Jews placed all their hopes and dreams in
March 1, 2022
Authentic Jesus
By Tim Harlow To me, the best way to understand Jesus is found in one story in John 4 where the text tells us he “had to go through Samaria.” That single statement may sum up his entire ministry. Most Jewish people traveling from Judea up to Galilee did not go through Samaria—even though it was the shortest route. The Jews had disdain for the Samaritans, who were largely descendants of the Israelites but whom the Jews viewed as political and religious rivals, so they usually would go out of their way to avoid passing through that region. Yet Jesus
March 1, 2022
Authentic Gospel
By Mark E. Moore Words get tossed about recklessly. We use love for a sweater and a spouse. Few things are actually awesome. And like has been functionally reduced to a comma in common vernacular. Most of the time this loose language matters little. But when it comes to the bedrock of our faith, we might want to be a little more faithful to the meaning of our words. So, let’s start with this question: What precisely is “the gospel”? THE GOSPELS OF THE GREEKS AND THE ROMANS The term gospel, which literally means “good news,” was not originally a
May 24, 2021
The Rider on a Second White Horse
The rider on the white horse in Revelation 19 was different from the rider in Revelation 6. The rider on the second white horse is none other than Jesus, the Son of God.
May 10, 2021
Mary’s Testimony
Look through Mary’s eyes at the bread and the cup. Listen to Mary’s voice as you thank God for paying the price for our sins. This was Mary’s testimony about God’s Son: “Do whatever he tells you.”
April 5, 2021
Jesus, As He Really Is
When you see Jesus face-to-face, “as he really is,” what will be your declaration of worship?
May 1, 2020
A WARNING FROM EPHESUS . . . And Jesus’ Solution for When a Church Loses Its First Love
By Tyler McKenzie The Ephesian church was a first-century megachurch that had everything, and then, by all historical accounts, lost everything. Ephesus was the sort of city Paul liked to target: a hub of culture and a place of notoriety. He knew if he could plant the gospel in Ephesian “soil,” it would spread. Ephesus was a major commercial center—three trade highways ran through it—it was a port town, and it was tourist hub. One of the seven wonders of the world, the temple to the goddess Artemis, was located there. Some estimate the city’s population at a quarter-million people—massive
March 15, 2020
Judas: The Traitor’s Biggest Mistake
By Bob Russell Judas was greedy. That’s a common temptation for most of us, but it’s especially enticing for those with easy access to money that doesn’t belong to them. When Mary anointed Jesus’ feet with expensive perfume, Judas protested the perfume should have been sold and the money given to the poor. A fellow disciple observed, “He [Judas] did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it” (John 12:6). Judas was the treasurer for Jesus’
March 15, 2020
Thomas: Testimony . . . and Why Seeing Doesn’t Contradict Believing
By John Whittaker It was evening of the Sunday Jesus rose from the dead, and the frightened disciples were holed up behind locked doors. Emotions, excitement, and tensions soared. Suddenly, though the doors were locked, Jesus stood among them. “Shalom,” he greeted them. And then he showed them his hands and his side, scars and all, evidence that it was indeed him. After that encounter, the euphoric disciples couldn’t wait to tell Thomas, who wasn’t with them that night. But upon hearing the news, Thomas was hesitant, uncertain. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to believe. He just needed more
January 29, 2020
Healing the Brokenhearted
By Jerry Harris He was absolutely convinced he was doing the right thing. His indoctrination into the rightness of his position came about over many years; it was painstakingly produced through study and a network of key relationships. His animosity toward this new sect was fueled by an urgency to stamp it out quickly, before it irreparably damaged the true faith forged in a 1,500-year fire of trial and adversity. Followers of this cult didn’t deserve mercy, pity, or the benefit of due process; they didn’t deserve even a second thought because of their perversion of all things good and
July 25, 2019
Names of Christ Followers in the New Testament
We continue our monthly series of excerpts from Christian Standard, circa 1909, a year the magazine devoted an issue monthly to articles of particular interest to our movement. And again this month, as we did in January, we feature an essay by J.W. McGarvey. McGarvey was born in 1829 and died in 1911. Upon the 100th anniversary of McGarvey’s death, Andrew Paris wrote of him in Christian Standard: Although McGarvey enjoyed great success in the located ministry as the preacher of several Lexington churches (including Main Street and Broadway), the great work for which he is best known and esteemed
June 5, 2019
In New Book, Harlow Examines ‘What Made Jesus Mad’
By Jim Nieman Tim Harlow, senior pastor with Parkview Christian Church, Orland Park, Ill., for almost 30 years, has written a new book with the provocative title, What Made Jesus Mad? Rediscover the Blunt, Sarcastic, Passionate Savior of the Bible. In the book, to be released next Tuesday, Harlow explains that Jesus was most angry with people whose attitudes got in the way of his purpose, and he shares what that means for his followers today. He suggests it’s more important to ask, “What made Jesus angry” than the oft-quoted cliché, “What would Jesus do?” Harlow—who cowrote the “Ministry Today”
March 26, 2019
The Radical Request
By Halee Wood During Jesus’ early ministry, many of his followers were ecstatic. Who wouldn’t have been? The vibe, the miracles, the fact that he was hanging out with sinners. Some of these people had been made to feel like complete failures by the legalistic Pharisees, yet Jesus was loving, healing, and spending time with them! Jesus eventually began to say radical things that made many people feel seriously uncomfortable. In John 6, he said, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life. . . . For my flesh is real food, and my blood is real
December 13, 2018
God Touched Man
– Dec. 24, 1932 – It’s fitting to focus on Christmas writings both this week and next. To kick things off, here’s an editorial that appeared on page 14 of the Dec. 24, 1932, issue. It most likely was written by editor Edwin Reeder Errett. _ _ _ GOD TOUCHED MAN The glorious thing about the act of Jesus in cleansing the lone leper who came to Him saying “If thou wilt”—, was not merely the fact that Jesus cleansed him, or even the fact that Jesus said “I will.” The thing that throws a flood of glory around the
December 11, 2018
A Second Coming
(This Communion Meditation originally appeared online in December 2012.) By Lee Magness So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David. . . . He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child (Luke 2:4, 5). As the time approached for him to be taken up, . . . Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem (Luke 9:51). They journeyed to Judea—Joseph closing his shop, Mary pregnant, too pregnant for such a taxing trip. To Bethlehem, with its
February 20, 2018
Flesh and Blood
By Ronald G. Davis John declared it: “In the beginning was the Word . . . and the Word was God. . . . The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (John 1:1, 14). Though John’s Gospel account may emphasize the deity of Christ, it gives full attention to his humanity. Incarnation! The eternal, the nonmaterial, became flesh and blood. Here, we celebrate that fact. Jesus was fully human. He grew from infant in Bethlehem to toddler in Nazareth to a boy of age at the temple to a man . . . at the cross. As
